Recommendations for baking potatoes
We recommend the use of washed and graded baking potatoes such as
King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree although there are other varieties your
supplier may recommend to you.
Once baked, the flesh of a potato will gradually become darker the longer it is
stored (although the taste should not be affected), therefore we recommend
you serve your potatoes within an hour of cooking. Unused potato flesh can
be used in pies and to thicken soups, or you can slice the whole thing to make
delicious potato wedges.
The skin of the potato will become thicker and crunchier if cooked for longer
at a lower temperature, however once baked potatoes are removed from the
main oven their skins will become softer as they reduce in temperature, this
is unavoidable and does not indicate a fault with your oven! The display oven
temperature is lower than the main oven, this prevents the potato from over-
cooking, prolongs the display life of the potato and presents a potato which is
not too hot for your customer to eat.
You may also:
Rub the potato skins in olive oil and salt prior to baking (makes the skins
crispier).
Prick the skins (may reduce the risk of some varieties bursting).
Wrap the potatoes in foil, (not usually necessary, produces a much “wetter”
potato with a soft, thin skin, also increases the cooking time).
Despite being prepared and cooked in the same way, different batches of
potatoes can produce different results ~ you may wish to experiment with
different cooking times and temperatures to achieve the results you want from
our bakers. The basic principles of baking apply to their use in the same way
as they do to any other commercial oven, apply these principles along with our
guidelines and you should have many years of trouble-free service from your
King Edward product.
