Things You'll Need
Vegetable brush
Paper towel
Aluminum foil
Olive oil
Fork
Baking potatoes in the oven takes time but requires minimal effort. Once the potatoes are baking, you are free to prepare the rest of the meal. You can bake the potatoes in the oven plain, but wrapping them in foil first helps retain moisture that is otherwise lost through steam. This results in a tender potato that isn't too dry or flaky. The foil also retains the heat in the potato in case they are done before the rest of the meal is ready.
Step 1
Wash the potatoes thoroughly before baking, since they are served with the skin on. Scrub the skins with a vegetable brush under cool water to remove the soil then pat dry with a paper towel.
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Step 2
Pierce each potato four to five times with the tines of the fork. Piercing allows steam to escape as the potato bakes.
Step 3
Tear a sheet of aluminum foil from the roll, making the sheet large enough to full wrap the potato. Coat one side of the foil lightly with olive oil.
Step 4
Wrap the potato with the aluminum foil. Leave no part of the potato uncovered.
Step 5
Bake the potato in a preheated 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes to one hour. The potato is done once it's tender and easily pierced by a fork.
Tip
Store the foil-wrapped baked potatoes in the refrigerator if you don't need them right away. Heat the wrapped potatoes in a 350 F oven for 10 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 140 F.