Alton Brown Explains The Right Way To Bake (And Open) A Potato For Crispy Skin And Fluffy Centers

Baked potatoes are a simple pleasure. They're light, fluffy, and irresistibly creamy on the inside, while perfectly salty and crisp on the outside. That's if they're done right, of course. While they're incredibly easy to make, baked potatoes can also go wrong pretty quickly. Luckily, Alton Brown has a few tricks for getting it perfect every time, and he's shared them online for all of us to take on board.

The celebrity chef, known for his love of flavor and scientific technique, likes to coat his slow-cooked baked potatoes not once but twice in oil during baking, and he cranks up the temperature of the oven towards the end of the cooking process. He also pokes the potatoes with a fork, rather than splitting them with a knife.

This method, he says, "perforates" the skin and allows the steam to escape at a slower rate, leading to a fluffier inside. The final cook at a higher temperature, meanwhile, is for the crispy skin, Brown stated in a TikTok video outlining the process. Once the skin has been poked, Brown pops the potato open by gently squeezing both sides, then he tops it as he sees fit.

Brown outlined a few other tips for delicious baked potatoes in the video. He puts his potatoes directly on the rack inside the oven, rather than using a baking sheet, to help with the skin. He places the rack about one-third of the way up the oven, but the positioning shouldn't matter too much. If you're really worried about drippings, just place a tray at the bottom of the oven.

Make sure you pierce the potatoes with a fork before cooking, too, or the inside may end up dry and dense. You also always want to coat it with an even layer of oil and some salt. Brown bakes his potatoes for about one hour at 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and when the timer goes off, he carefully takes them out and coats them with more salt. Then, he returns them to the oven for another 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you're wondering which type of potatoes to use, Brown likes Russets, as do many other chefs. Russets are made up of about 20% starch, which makes them ideal for baking. Of that starch, a good chunk is a type of starch called amylose, which retains its shape during baking and leads to fluffiness. Simple steps, like choosing the right kind of potato and splitting it the right way, really can help you achieve the tastiest baked potato – you just need to trust the details!