baked potato without foil

[Denisemomof4]

I just read online about oiling a potato and placing it in the oven directly on the grate. I'd prefer not to oil but will if necessary. Has anyone done this? I've only baked potatoes in foil before and our nutritionist told us not to use foil anymore.

 

I also considered water in a pyrex casserole dish, cover, bake, but then we're talking steamed potatoes.

 

She also suggests baking the squash (butternut and acorn) whole, cooling and then slicing open to clean. I usually cut in half, clean, foil and bake. Has anyone baked them whole?

 

Lastly, baked yams. Anyone done this without foil? I assume I'd oil lightly and place on grate.

 

I've never baked these veggies without foil. Will they dry out? How is the taste affected?

 

Thanks!

[4kiddies]

I never wrap mine in foil. I just poke holes in them and place them on the grate. I don't oil them either....

[Kfamily]

When dh and I were married he introduced me to baked potatoes without foil. I had never had them this way. He actually likes to eat some of them skin (he says all the vitamins are there) and if we bake them in the oven without foil the skin can get crispier. I wash them well and put several fork holes in them and then put them into a hot oven. They usually take about an hour or so and are very good. I don't oil them either.

[Tap]

I have never used foil for any of these items LOL.

 

I wash the potato, stick with a fork a few times and toss them in the oven. To speed it up, I micro them for 5 minutes while the oven is heating up. We don't eat potato skins, so I personally don't care if they are a bit dry.

 

For yams, I do the same.

 

For acorn squash, I cut in half, put on a baking sheet, put some butter in the middle and bake until soft fork tender. We like it best when I scoop out the insides, mix with a bit of homemade bacon bits and brown sugar.

[JulieJ]

I never use foil while baking a potato in the oven. I do not oil them.

 

I do use foil on the grill, only because I usually place onions, butter and spices in with the potato.

[JulieJ]

For acorn squash, I cut in half, put on a baking sheet, put some butter in the middle and bake until soft fork tender. We like it best when I scoop out the insides, mix with a bit of homemade bacon bits and brown sugar.

 

Yummy!! We always stuffed the center with a sausage mixture too!

[MomOfOneFunOne]

No foil here either. I started not using foil looooong ago b/c I prefer the skin with a bit of crispness. Later, when foil-hating b/c the norm, I was already there.

 

if you prefer the softer skin, you might try wrapping it in parchment and tying off with twine. You'll get the steaming effect on the skin w/o the foil. I've never tried that with potatoes, though. It works nicely with veggies.

 

I live in the US where we pretty much just get sweet potatoes so I've never cooked a yam b/f. I do my sweet potatoes the same as my other potatoes with the exception of putting a pan on the bottom rack to catch the drippings if they should occur -- the sweet potatoes seem to have more water and sugar and a nice syrup forms and then burns on the bottom of my oven if I don't do that. I pierce both the regular and sweet potatoes. It's through these holes that the sugar seeps.

 

I've never baked a squash whole but I've never wrapped it in foil either. I halve them, place cut side down on cookie sheet, and bake. I scrape out the seeds b/f cooking and cut it out of the skin after cooking. For acorn squash I just serve it in the skin and we discard the skin after supper.

Edited April 7, 2010 by MomOfOneFunOne

[Denisemomof4]

WOW!!! I just baked veggies as my parents did. I had no idea there was a better way!!! I would prefer a crispy skin and we do eat them because of all the nutrients.

 

The squash won't dry out baked in half uncovered, even with butter???

[BikeBookBread]

I do this this all the time; I've never used foil because going foil-less promotes a more fluffy potato. I don't oil the grate, either, just plop them right on the rack. I self-clean my oven often so any skin that comes off just disintegrates anyway.

[cjzimmer1]

I'm another one who has never used foil as I couldn't figure out what purpose it served. I've never oiled or even poked skins(I don't want the juices dripping in my oven) either. I just wash, lay on the grate and bake until done (I do poke to test for doneness). I've done potatoes, sweet potatoes, pie pumpkins, spaghetti squash and butternut squash this way. I would imagine it would work for any of the others as well.

[StephanieZ]

I grew up baking potatoes right in the oven. The only prep we did was to wash the potato and then stick a metal stick down the middle. I think the metal stick helps distribute the heat into the middle but I don't know that it is really needed as I never tried it any other way.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

WOW!!! I just baked veggies as my parents did. I had no idea there was a better way!!! I would prefer a crispy skin and we do eat them because of all the nutrients.

 

The squash won't dry out baked in half uncovered, even with butter???

 

Well, I've never baked them whole so I don't know about that but when I cut them in half, i put the cut side down n the cookie sheet. They dn't dry out.

 

I live in the waste is (nearly) always wrong camp but even so, squash and taters are pretty cheap. Don't try it all in one week but say, this week try the potatoes and see how everyone likes them. The difference is the skin so even if they don't like the difference, they'll still eat the flesh and toppings. Later, you can try other veggies. There may be some lingering winter squash out there to try and you can do that next week (or switch if those hard squashes are available this week. potatoes will always be there).

[EKS]

I rub olive oil on the outside of the potato (it's not much at all, maybe less than a teaspoon) and then poke holes in it with a fork (I poke the fork in 12 different places, but my mother does it in 3 different places). This keeps it from exploding. Then I cook it at 350 or so until it is done. I do yams the same way, though they leak and you'll want something under them to catch the drippings.

[KatieJ]

I have always baked potatoes without foil as that is how I grew up. I inherited some metal sticks for potatoes with our first house purchase. I can't say as I saw an advantage to using them, but they are still kicking aound here.

The reason you poke potatoes is so they don't explode!

It has happened to me on more than one occasion....

 

I have almost always baked my squash whole as well..it is much easier for me to deal with scooping out the insides when it is baked then when they are raw.

I do put them on a cookie sheet.

If you cut them in half first, just put them cut side down on a cookie sheet..they are fine.

[jkwynn]

I rub olive oil on the outside of the potato (it's not much at all, maybe less than a teaspoon) and then poke holes in it with a fork (I poke the fork in 12 different places, but my mother does it in 3 different places). This keeps it from exploding. Then I cook it at 350 or so until it is done. I do yams the same way, though they leak and you'll want something under them to catch the drippings.

 

We use olive oil, too, and a little sea salt on our potatoes. 5 minutes in the microwave first, then about an hour in the oven. I put a cookie sheet under the rack with the potatoes to catch any drips/salt.

 

We love the skin when they're cooked this way.

 

I ate so many sweet potatoes as a kid, I don't care for them now. Maybe I should try them cooked like this...

[OnTheBrink]

We use olive oil, too, and a little sea salt on our potatoes. 5 minutes in the microwave first, then about an hour in the oven. I put a cookie sheet under the rack with the potatoes to catch any drips/salt.

 

We love the skin when they're cooked this way.

 

I ate so many sweet potatoes as a kid, I don't care for them now. Maybe I should try them cooked like this...

 

I use olive oil, too, and no foil. Foil steams the potatoes; no foil bakes them.

 

Have you tried making sweet potato fries? Very easy. Just cut the sweet potatoes into strips, toss with a little olive oil, salt with some sea salt and bake. My dd LOVES these.

[Janet in WA]

No oil, no foil. Perfect potatoes every time.

[Kissy]

I put mine on a cookie sheet but I bake potatoes without oil or foil all the time and they turn out great.

[Teachin'Mine]

I'm another one who has never used foil as I couldn't figure out what purpose it served. I've never oiled or even poked skins(I don't want the juices dripping in my oven) either. I just wash, lay on the grate and bake until done (I do poke to test for doneness). I've done potatoes, sweet potatoes, pie pumpkins, spaghetti squash and butternut squash this way. I would imagine it would work for any of the others as well.

 

 

Haven't they ever exploded??? Like others have said, that's the reason for the fork holes. Grew up washing, poking and baking and they were always light and fluffy inside. Recently we tried foiling, and I've found the inside is denser. Back to throwing them in naked. :001_smile:

[Dawn in OH]

I never wrap mine in foil. I just poke holes in them and place them on the grate. I don't oil them either....

 

Same here.

[JFSinIL]

I have NEVER used foil.. or oil. Just scrubbed the taters, poked them a couple times with a fork so they didn't blow up, and baked 'em. That is all my folks did, too.

[Excelsior! Academy]

I've had one explode. It is not pretty!

 

No foil or oil here either. Just wash, poke, and bake.

[Ellie]

Haven't they ever exploded??? Like others have said' date=' that's the reason for the fork holes. Grew up washing, poking and baking and they were always light and fluffy inside. Recently we tried foiling, and I've found the inside is denser. Back to throwing them in naked. :001_smile:[/quote']

One of the first lessons I learned as a newly wed was that you must poke holes in your baked potatoes. Not doing so gave me the opportunity to see how well my continuous-cleaning oven dealt with potato guts all over the inside.:glare:

 

FTR, when you wrap the potatoes in foil, they are being steamed (someone commented on that...I forget who...short attention span here :D )

[cjzimmer1]

I'm amazed at the number of people who talk about exploding the potato in the oven. When I microwave them yes I poke because I know they explode there but I have never had a potato explode in the oven - seriously. It never even occurred to me that it was possible because the potato seems to shrink a bit from the skin not expand. But yet it has happened to some of you. Interesting.

[Quad Shot Academy]

We prefer our yams peeled and sliced in 1/2" circles and steamed in a vegetable steamer.

[Mrs Mungo]

I never wrap mine in foil. I just poke holes in them and place them on the grate. I don't oil them either....

 

Same here.

 

I've never baked squash whole though, I think it would be hard to fit in the oven that way. I slice it in half, clean, brush with a little olive oil and bake (eta: cut side down on a baking sheet). I don't wrap it in foil or anything.

 

I haven't made yams this way but I bake sweet potatoes just like regular potatoes.

Edited April 7, 2010 by Mrs Mungo

[Chris in VA]

No foil no oil.

We soak our sweet potatoes whole, unskinned, in salt water for a couple of hours before baking. The inside comes out very fluffy, like a baked (regular) potato. Ymm!

[Unicorn.]

Don't use foil or oil, and I don't poke holes in them, unless I use the microwave-which I don't have anymore. Yams, same thing. Wash, then toss on the oven grate-no oil, foil or holes. Squash- Cut, clean out seeds, place face down in a pyrex dish w/ a tiny bit of water on the bottom of the dish, and bake- no cover.

[Quiver0f10]

I never wrap mine in foil. I just poke holes in them and place them on the grate. I don't oil them either....

 

Same here.

[KnitWit]

We love to eat the WHOLE potato, skin and all, so we lightly oil with olive oil and also rub a bit of sea salt on the outside and bake on the rake...no foil.

 

yummy!

[HomeOnTheRanch]

Potatoes--wash and poke (I've had a few explode in the oven

 

Squash--My friend gave me some spaghetti squash from her garden a few years ago and I confessed that we didn't eat a lot because I didn't like trying to cut it open (to place face down in pyrex). She laughed and told me just to poke a few holes and throw it in the oven just like that. So, so, so easy, and no pyrex dish to wash afterwards! When it is done, we easily slice it in half, scoop out seeds, and use squash shell as serving dish (maybe put on plate if you're trying to be fancy.