"jmcquown" > wrote in message
news
> On 10/4/2018 2:13 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>> On Thursday, October 4, 2018 at 12:46:39 PM UTC-4, Jill McQuown wrote:
>>> On 10/4/2018 12:24 PM, Cheri wrote:
>>>> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
>>>> news
>>>>> On 10/3/2018 9:36 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>>>>> I've been making baked potatoes for years, sometimes excellent, other
>>>>>> times less so. Last Saturday I watched an episode of America's Test
>>>>>> Kitchen and they showed what they found to be best.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Make a simple brine of salt and water. Poke the russet potato with
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> fork about three times on a side. Roll the potatoes in the brind
>>>>>> for
>>>>>> a short time, a minutes or less is ok.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> In a 450 degree oven, bake the potatoes to about 205 internal, about
>>>>>> 45 to 60 minutes depending on size. Brush the spuds with cooking
>>>>>> oul
>>>>>> and return them to the oven until they reach about 215. Remove from
>>>>>> oven, cut the top, add butter.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> They were fluffy inside and the skin was nice and crispy. One of
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> best I ever made. I never thought about going by temperature.
>>>>>
>>>>> It never would have occurred to me. I have always just poked the raw
>>>>> potatoes with a fork, brushed the skins with butter (you could use
>>>>> oil) and sprinkled with salt. They're done in an hour when the skin
>>>>> is crispy and a little more poking with a fork indicates they're soft
>>>>> inside.
>>>>>
>>>>> Did they use some sort of instant read thermometer? I cannot imagine
>>>>> worrying about the internal temp of a baked potato. Why must
>>>>> everything be so complicated?
>>>>>
>>>>> Jill
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I wouldn't mess with it as a rule, but I saw it on one of the cooking
>>>> shows and tried it, it was very good.
>>>>
>>>> Cheri
>>>
>>> I'm sure it works. I guess I don't get the idea of brining baked
>>> potatoes, much less using a thermometer. <shrug>
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> Some people are geeked about the science. They're just wired that
>> way. They want to optimize everything.
>>
>> Cindy Hamilton
>>
> Whatever. For me, just buttering a potato and sprinkling it with salt and
> poking it with a fork then baking it until done works. 
It has for
> years. Brining a potato? Not necessary. Internal temp? Not a concern.
> As long as it tastes good, that's what matters.
>
> Jill
Well, I'm curious to try new things/ways in food if it happens to catch my
fancy, as I said, I wouldn't mess with it on a regular basis, but I did want
to try it for myself.
Cheri