Well now, if you ever wondered how to bake a potato in one of them toaster ovens, let me tell ya, it’s real easy and don’t take too long, neither. First thing you gotta do is get your toaster oven all heated up. Set it to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s about 200 degrees Celsius for them of you who got them fancy thermometers. You want that heat nice and hot, so your potato don’t end up all mushy like.
Next, you go and grab yourself a good potato. Don’t matter if it’s a russet or any other kind, just pick a good, firm one. You don’t want no squishy spud. Take it and wash it off real good, scrub away all that dirt and stuff. I know some folks like to peel the skin off, but I say, leave the skin on! That’s where all the flavor is, and it gets nice and crispy too. Plus, you get a bit more of them good nutrients that way. Just give it a good scrub and it’s ready to go.
Now, you’ll wanna poke a few holes in the potato with a fork. Not too many, just enough so it don’t explode on ya. I’ve seen that happen before and it ain’t pretty, I tell ya. Just a few little pokes should do the trick.
After that, toss that potato on a little pan or something. I reckon you can put it straight in the toaster oven rack, but I like to use a little tray just in case. Make sure the pan’s in the middle of the oven, right under that heating element. That way it cooks all nice and even.
Now, you might be tempted to just walk away and leave it, but stay close. You see, toaster ovens work a bit quicker than regular ones, so you gotta keep an eye on it, especially the first few times you try this. It don’t take long, maybe around 40 minutes, give or take. After about 30 minutes, start checking it with a fork to see if it’s soft inside. If it pokes in easy, then it’s done! If not, let it go for a bit longer.
When it’s all done and nice and soft inside, take it out and let it sit for a minute, don’t go grabbing it right away, you’ll burn your fingers! Once it’s cooled down a bit, you can slice it open, add a bit of butter, salt, maybe some cheese if you like that fancy stuff. You’ll have yourself a nice, crispy-skinned potato with a soft, fluffy inside. It’s real good, I tell ya.
And that’s all there is to it. Simple as pie, or should I say, simple as a baked potato! You can do it real easy in that toaster oven, and you ain’t gotta wait all day like when you use a big oven. Just follow these few steps and you’ll have yourself a nice treat in no time.
Tags:[how to bake a potato, toaster oven, baking potatoes, crispy potatoes, easy potato recipe]