tony b Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 Great tips, MacKenzie. I was a bit concerned about adding the starch water, but I was making almost no progress trying to process them dry. I only added like an ounce of water. Like I said in the rib post, great minds, I was already contemplating ricing them instead of using the processor. I think the next round of experiments should be - rice only, add malt flour, SV; versus rice, process to glue, add malt flour and SV. Given that the ricing process opens up the cell structure pretty well, I was wondering if you need the "make glue" step using the processor?? This is why I LOVE cooking so much - you never stop learning something new every cook! Speaking of, I tried the Cooks Illustrated technique for "Perfect Baked Potatoes" tonight, and I have to say BRAVO, it was excellent. If you don't get the mag, here's the basics: Prick the spud a few times with a fork (some debate over the necessity of doing this), wet the skin in a saline solution (2 TB salt to 1/2 cup water) - don't need to soak, just roll the spud around to thoroughly wet the skin (you're only seasoning the skin), into a 450F oven on a rack (allows airflow) until the IT hits 205F (about 45 minutes), remove spud and paint the skin in vegetable oil, return to oven for another 10 - 15 minutes to crisp up the skin. Now, here's the critical step - remove spud from the oven and cut a shallow X into the spud. Using mitts, dish towel, etc., push each end inward to break open the spud and let the steam escape IMMEDIATELY after removing from the oven. Will be my "go to" method for baked potatoes going forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 That recipe for baked potatoes sounds great. I am going to try that for sure, thanks very much for suggesting it.:) I guess I could try both methods for the creamy poatoes:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 wet the skin in a saline solution (2 TB salt to 1/2 cup water) - don't need to soak, just roll the spud around to thoroughly wet the skin (you're only seasoning the skin), into a 450F oven on a rack (allows airflow) until the IT hits 205F (about 45 minutes), remove spud and paint the skin in vegetable oil, return to oven for another 10 - 15 minutes to crisp up the skin. Now, here's the critical step - remove spud from the oven and cut a shallow X into the spud. Using mitts, dish towel, etc., push each end inward to break open the spud and let the steam escape IMMEDIATELY after removing from the oven. Will be my "go to" method for baked potatoes going forward. You can simplify those CI baked potatoes a little and still have something amazing... rub oil over the skins, grind some salt all over them (or sprinkle with kosher salt) and put them on the grill for same time and temps. As per normal, open the potato when you take it off the grill. Leaves you with a salty, grill flavored skin, and fluffy insides. Sometimes, I think I enjoy the potatoes off the grill more than the steaks that usually accompany them, and the skin is the best part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 (edited) tony b You had a lot of spelling mistakes in your last post. Shouldn't "oven" be spelled "kamado" Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Edited December 17, 2015 by ckreef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 tony b You had a lot of spelling mistakes in your last post. Shouldn't "oven" be spelled "kamado" Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 You guys! I was lazy and didn't want to fire up the KK to cook one silly baked potato! Went into the convection oven, simpler! FM, the CI article that went with the recipe talked about those variations (except using the grill part) and why they didn't think they worked as well. Oiling the skins at the start inhibits the cooking process by trapping the steam inside the skins, leading to less fluffy results. Adding the oil for the last 10 minutes only was considered the best compromise to fluffy interiors with crispy skins. The dunk into the saline solution was also chosen over trying to get the salt crystals to adhere to the skins. As the water evaporates it leaves a thin film of salt on the skins that doesn't fall off so easily, but gives enough salt to be noticeable. Just quoting the CI article. YMMV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted December 17, 2015 Report Share Posted December 17, 2015 You guys! I was lazy and didn't want to fire up the KK to cook one silly baked potato! Went into the convection oven, simpler! Lots of people keep telling me their gas grills are simper, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Had to make up for tony b's laziness to give you all something to see. While Mrs skreef was using Cassiopeia I fired up Prometheus for some of these potatoes. I followed the directions he posted. Nice soft inside with a slightly crisp but not overly done skin. Just enough residual salt so I didn't feel the need to add more. Will use this method in the future for "oven" baked potatoes - LOL First picture is just before I pulled them after the oil cook. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Thanks for picking up the slack We used to have a saying around here; "Pics or it didn't happen!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Looks delicious, ck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRippley Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Like I have said before, if I could only have one food item, it would be a potato, gonna try this soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Tony, I did more SV potatoes, first batch, cooked potatoes, let them cool and that would get rid of some moisture, then put them thru the food mill, and SVed. They had a little more body but the food mill doesn't break up the potatoe enough. You can feel very tiny lumps on the tongue. Here is what they looked like with a dollop of butter. The second batch I put in the blender to make it creamy. It was easy to do and next time I'd put the cold cooked potatoes directly in the blender. And now SVed as usual. Like you I'm feel that I need to add another flavor on top. I'm not sure if it's because the potato tasted different than we expect or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thanks for having my back, Charles. Nice looking spuds. Good one, MacKenzie. Great minds / cooks think a like. I agree that we need to add something to counter that malty sweetness. My vote is for roasted garlic, sour cream and boursin cheese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 Thanks for having my back, Charles. Nice looking spuds. Cook some again today for guests that came for lunch. A great method with perfect timing and consistent results. Will be my standard baked potato method from here on. TY for posting it. Charles - Prometheus 16.5", Cassiopeia 19" TT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 De Nada - It's what we do here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
