The Reason Why Your Baked Potatoes Are Not Crispy - Mashed (2024)

ByJames Lewis/

Baked potatoes are a culinary failsafe, ideal for everyone from kitchen novices right the way up to Michelin-starred chefs. They're a blank canvas for food creativity and enjoyment: Sure, coating them in cheese, chili, or beans is a good start, but why not stretch the limits of possibility a little? Grate a nice, expensive truffle over them, perhaps, or even sprinkle some edible gold on top.

As exciting as those toppings might be for the evening dinner table, the simple pleasure of a crispy baked potato cannot be understated. So, why is it, no matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't stop those skins from going soft or soggy? The problem could be the seasoning. Smothering baked potatoes in oil and salt before cooking may seem logical to achieve a bronzed crispiness, but the heat of the oven might actually cause them to simply run off, achieving nothing at all. Fortunately, there is a straightforward way to avoid this — as well as other useful techniques to ensure your baked potatoes are always golden and crispy.

Patience is key for crispy baked potatoes

The Reason Why Your Baked Potatoes Are Not Crispy - Mashed (2)

Elena Shashkina/Shutterstock

To avoid the disaster of baked potato skins that are soggy or chewy, don't season them too early. Instead, put them in the oven and wait patiently until they reach a temperature of 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, baste them with bacon fat, preferably (or, if not, regular olive oil), and cover them with a decent dose of kosher salt. Once the potatoes are returned to the oven, the added extras will help to ensure the skins become crispy and tasty.

While holding off on seasoning baked potatoes is vital for delicious skins, there are other mistakes to watch out for too. A common one is wrapping baked potatoes in foil to achieve faster cooking. They might cook faster, butthis method will likely result in soft skinsbecause the moisture from the potatoes is unable to escape. Another, fairly obvious, obstacle to achieving crispy potatoes is if they've not been dried properly after washing. While rinsing potatoes before cooking is a good idea, if you cook them while soaking wet the skins are not going to harden satisfactorily.

So, to achieve thoroughly crispy baked potatoes, avoid myths about cooking them in tin foil, don't forget the basics of mopping up dampness, and only baste them once they're hot enough to benefit from it.

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The Reason Why Your Baked Potatoes Are Not Crispy - Mashed (2024)

FAQs

The Reason Why Your Baked Potatoes Are Not Crispy - Mashed? ›

Patience is key for crispy baked potatoes

Why are my baked potatoes not crispy? ›

If you oil them up early, the skins may not turn crispy. The salt, too, can run off the potatoes in the heat. Instead, do a quick oil baste after the potatoes reach 205°F: Remove the pan from the oven. Brush with olive oil (or bacon grease if you have it) and a hefty sprinkle of kosher salt.

Why are my mashed potatoes not crispy? ›

4: Soggy Mashed Potatoes. You wanted fluffy, but you got soggy instead? It could be that you cooked the potatoes too long or that you cooked them too hard (i.e., in very rapidly boiling water). Potatoes cook best when they're boiled gently, not vigorously.

Why aren't my potatoes getting crispy? ›

If roasted potatoes lack their crunchy sheen, overcrowding is usually the culprit. Just as overcrowding bacon or mushrooms in a saucepan causes disappointingly mushy results, placing potatoes too close to each other on a baking sheet will prevent them from crisping while they roast.

Why are my potatoes still crunchy after cooking? ›

If the potato cubes were too large or unevenly cut, this might result in some pieces remaining crunchy. Crockpot Temperature: Crockpots can cook at varying temperatures, even on the same setting. If your crockpot is not heating evenly or maintaining a consistent temperature, it might have resulted in uneven cooking.

Is it better to bake a potato at 350 or 400? ›

We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more.

How do restaurants get baked potatoes so soft? ›

Foil will prevent potatoes from drying out while they are kept warm – one of the reasons restaurants serve their baked potatoes in foil. but it will also leave the skin soft and moist, not crispy.

Why are my potatoes not getting soft in the oven? ›

Potatoes Aren't Softening? It's Probably the Acid | Bon Appétit.

How do you make potatoes crispy again? ›

For a large batch of spuds: reheat baked potatoes in the oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Coat each spud in a thin layer of oil or cooking spray.
  3. Evenly space the potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
  4. Place the tray in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes.
Mar 20, 2024

Does tin foil make potatoes crispy? ›

Those are 2 different methods of baking potatoes with different results. If you like a dry, crispy skin, then cook them without the foil. If you like a soft skin, then bake them with the foil with butter/ oil/ or garlic.

Why is my baked potato still hard? ›

If the potato is hard, bake it a little longer. Don't exceed the recommended cooking time because potatoes will continue to cook after they're removed from the oven and the skin will get dry. "Another common mistake is letting the potato rest or cool before cutting.

Why are my potatoes mushy after cooking? ›

The starch in potatoes is held together by pectin. When that pectin breaks down too quickly in the boiling process, mushy potatoes result.

Why are my potatoes going soft? ›

Whether staying in the ground for an extended time or stored too long in a pantry, potatoes will eventually begin their reproductive cycle (sprout, skin greening) and dehydrate as they draw in stored moisture.

Why are my baked potatoes always dry? ›

Don't exceed the recommended cooking time because potatoes will continue to cook after they're removed from the oven and the skin will get dry. "Another common mistake is letting the potato rest or cool before cutting. This is not meat and the potato doesn't get better with resting.

Why are my baked potatoes soft? ›

Using Foil -

Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy. Potatoes are made up of about 80% water, so sealing it up in foil does not allow enough water to escape, making it soggy.

How do you're crisp baked potatoes? ›

Reheat a Baked Potato on the Stovetop

Add a little olive oil to a skillet over medium-low. Cut the potatoes in half and put the cut sides in the pan. Cover with a lid and cook for three to four minutes. Once heated, remove the lid and flip the potatoes, heating on all sides, so the skin gets crispy.

Why are my oven roasted potatoes soggy? ›

Roasted potatoes can become soggy if the water content in the potato isn't fully cooked. Different potatoes have different water content percentages. Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy.

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