30-Minute Baked Potatoes

This recipe is courtesy of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Oven baked potatoes have a thin skin and butteriness, but take a while to bake. Microwave baked potatoes can become gummy and wrinkled, but are quick and easy. This is as good a compromise between the good points of both methods as I've found. If you want to simply bake the potatoes, simply wrap them in aluminum foil, put them on the middle rack of the oven, and bake at 35o degrees F until tender, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Yield: 4 baked potatoes

4 medium russet potatoes (about 2 pounds, as even in size as possible)

1. Adjust an oven rack to the medium position and heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Poke a few holes in each potato with the tines of a fork and microwave the potatoes on high until slightly soft to the touch, 6 to 12 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
2. Carefully transfer the potatoes to the oven and cook directly on the hot oven rack until a skewer glides easily through the flesh, about 20 minutes.
3. Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve with salt, pepper, and other condiments.