Bomb Bakers

[bluejeanz]

I recently saw Guy make this recipe on one of his shows. He brined the spuds, coated them with salt and pepper, baked them and served them with a horseradish sour cream. They sound like heaven, especially since I think the skin is the best part of a baked potato! Has anyone tried these? Most of the reviews were favorable, save for a few who said their potatoes exploded in the oven. He specifically states not to prick them with a fork. I think I'm gonna give these a go.

[BerryBaby]

Have not tried them. How could you bake them, and not expect them to explode, if you don't prick them? I've had that mess in my oven before and wouldn't want to chance it again.

[bluejeanz]

In all the years I've been cooking, I've only pricked my potatoes before putting them in the oven a handful of times and have never had them explode on me. I wonder if it's the type of potato or how much moisture is in it.

[BerryBaby]

What temperature do you bake your potatoes at? I do 400 degrees and the potatoes are usually straight from the potato farm (it's only 10 minutes from here).

[Food Network Fan]

I don't poke any holes in mine either. I just rub them with olive oil and salt.

When I saw this title it made me think of Spongebob, maybe those of you with small children remember the pie bomb episode.

[Callisto in NC]

I've had them over a dozen times since I first saw him make them, actually we're having them tonight or tomorrow night too (might be a little too late to start brining by the time my movie is over and I get to Wally World).

The only way a potato could explode was if the guy who claims it did put it in the microwave instead of a regular oven. I've never poked a bake potato in the oven and never had one explode. The point is that because of the brining they steam and are very tender.

You can also use them for potato skins if you bake them and then hollow them out and cook them as you would any potato skin. We've done that too and what we've done there is keep the hollowed out insides for mashed potatoes.

[Food Network Fan]

Hey it's Callisto, good to have you back.

[Callisto in NC]

Hey it's Callisto, good to have you back.

Thanks. I was wrapping up my job and December and January were busy. Hopefully I'll have more time to check in now.

[BerryBaby]

Hi, Callisto!

Welcome back....

I'm the one who has had the potatoes explode in the oven and, no, I do not microwave them.

Did a little investigating on the Internet and got my answer as to why my potatoes explode.

Seems that 'thicker skinned' potatoes will explode and need to be pierced. This makes sense as I buy them right from the farm and they are definitely a thicker skin than the grocery store potatoes.

Also, it could be because we are in different parts of the country that we are using different potatoes. They may all look like russets, but there are many varieties. May have to do with crop variety, soil and moisture content.

So, I'm not doing anything wrong to have them explode, it's just the potato variety I'm using.

Found this to be most interesting.

[Food Network Fan]

They aren't too bad if I use the combination cook on the microwave. My daughter sometimes wants me to make her one and doesn't want to wait long. But microwave alone isn't a good texture for me. I prefer a long bake so they are nice and mushy.