Guy Fieri's Baked Potato Trick Takes Bland Spuds On A Trip Through Flavortown

Home chefs go to great lengths to make an incredible baked potato. Some start their baked potatoes in a cold oven, others rub each down in bacon fat before baking, while still more smash the baked potatoes on the counter directly out of the oven to break up the insides. Celebrity chef Guy Fieri's baked potato hack is focused on amping up the taste, an angle that makes sense for the 'Mayor of Flavortown' (he has the brand on everything from a TV show to a whole line of Flavortown sauces). Fieri's secret to the best baked potato is to brine the spuds for two to eight hours before they go in the oven.

Fieri's baked potato recipe submerges six medium russet potatoes in a brine made of 1 cup of salt (Morton coarse kosher salt is a great option that dissolves well) and 8 cups of water. After they've sat in the brine for a few hours, pull them out and immediately season the outsides with a mixture of garlic salt, kosher salt, seasoned salt, and pepper. The brine on the skin helps the seasoning stick to the outside of each potato. If you're following Fieri's method, bake the potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit without poking holes in the skin. When they're done (you'll know because they'll turn soft), let them rest 5 minutes before cutting them open. Bake them on a wire rack and ditch the foil to avoid soggy potatoes.

When you picture a baked potato, you probably concentrate on melted butter or the many toppings, but one of the mistakes people make with baked potatoes is skipping the brine. It infuses the potato with moisture, makes the inside ultra-fluffy, and sets you up for a super crispy skin. The brine also helps seasonings stick to the skin of the potatoes and seasons them from the inside, adding the type of flavorful edge that made Guy Fieri famous. The brine also pulls excess starch out of the potatoes, improving the texture and balancing out the flavor.

Fieri's recipe suggests you don't poke holes in the potatoes before putting them in the brine, but you'll get more flavor if you do. Keep in mind, the longer you leave your potatoes in the brine, the saltier they'll become, so you should adjust the time spent in the brine accordingly. Another consideration is that different types of potatoes react differently to the brine. Smaller potatoes and new potatoes will absorb the salt faster than thicker, meatier varieties — like the big russets commonly used for baking.