I Just Made a Crispy Baked Potato in Under 15 Minutes. Here’s How [CNET]
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I love baked potatoes but find myself reaching for other types of spuds such as fries or chips simply because of how long the baked version takes to make. A traditional baked potato will cost you up to an hour of time and plenty of oven energy, but I found a way to make an equally delicious baked potato — soft and fluffy on the inside with crispu skin — in about 12 minutes.
With this CNET-tested method for baking potatoes, the microwave’s nuclear rays blast the potato to soft and toothsome doneness in about 8 to 10 minutes, while an air fryer can crisp the flesh and skin in 4 minutes or less. By my math, that’s 12 minutes for a baked potato that’s as good or better than anything you’ll make in the oven.
As a bonus, air fryers and microwaves use less energy than a large oven and take almost no time to preheat. Here’s how to make the best and fastest baked potato of your life in 12 minutes.
![baked potato](https://i0.wp.com/www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/230a4694de8a6e69cc5648390609d85447ba72e5/hub/2024/08/20/5a916706-d30f-4025-a2f9-b0d114cd5c6d/img-7326.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
A microwave and an air fryer will give you the best baked potato of your life.
David Watsky/CNETWhat you’ll need:
Directions:
- Step 1: Poke air holes in the potato using a fork.
- Step 2: Microwave the potato on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until it’s fork-tender and cooked through.
- Step 3: Slice the potato halfway through and toss with melted butter or olive oil. You can also stuff the potato with cheese or bacon bits.
- Step 4: Air fry on high skin side up for 2 minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes until desired crispiness is achieved. (If topping with cheese, veggies or bacon, cook skin side down only.)
![baked potato](https://i0.wp.com/www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/e117a560d2c34c80030e2ca6cefbeb4eb6f9677c/hub/2024/08/20/2dc1dac8-c0f5-4e4b-8840-1d186c6411cf/img-7338.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1)
Feel free to stuff or top the potato to your heart’s content.
David Watsky/CNETFor more tips, see my list of the seven foods I’ll only air fry from now and on and learn the best way to reheat every kind of leftovers.