The perfect baked potato is crispy on the outside, yet fluffy and creamy on the inside. The piping hot inside ready for whatever toppings your heart desires. From chili con carne to Romano cheese powder, and dried chives, a potato is the perfect vessel for almost anything. Perfectly baking a potato so that it’s not dry on the inside takes a bit of practice, but there are many different routes to go when baking your potato, from the oven, to air fryers, and microwaving, you can find your perfect potato preference here.

How Long to Bake a Potato

Baking a potato in the oven is the original way to get the desired crispy skins and tender insides. With only a few ingredients, and a little bit of time, it's an easy dinner option or side to whip up.

Tools you’ll need:

• Baking sheet covered in foil
• Fork

Ingredients:

• 1-4 potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Scrub the potatoes under running water until clean
3. Pierce the potatoes with a fork 4-5 times on each side
4. Rub potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper
5. Bake the potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet for 50-60 minutes, flipping potatoes every 20 minutes and checking for doneness. When potatoes are done they will be easily pierced with a knife all the way down to the center
6. Cut open cooked potatoes and top with desired toppings. For a traditional loaded potato, we recommend butter, sour cream, chives,  shredded cheese, and crumbled bacon.

Microwave Baked Potato

Making a baked potato in the microwave cuts down on the cooking time and is a more convenient option that provides similar, delicious results. Whether you’re cooking one potato or a few at a time, just a few minutes in the microwave will do the trick.

You can use any potato you’d like, but larger potatoes may need an extra minute to fully cook. Don’t forget to poke your potato with a fork before placing in the microwave to allow the potato to steam while cooking so it doesn’t explode.

One downside to microwaving your potatoes is that they won’t have the same crispy outer skin that the potato gets when it’s baked in the oven. To get the best of both worlds, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit while your potatoes are in the microwave, and once they’re cooked through, transfer to the oven and bake for a few minutes until the skins are to your desired crispiness.

Tools you’ll need:

• Microwave
• Fork
• Microwave safe dish

Ingredients:

• 1-4 potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Scrub the potatoes under running water until clean
2. Pierce the potatoes with a fork 4-5 times on each side
3. Rub potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper
4. Place potatoes on a microwave safe dish and microwave for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. If cooking 2 or more potatoes add an additional 5 minutes to cooking time
5. When potatoes are done they will be easily pierced with a knife all the way down to the center. If potatoes are still hard, continue to microwave in 1 minute intervals until cooked through
6. Slice open cooked potatoes and top with desired toppings

Baked Potato in Air Fryer

Cooking a baked potato in an air fryer is the best of both worlds. You’ll get a quicker cooking time in an air fryer than the oven, but you’ll also get the crispy skins that you find when baking a potato in the oven.

Tools you’ll need:

• Air fryer

Ingredients:

• 1-4 potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Scrub the potatoes under running water until clean
2. Pierce the potatoes with a fork 4-5 times on each side
3. Add potatoes to the air fryer basket and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
4. Rub the potatoes so all sides are covered in oil
5. Cook the potatoes in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes
6. Flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through
7. Slice open cooked potatoes and top with desired toppings