How to Bake a Potato | Busy Mom’s Guide to Baked Potatoes

photos of baked potato with cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits and text saying how to bake a potato

When you’re a mom, there never seems to be enough time in the day. Between getting the kids ready for school, running errands, and making dinner, it sometimes feels like you can’t fit anything else in. We’re supposed to know it all, but someone quite a few of us became moms without knowing how to bake a potato. And a baked potato is truly one of the most delicious, nutritious, expedient, and cost-effective meals for busy families. Don’t worry–we’ve got you covered! This article will give you step-by-step instructions on how to bake a potato during a busy day.

One of the best things about baked potatoes is that they are such a quick and easy dinner option. That means you can have a delicious, satisfying meal on the table in no time at all! And with rising food prices, potatoes are affordable and filling, giving you more bang for your buck when it comes to your grocery budget.

Since baked potatoes are so versatile, you can top them with just about anything you have on hand, from simple butter and salt to grilled chicken and veggies or leftovers from last night’s dinner.

If you are a mother of a few children, then you know that time is precious. So we are here to show you the baked potato instructions that can help you make a tasty meal in no time!

Baked Potato Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need:
● Potatoes (Any kind will work, but the traditional baked potato is a russet potato.)
● Olive oil or butter
● Salt
● Aluminum foil
1) Preheat Your Oven to 400 Degrees (or skip this if you want to nuke it in the microwave instead!)

1) Preheat Your Oven to 400 Degrees (or skip this if you want to nuke it in the microwave instead!)

This is an important step, as you want your potato to be cooked all the way through. While your oven is preheating, take a few minutes to wash your potato. You can either use a brush or running water: whichever you prefer. Once it’s clean, dry it off with a paper towel or dishcloth.

2) Poke Holes In Your Potato

This step helps the steam escape while it’s cooking so that your potato doesn’t explode in the oven like an unintentional science experiment! Use a fork or knife to poke four or five holes in the top of your potato.

3) Rub Olive Oil (or Butter) on the Potato

This helps to give your potato a nice, crispy skin. Next, you can either use your hands or a pastry brush to spread the oil evenly over the surface of the potato.

If you’re using butter, you’ll want to cut it into small pieces and then rub it onto the potato. This will help it to melt and spread more evenly.

4.) Now for the cooking part…

Microwave:

If you’re short on time or motivation, the absolute fastest way to bake a potato is in the microwave. Just put your potato (with holes already poked in it!) on a plate and microwave on full power for about 5 minutes. Flip it over. (Careful, it will be hot!) And microwave the potato for another 5 minutes or so.

Oven:

Once your oven is preheated, it’s time to put your potato in and let it bake! Depending on the size of your potato, it should take between 45 minutes to an hour to cook all the way through. You’ll know it’s done when the skin is crispy, and a fork inserted into the center comes out easily.

4) Add Extra Toppings, If Desired

At this point, you can add any extra toppings that you want. Some popular choices include sour cream, cheese, green onions, and bacon bits. Be creative and have fun with it!

If you’re short on time, though, feel free to skip this step. Your potato will still be delicious without any extras.

Now that your potato is cooked, it’s time to enjoy it! Slice it open and add your toppings of choice. Make sure to give it a bit to cool off, especially for younger kids.

We hope you enjoy our quick and easy baked potato recipes for busy moms! And hope you get to sit and eat your meal without getting up a zillion times. Good luck!

photo of baked potato with cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream and text How to Bake a Potato

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Jen

Jennifer Weedon Palazzo is the creator/writer/and producer of Mom Cave TV, an online network of comedy shows for moms including Slummy Mummy, Double Leche, Blabbermom, and MomCave LIVE. She's a working actress in NYC who has appeared in films, commercials, and some very off-off Broadway plays. When she’s not writing about the funny side of being a mom (for blogs like Scary Mommy and Mamalode) Jennifer can be found eating Reese’s Cups while furiously bidding on vintage clothing on eBay. She lives with her husband, Evan, bandleader of The Hot Sardines and two spirited children.