Rumor has it that an un-pricked spud will explode in the oven—but in all actuality, that’s unlikely.
By Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé Updated August 21, 2020
Conventional wisdom says that when you bake a potato, you have to prick it with a fork all over a few times, piercing the skin to allow steam to release. The rumor is that if you don’t prick the potato, the steam can build up under the skin and cause the potato to explode.
But I’ve never even heard of this actually happening, so I decided to put it to the test. I’m not big on baked potatoes, but I do like twice-baked potatoes, so I rubbed a couple taters in oil and sprinkled them with salt (the only way to bake a potato!) and baked them at 400°F, until they were tender all the way through. I baked four potatoes and pricked two of them with a fork, and left two intact.
mr - Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Image
Credit: Antonis Achilles; Food Styling: Ana Kelly; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee
First of all: None of the potatoes exploded. Obviously four potatoes is not a conclusive, scientific experiment, but it’s pretty difficult for me to imagine a potato exploding in my oven from steam building up inside it’s skin. It seems like, at worst, the skin might tear to release some of the steam, but a large explosion is definitely unlikely.
That said, it’s true that potatoes do release a lot of water as they cook, and releasing that steam is important to creating that fluffy, creamy inside that marks a good baked potato. Most recipes for baked potatoes tell you to immediately cut them in half after baking, which you do in order to release steam. My guess is that the reason pricking is so universally popular is because it does help to release steam, but only in order to keep the inside fluffy, and not because forgetting to prick is going to leave you with an exploded mess in your oven.
FAQs
"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape.
Can you bake a potato without poking holes? ›
Rumor has it that an un-pricked spud will explode in the oven—but in all actuality, that's unlikely.
What happens if I don't poke holes in my baked potato? ›
A: I would just skip poking the potato all together. It is very rare that a baked potato will burst if the steam can't escape.
Do you need to prick potatoes for the oven? ›
It's up to you. Pricking potatoes with a fork prior to cooking supposedly prevents steam from building up inside them as they bake, which can make them explode in the oven. However, this theory is highly debatable. I don't prick my potatoes, and in all my years of cooking, I have never had one explode in the oven.
What happens if you microwave a potato without poking holes? ›
These little holes allow steam to escape while the potato is cooking. Forget to poke, and your potato could end up exploding in your microwave from the pent-up steam. It's both messy and a serious dinner let-down.
Should you wrap a potato in foil when baking? ›
NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL.
Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin. Wrapping a baked potato in foil after it has been baked will allow you to hold up to 45 minutes, but the best method for holding a baked potato is in a bread warming drawer.
Do potatoes cook faster if you poke holes in them? ›
Using the potato nail didn't just help the spud cook faster — it also yielder a fluffier baked potato.
How do you tell if a baked potato is undercooked? ›
I can grab the potato out of the oven with a mitt, and use my hands to hold it while I poke a fork into the middle of the largest part of the potato, it should pierce the center easily with little resistance and come out dry rather than moist.
Is a potato bad if it has a hole in the middle? ›
Hollow heart does not affect the taste, quality or nutrition of the potatoes. It may affect their use because potatoes with hollow heart are not suitable for making potato chips.
Is it better to bake a potato at 350 or 400? ›
We recommend baking potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour. Smaller spuds might take a little less time, while larger baking potatoes over 1 pound might take a little more. For a fully baked Idaho Russet Burbank, the internal temperature should be right at 210 degrees F.
Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.
Why are my potatoes still hard after baking? ›
We suspect that the pan may have dried out a little too quickly, meaning that there was not enough liquid for the potatoes to cook in and this may have caused them to become hard. Pan dimensions and materials vary a lot and a larger pan, or one with a very shallow lip, could cause the liquid to evaporate more quickly.
What happens if you don't poke a hole in a baked potato? ›
"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while.
What is a disadvantage to cooking a baked potato in the microwave? ›
The rapid heating can cause the granules to burst, and release sticky, gelatinized starch. The result: A gluey potato that's also often marred by hard nodules where the starch has crystallized.
Why do people poke holes in potatoes? ›
Poke the potatoes with a fork just enough to pierce the skin so the potato won't burst when baking, especially in the microwave. Four or five times should be plenty. A potato is composed mainly of water, so poking them helps release steam as it cooks.
How do you bake potatoes without sticking them? ›
The potatoes should be slathered in oil and salt prior to baking. If you mean 'baked potatoes,' just oil the bottom of the pan or wrap those spuds in foil. I spray the sheet lightly with cooking spray if I'm not going to use seasoning.
What happens if you cut a potato before baking? ›
By cutting your potatoes in half lengthwise and placing them cut side down on a greased sheet pan before cooking, you will do two things. One, you have made them half the thickness, so they will cook through in literally half the time.
Do you poke holes in aluminum foil when grilling potatoes? ›
Luckily, there's a small trick that can help infuse your spuds with the smoky notes: Simply poke holes in the foil. By puncturing the foil, you create little windows that allow the smoke to seep in. This smoke is the essence of grilling, differentiating a grilled potato from a baked one.
Why is there a hole inside my potato? ›
Hollow heart occurs because of uneven amounts of moisture during tuber development or a combination of other environmental factors. Hollow heart, sometimes called brown heart or sugar center, is found everywhere potatoes are grown and occurs when there is an abrupt change in growing conditions.
