Baked Potatoes in Convection Oven: A Step-By-Step Guide

How to Bake Potatoes in a Convection Oven in 8 Easy Steps

Now that you know how to bake your potatoes, let’s put it into practice with a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Choose Your Potatoes

If you like your baked potato to be soft and fluffy on the inside, you’ll want to choose a potato variety that has a high starch content.

King Edward and Desiree are two such varieties. They’re also suitable for crisping up as their skin doesn’t hold moisture well.

Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho potatoes, are also really great for baking.

If you’re baking more than one potato, try to select potatoes similar in size when you’re at the store.

This way, they’ll all have roughly the same cooking time, simplifying the cooking process.

Step 2: Wash Your Potatoes

Once you’ve selected your perfect potatoes for baking, rinse them under cold water and scrub the skins off them well.

We use a stiff bristle brush that we keep under the sink for scrubbing all kinds of vegetables ready for cooking and eating.

Remember, you’ll be eating the delicious skins of these potatoes, so remove any discolored spots or bruises that you see on the surface with the tip of a knife.

Once you're done cleaning each potato, dry them thoroughly with a paper towel and set them down on a chopping board.

At this point, you don’t want to soak them for any length of time, as this will make them soggy.

You shouldn’t use hot water because this will start cooking the outside of the potatoes, and the insides won’t be able to catch up.

Step 3: Pierce Your Potatoes

Next up, using your knife, you need to pierce each potato deeply several times at (roughly) one-inch intervals.

Doing this allows the steam to escape during the cooking process.

Forgetting to do this may cause them to explode and make a terrible mess in your oven.

Step 4: Grease Your Potatoes

If you’re following a low-fat diet, feel free to skip this step, but greasing the outside of your potatoes will help them achieve crispier, more delicious skin.

You can use olive oil, butter, or any other cooking oil (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.) you have on hand.

Pour a small amount of oil or melted butter into your palm and rub it into each potato skin, covering every inch.

Step 5: Salt Your Potatoes

Now that your potatoes are all greased up, the salt will stick to them easily, and they’ll be ready to bake.

Pour out some coarse grain salt onto a plate and roll each potato over it until they’re lightly coated in salt.

Depending on what you're eating your potatoes with, you could also add some spices or seasonings to the salt to make a mixture.

We recommend trying garlic powder, onion powder, or cajun seasoning to make those potato skins even tastier.

Step 6: Cook Your Potatoes

Now, your potatoes are ready to cook, so place each potato directly onto the oven rack.

It doesn’t matter where they go in the oven, as that’s one of the benefits of a convection oven.

Your potatoes will start to brown where they’re touching the rack, so turn them over halfway through cooking to prevent them from over-browning.

You can also place a baking tray or sheet of aluminum foil on the shelf directly underneath the potatoes to help make cleaning up even easier.

Step 7: Check If They’re Properly Cooked

There are several ways to check that your baked potatoes are cooking properly.

The most reliable and efficient way is to use a meat thermometer, which should read 210 degrees Fahrenheit when they’re ready.

You can also stick a fork in them or give them a squeeze with an oven mitt.

If you’re using a fork, it should pierce the skin, sink into, and pull out of the potato flesh easily when it’s done.

If you’re using an oven mitt, the potatoes should yield easily when you squeeze them, which will tell you that they’re ready.

Step 8: Serve Your Potatoes

When you’re happy with your potato's softness or temperature, remove them from the oven and slit them open on the top with a long and as-wide-as-you-can cross.

Using your thumbs and index fingers (and some heat protection), pinch the edges of the potato and push down into them to encourage the fluffy interior to pop up slightly.

Be very careful when doing this. The potato will release a lot of steam, especially if it’s fresh out of the oven.

Ideas for Baked Potato Toppings

You may like to stick to traditional toppings on your baked potato, such as butter, cheese, and sour cream.

However, you can also transform your baked potato into an entire meal with the right toppings.

Here are some of our favorite baked potato toppings from around the world, which can all be enjoyed with or without butter and cheese.

When it comes to the cold toppings (coleslaw, tuna, and shrimp mayo), you can add your cheese first (if you prefer it melted) or on top of the dish to keep it more solid!

• Grated cheese and coleslaw
• Tuna mayonnaise with red onion
• Shrimp mayonnaise and shredded iceberg lettuce
• Chilli con carne
• Baked beans and cheese
• Hummus, olives, and tomatoes
• Your choice of meat, taco seasoning, black beans, cheese, and salsa

Best Baked Potatoes

Now that you know how to make perfect baked potatoes in convection oven, you can have loads of fun trying out different toppings.

Baked potatoes are so versatile, they’ll work with almost anything!

You can easily increase or decrease the cooking time to suit the rest of your meal preparation by adjusting your oven’s temperature.

Remember not to leave your potatoes in the oven too long, though, as that will dry them out.