When it comes to comfort food, few things can beat the humble baked potato. With its crispy skin and fluffy interior, it’s the perfect canvas for a variety of toppings and seasonings. But if you don’t have an oven or just don’t want to wait for it to preheat, you might think you’re out of luck. That’s where the air fryer comes in. This article will show you how to make the perfect baked potato in air fryer, a delicious and easy recipe that’s sure to become a family favourite.
Ingredients
To make air fryer baked potatoes, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients:
- Russet Potatoes: Russets are the best potatoes for baking, as they have a higher starch content and a lower moisture content than other varieties. This means they’ll bake up fluffy and light.
- Olive Oil: You’ll need just a little bit of olive oil to coat the potatoes before cooking. This will help them crisp up and prevent them from sticking to the air fryer basket.
- Salt: A little bit of salt is all you need to bring out the natural flavor of the potatoes. You can also add other seasonings like garlic powder, paprika, or black pepper if you like.
Instructions
Making air fryer baked potatoes is easy. Here’s how to do it:
- Step 1: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, just turn it on and let it heat up for a few minutes.
- Step 2: While the air fryer is heating up, wash and dry the potatoes. Use a fork to prick each potato a few times all over. This will allow steam to escape while they’re cooking, which will help prevent them from exploding.
- Step 3: Rub each potato with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You can also add other seasonings at this point if you like.
- Step 4: Place the potatoes in the air fryer basket. Make sure they’re not touching each other or the sides of the basket, as this can prevent them from cooking evenly.
- Step 5: Cook the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, depending on their size. You’ll know they’re done when a fork easily slides into the center of the potato and the skin is crispy.
- Step 6: Carefully remove the potatoes from the air fryer basket and serve immediately, topped with your favorite toppings like sour cream, cheese, chives, or bacon.
Tips For Success
Here are few tips to help ensure your air fryer baked potatoes turn out perfectly:
- Use The Right Potatoes: As we mentioned earlier, Russet potatoes are the best choice for baking. Avoid using waxy potatoes like red potatoes or Yukon Golds, as they won’t bake up as fluffy.
- Don’t Overfill The Air Fryer Basket: Make sure the potatoes have enough space to cook evenly. If your air fryer is on the smaller side, you may need to cook the potatoes in batches.
- Use A Meat Thermometer: If you’re not sure if the potatoes are done, you can use a meat thermometer to check their internal temperature. They should be cooked to at least 205°F.
- Experiment With Seasonings: While salt is all you really need to make delicious air fryer baked potatoes, you can also try adding other seasonings like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or black pepper.
- Don’t Forget The Toppings: One of the best things about baked potatoes is all the delicious toppings you can add. Try sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped chives, crispy bacon, or even chili for a hearty meal.
