Today, we take another of those well-needed breaks from writing about politics. Every once in a while (and it's getting more often than that), it's good to decompress so that your head doesn't implode. In its place, we have a cooking tip. After all, I know that’s one of the main reasons so many people read this page...
I should add that this is a really good cooking tip. One of the best I’ve come across. It scrolled by on my news feed, and I almost didn’t pay it any attention. There always are cooking tips on news feeds, often some truly miraculous way to make, for instance, the Best-Ever chocolate layer cake in only one pot and on the stove top. But the steps to accomplish these treats are so lengthy and convoluted, it’s not worth the effort, no matter how miraculous the miracle. But I was intrigued by what this tip was, and it seemed like it should be easy, so I decided to check it out. It’s how to make a baked potato in half the time. Yes, really. (And this is for baked potatoes. Not microwaved ones. That said, I suspect it would work for microwaved potatoes. But I like baked potatoes, in part because of how the skins turn out. And this tip also benefits from baking.) And it was incredibly easy -- so easy that it's in the “Why on earth didn’t I think of that years ago???” category of easy. I’ve used the tip a few times, and it’s worked perfectly each time. Last week for instance, I made a meal where the main dish was a Very Big baked potato, very big as in just a touch smaller than one of those toy footballs. Cooking it at 450-degrees, it normally would have taken at least an hour-and-a-half, probably longer. With this tip, it only took about 40-45 minutes. The really easy tip? Cut the potato in half lengthwise, and place it cut-side down on the tray. That’s it. Baked potatoes take so long because they’re thick, and the center had to get enough heat to be fully cooked. When you cut the potato in half lengthwise, it obviously cuts the size in half, and so it will (obviously) cook in half the time. Now, some people probably like their potato “whole” and then slit it open in the center and squeeze it open to put on the fixings. But cutting the potato in half lengthwise essentially does the same thing, just ahead of time. When both halves are cooked, you just flip them over, put them side-by-side, and it’ll be almost like baking the potato and then making the center cut. You’ve just made the center cut all the way through. The one thing that is different is actually something I especially like – and why this technique benefits from baking, rather than microwave. It’s that the cut-side develops a thin crust, becoming crispy, not fluffy. Once you break through this crust, it will of course be fluffy underneath. But rather than a negative, I love it – I find the thin crust delicious. I’m not quite sure why, but my guess would be the browning brings out the sugars. (This is the main difference if you tried the technique using a microwave: it wouldn’t create a crust – though some people might prefer that. However, what I’m not sure of is if the time-saved would be halved in a microwave, as it is baked in an oven. Although the potato would be thinner which would cook faster, the overall mass of the potato would be the same. And my understanding is that mass affects microwave time. I’m not expert enough in microwave cookology to know.) One additional suggestion. It might be a good idea to put a small amount of oil on cut-side of the potato, otherwise it might stick to the pan or foil. (Thus far, I haven’t done this, since I like the dry, crispy crust. But I might try it next time to see the result.) All this is a long way to say – cut a potato in half lengthwise, and it will bake in half the time. Bon appetit. Chef Bob-Ar-Dee
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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