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My Baked Potatoes Don't Explode!

10/4/2014

2 Comments

 
Picture
I have been baking potatoes for a long time and have never seen an explosion of potatoes in a conventional oven. But I have read about horrible experiences from posters on various sites, with what seems to be more anecdotal than well reasoned consideration. I believe what they are reporting is real but there seems to be a lot of information missing. So, I would like to provide some further thoughts and possible explanation for the “exploding potato” phenomenon. The cover photo is a quick experiment that I did when I recently cooked a meatloaf. I punctured the skin of one, and not the other. As the photo shows, there was no explosion.

In the majority of comments that I have seen, the consensus appears to be that the steam has to escape so the skin has to be pierced. This includes using a fork, skewers, and even nails! But, there are some “holes” in that consensus. First, the skin is a semi-permeable membrane. We can prove this by placing a potato in a solution of a weak salt solution and the water in the potato will travel to the salt solution dehydrating the potato. Second, the internal temperature does not reach the boiling point. There may be some steam but not enough to cause an explosion. Third, there are normally bruises and openings in the potato due to the manner in which the potatoes are taken by the picking equipment.

So what may be happening for the explosions that are being observed? My sense based on what seems reasonable is that the problem is related to the temperature at which the cooking occurs. Baked potatoes can be cooked at a fairly low temperature, say 300 F (148 C ) all the way up to 475 F (246 C). I typically bake potatoes at about 350 F for an hour to an hour and a half. But, at the higher temperatures the rate of moisture generation may overwhelm the ability for the pores to allow the pressure to escape. And, if olive oil is used to coat the skin to soften, that would simply increase the potential for problems. With respect to microwave cooking, I have no experience as I like the skin to be dry and tasty! If you have any alternative thoughts I would be interested in them so please use the comments sections. One potato, two potato…

 

 

 


2 Comments
Martha
12/24/2016 08:36:24 am

I generally don't bake more than one potato anymore, since I'm only cooking for myself. I've cooked average sized and large potatoes and have always punctured them. That doesn't always prevent the potato from exploding, as I've found out on occasion, but there does seem to be an escape of fluid at each puncture hole, whether that is from a fork or a knife. Typically I bake them at 350 deg, or 375, and I've shortened the 1 to 1-1/2 hour time by microwaving them for about 5-8 minutes first, but as a rule, I'll stick with baking.

What I do know is that when exploding, it is not always via the puncture site, and it could be a simple "pop" that is audible all the way to a physical release of potato innards that covers much of the interior of the oven. For future reference, it is much easier to clean up if you just let it continue baking, drying out the innards that escaped, so you can simply brush up the baked innards. Otherwise, they could still be sticky with potato fluids, and just roll into potato balls, or stick to each other. And they're hot when they explode, so that causes issues of themselves.

I also prefer the potato skin to be dry and crispy, but that may be because of growing up in an age when food was not as available, or the fact that we had more mouths at the table. Either way, if you were hungry, you ate the skin too. I still do, although most of my friends do not, and prefer to eat mashed potatoes from a box, silly fools...

I've just been wandering around your website, discovering some fun, some interest, some new ideas. Most of what I've read has been interesting to me, some not, but I just went to other things and got interested all over again. I've thoroughly enjoyed this wander I've had, and will be back to discover some of the other things you've written about, Thank you!

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Ken
12/26/2016 11:41:50 am

Hi Martha,
First, welcome to our little space on the web, and second, color me embarrassed as shortly after this post I had a potato explode! I still feel that my initial observations are valid but there seems to be a pattern. First I did some experiments and found that the two most crucial factors are the water content and the cooking temperature. At 350 F there seemed to be no problem but as the temperature goes up the water heats faster and seeks escape. There also was a relationship with the hardness of the potato. If you hold your hand around the potato and it feels hard, it is less likely to release water. But when softer, there was more liquid coming from the holes. Generally interesting. Like you, I cook for one and usually I cook baked potatoes with meatloaf at 350 so that may be why I have not had a problem.
As far as your meandering is concerned, it is welcomed. This site is a labor of love and I try to share odd projects and material. If you have any ideas or thoughts for making it better you can always email me at ken.quast@gmail. Or, guest post are always encouraged. Thanks for all of your comments and ideas, Best always, Ken.

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