Make Deliciously Crispy Baked Potatoes With The Help Of Your Air Fryer

To me, the hero of a baked potato is the skin housing all the inner fluff. Aside from being the most nutritious part of the tuber, an extra crispy skin offers a welcome contrast of texture as you enjoy all the toppings that help a baked potato shine. Steph Loaiza from Six Sisters' Stuff shared some advice about how to achieve that crunchy quality in an air fryer and it's simpler than you might think.

Once it's been cleaned and dried, "Poke a few holes in the potato with a fork then rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt," Loaiza told The Takeout. Some folks, like Dolly Parton, skip these baked potato steps when cooking them in the oven; but in the air fryer, they're crucial. However, Loaiza does avoid one conventional step. "Place the potato directly into the air fryer and skip the foil," she said. "Covering your baked potato with foil will trap the steam and keep the skin from crisping up."

Making baked potatoes in an air fryer takes roughly the same amount of time as the oven, but Loaiza shared a hack that heats it much faster. "Microwaving your potato first will significantly reduce the cooking time," she said. "Cooking it in the microwave first will cook the insides and then you can throw it in the air fryer to crisp up the skin." How much time does it save? "While it won't impact the final texture overall, it does dramatically decrease how long it takes, going on average from 40 to 60 minutes in the air fryer alone to around 15 minutes combined in the microwave and air fryer."

Potatoes come in all shapes and sizes, but not all make for the perfect baker. Loaiza mentioned that to achieve an impeccable texture inside and out, there's one particular variety you should look for when shopping. "Potatoes with low moisture content and high starch tend to make the classic 'fluffy on the inside, crispy skin on the outside' type of baked potato," she said. "For this, a russet potato is always the go-to option."

Coincidentally, russets are one of the best types of potato for making mashed potatoes as well. Still, if you already have another variety hanging around in the pantry, don't be afraid to pop it in the air fryer — just don't expect the same results. "Other types of potatoes can be air fried, like Yukon Golds, red potatoes, and sweet potatoes," said Loaiza. "But they tend to be a little creamier (and less fluffy) than a classic russet potato."

Some people might be tempted to increase the cooking time if they aren't obtaining that appetizing crispy skin, but Loaiza warns against this if you want the insides to be equally enjoyable. "Avoid overcooking your potatoes, as this is the greatest factor for dryness," she said. Instead of lengthening the cooking time, Loaiza suggested reducing it. "Make sure they're coated well with cooking oil before you put them in the basket. And if you're really worried, you can always use the microwave-first method to get the cooking going and then finish it off to crisp up the skin in the air fryer without drying out the potato."