How Long To Cook A Baked Potato

Written by Dan on . Posted in Foodie

Baked Potato

Entertaining guests over the weekend, but don’t have the time to cook an elaborate meal? Don’t worry; you can score all the brownie points with your guests by making baked potatoes. Who does not love potatoes? Potatoes are liked in almost every form they exist. Baked, fried, roasted and the list goes on. Baked potatoes are the most preferred simply because not much oil is used in the preparation process. Also, the whole process involves just about 2-3 steps in total.

For taste, health, and convenience, you can put baked potatoes on your list of delicacies to be served to your guests. But, before you even begin making these potatoes, you should know how long it takes to cook a baked potato actually takes. If you have an oven at home, the entire process should not take you more than 40-50 minutes. Always choose a regular conventional oven over a microwave because you can achieve better results with the former and this method also ensures even cooking from within.

In order to know how long to cook a baked potato, the first thing you should know is the size of the potatoes you are considering. If you want to use baby potatoes instead of the regular sized ones, the baking time will obviously reduce. On the other hand, if you are using regular or slightly big size potatoes, the time mentioned above should be enough. How long to cook a baked potato also depends on whether or not you choose to preheat the oven. It is recommended to have your oven on set at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. This will help you bake the potatoes fast and also give a nice mushy feel to the dish you make. After the oven is on at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or so, you have to have your potatoes ready to be placed in the oven for baking.

Before you do that, just make sure that you take necessary precautions to ensure safety. For example, high temperature can build up steam in the oven which in excess can cause accidents. So, before you put the potatoes for baking, take a knife and punch few holes into the skin of the potato. These holes help disperse excess steam and also let the potato cook evenly from all sides. If you want a crisp golden finish on the skin, apply a little bit of oil before you set the potatoes for baking.

To know how long to cook a baked potato, it does not take a lot of time and effort. That said, there are certain things you should be mindful of before you start off with the baking process. In order to get the best results and in order to get the right taste, following the above mentioned pointers should help you to a great extent. It is all about taking care of the details. Once that is done, you can be assured of an outcome that your guests will love and you will be most proud of.

Cook Times

How Long To Cook Dinner - Burgers and Roasted Red Potatoes

Written by Dan Lussier on . Posted in Foodie

For dinner tonight, we decided to make something quick and fairly easy,. The only downside to the meal is it makes your house smell like greatness and you’ll be starving for the next week whenever you’re home! So, there realy isn't a downside...read below to find out how long to cook dinner. Dinner included the following items:

  • Bacon Turkey Burger
  • Bacon Cheese Burger
  • Roasted Red Potatoes

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Is the Way to a Man’s Heart Really Through his Stomach?: A Woman’s Perspective on a Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner

Written by Janet Sebastiano on . Posted in Foodie

Lovely Dinner

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and heads are swimming with thoughts of romance (ok, that might just be the women out there!). Lines at the florist are insanely long and the card isle at the local CVS looks like a tornado blew through it as people rush out to buy last minute flowers and cards. And cliché or not, some are even preparing to propose to their significant others.

I’m really not a fan of holidays. Any holiday. But especially Valentine’s Day. I never understood why you had to wait until February 14th to tell the people in your life that you love them. But it’s Valentine’s Day, and social convention dictates that I get caught up in the moment. The problem is, I just don’t think I’m the romantic type. I don’t get all doe-eyed over expressions of love and romance. Actually, I usually react with a loudyuckand long, dramatic eye roll. But, it’s almost February 14th and I love my boyfriend. So, I did the obligatory purchasing of a card and gift. But, even though the card I picked out was funny and meaningful, it still felt fake and forced. And I really wanted to do something nice for my boyfriend. What to do…? I racked my brain for a week. I’m good at baking, and he loves just about anything I bake. And, much to my chagrin, I’ve recently discovered that I can cook well. So, I decided the best thing I could do was to make an attempt at a homemade romantic dinner. I mean, the effort had to count for something, right?

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Diary of a Really Bad Eater - Low Carb Life

Written by Janet Sebastiano on . Posted in Foodie

Janet Sebastiano

Ok, since this is our third article together, I feel like we know each other. So, I’m going to let you in on  a little secret. I’m actually not a picky eater at all. In fact, I’m just the opposite – my natural tendency is to eat anything, and everything, in sight. This series of articles should be more appropriate titled “Diary of a Reformed Fat Girl.” You see, I used to be fat. Very fat. I’d like to blame my Italian grandmother, but that wouldn’t be completely fair. It’s true…every five minutes my grandmother would say “Mangia!” and shove food in my face. And when I’d say, “Nonni, I’m not hungry,” well, it was as if I’d stabbed her through the heart. But I can’t totally blame her. I love food! So I ate. And ate. And ate some more.

 
I was a fat girl for most of my life (ironic, considering I was born a “preemie”). It wasn’t until after college that I finally said “Basta (Enough)!,” and started the Atkins diet. At first, a low-carb lifestyle wasn’t easy to adopt (especially the two-week induction phase that prohibits wine)! But once I got into the swing of things, Atkins transformed my life. It sounds cliché, I know. But it’s true. I lost over 100 pounds on the Atkins diet. And I’ve kept it off. Mostly because I’m what people call a “picky eater.”
 
The truth is, though, I’m not picky. I just don’t eat a lot of food. Anymore. I don’t eat beef or fish (by choice), or foods high in carbs, like pasta and rice. So, that doesn’t leave me a lot of options besides chicken and salad (or turkey and pork, which I do eat). I’ve lived a low-carb lifestyle for almost nine years now, and I’ve retrained my brain on how to eat. I’m sure a lot of you are thinking, “Yuck! Who can live without bread and potatoes?!” It’s not always easy. Especially as an Italian. And as an avid baker. 

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CHOCOLATE = LOVE

Written by Janet Sebastiano on . Posted in Foodie

Valentine Chocolate

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! It’s pretty impossible to go into a store right now and not be inundated with boxes and bags of chocolate. Look up and down the aisles and you’ll see everything from white to dark to crispy chocolate, to chocolate covered fruit and nuts and chocolate filled with marshmallow or peanut butter. Apparently, nothing says Valentine’s Day like chocolate! Maybe it’s a “girl thing,” but there’s just something about chocolate (or maybe it’s the chemical compounds in chocolate that makes people react so strongly). But Valentine’s Day and chocolate go hand-in-hand.

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