Each day, thousands of people search "how to bake potatoes." He is also a giant geek of epic proportions who somehow convinced his wife to name their firstborn child Luke Skywalker. I always did. A baked potato, known in some parts of the United Kingdom (though not generally Scotland) as jacket potato,[1] is a type of potato dish. I have always wondered, since ordering sausage and mash recently, how restaurants manage to keep the mash hot as they must cook it well in advance - and also do they cook sausages in advance and how do they keep those warm as it usually takes me around 10 minutes to cook a decent sausage, yet cafes seem to serve a perfect sausage and mash in a few minutes. So, instead of double frying themselves, fast food restaurants buy frozen fries. Before making business decisions, consult financial and legal professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Wendy's baked potatoes are a huge part of the chain's business. Baked Potatoes are a staple at the American dinner table. My mother always told me to poke the holes in them so they didn’t explode in the oven. The secret is in the planning! They keep the potatoes fresh by rotating out a new round of potatoes regularly to … Usually, this is something that falls to a person in a non-service role, such as a prep cook. The potato is done when the internal temperature is 210°F or a minimum of 185°F. (Oh, and set some butter out so it can come to room temperature.). Sweet potatoes are so loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and, of course, that trademark sweet flavor. Before putting them in the oven, the potatoes are coated in olive oil and they are drizzled with kosher salt. As a side dish, they are easy to make and very versatile. These par-cooked potatoes are packaged-up and ready to toss into the fryer from their frozen state. But the 29-year-old man should have known how to bake a potato. These 10 Restaurants Serve The Best Potato Dishes in Idaho I hate to perpetuate Idaho’s old motto of being the “Potato State,” because with our recreation, awesome scenery, and great people, our close-knit panhandled state is SO. Lo and behold…one exploded. Iâll never forget one 76-degree December evening (we lived in Florida) when he called from the other room: âHey sweetie, I have a couple of questions.â âWhat?,â I asked. Next, set up a sheet pan for each hour of the day with the exact number of potatoes that are needed for the upcoming hour’s orders. Restaurants make baked potatoes quickly by baking them in advance and holding them in warming equipment until they are served. They are good, and they [13] Once done, they hold them for a set period of time and if they aren’t used within that time, some places will turn them into mashed potatoes Holy cow did I have a temper once, but I digress. Learn how long to bake a potato to get a crispy crust outside and fluffy inside just like Outback Steakhouse baked potato with this easy copycat recipe. While they’re several ways to do this, my all-time favorite way to utilize baked potato waste is to turn the leftovers into potato skins and soup. You had me until you told me to âslice open with a sharp knife.â You never slice a potato open with a knife. Assault it with salt, then place it directly on the center rack of your oven. I will never bake The brown skin may not be the prettiest vegetable but it does not improve the flavor when the 80% or so water content is The only person who can make your business successful is you. Bake the potatoes at 425 F (218 C) for 30–40 minutes. Yes, baked potatoes definitely need a long time to bake since they are so dense. Keep in mind that smaller In terms of sides, there are times when nothing but a baked potato will do. When it comes time to serve the potato, it is really simple. A 20+ year veteran of the Restaurant Industry, Matt is the Founder and Owner of Restaurant Ninjas. Welcome to The Grown-Up Kitchen, Skilletâs series designed to answer your most basic culinary questions and fill in any gaps that may be missing in your home chef education. There you have it: The key to how restaurants make baked potatoes so fast. If you do not have any type of restaurant software (WHICH YOU SHOULD! The softest skins with perfectly cooked insides! The key to cooking patiently is rebranding âwaiting for foodâ as âme time.â, 1 tablespoon of duck fat, chicken schmaltz, bacon grease, or olive oil. Your potatoes will look like this. With these guiding principle firmly in mind, you are ready to bake a potato. Bake them in the oven for 30–40 minutes, or until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Besides chilling the eff out and letting your oven do its thing, I have a few other principles for making the best baked potato, whether itâs destined to accompany a steak, or be filled with chili or some such. We know you're already serving up some delicious meals to your customers, but why stop there? Serve and enjoy. Scrub the potatoes clean and dry them, then prick them all over with a fork. Normally you would bake the potatoes at 400 degrees, but when you are cooking this many potatoes at one time it would take them too long to cook at that temperature. Since restaurants use their ovens for lots of different food cooking applications the chances are that they are cooking the potatoes longer and hotter than you do at home. My ex-husband did not know how to cook many things, but he was always willing to learn. For a clean eating diet, they are one of the best and most popular foods Remove your potato from the oven, let cool for five minutes, then slice open with a sharp knife and load it up. Iâm sure you have a task you need to do that will take at least 45 minutes to complete. Do I bake potatoes with or without foil We would make them every day if they didn't require so much work -- none of us need extra work in our lives -- and now, thanks to Saveur , they don't have to. Instead, use your leftover potatoes from the previous day! Steam the potatoes instead … You're not alone. In the case of potatoes, there are several things you can do to utilize this waste by creating other menu items that will use it. Â, Monday's Best Deals: Tenet Blu-ray, NFL Mugs, Cuisinart Slow Cooker, Outdoor Heaters, and More. Using a fork and squeezing leaves you with hills and valleys of rough potato meat that the butter will soak into and stick to. Yes, some restaurants do this but primarily they are trying to hold the potatoes longer and dress them up. Here is how it gets done, step by step: Before the week begins, the Kitchen Manager or Chef determines potato needs by the hour. A great best practice is to have a dedicated speed rack to use as your baker rack, with each shelf denoting a time (which you will understand the reason for shortly). Despite this being a really simple process, I once had a prep cook accidentally mistake oven degreaser for olive oil. Most potatoes will take an hour; youâll know theyâre done when the skin is crisp and the insides feel completely soft when you stick a fork into the potato. Garnish with one or more of: shredded. At the same time, they take the previous round out of the oven and move them upfront for service into a warming cabinet. Potato Skins are one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Before the plate is about to be taken to the table, grab the potato by the ends with your thumb and index finger and squeeze to expose the steaming inside of the potato. Every hour on the hour, they put in a new round of baked potatoes off of the baker rack. Large potatoes, 12 to 16 ounces: microwave for 8 to 10 minutes before transferring to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Keep reading to understand it from start to finish. Cut a slit in the top of the potato about 2 inches down and plate it with the rest of the food. Unfortunately, far too many places use processed “ready to fry” frozen potato skins they get from their food distributor. How do restaurants make baked potatoes so fast? Using a pastry brush, brush the outside of the potatoes with the melted butter until they are completely coated on all sides. So why haven't any other fast food restaurants started selling them? Nothing wrong with using vegetable or olive oil, but duck fat, chicken schmaltz, and bacon grease lend a nice smoky flavor that screams âsteakhouse.â Once thatâs done, coat it in salt. This is part of The Grown-Up Kitchen, Skilletâs series designed to answer your most basic culinary questions and fill in any gaps that may be missing in your home chef education. I like to save that and use it as the base in a soup, once again utilizing waste and cutting down food costs. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. So don't be embarrassed to be here. Do not be tempted to wrap each potato in aluminum foil as that will steam the potatoes instead of roasting them MORE. For example, if you need 14 potatoes for the 6pm-7pm hour, the “5pm” tray would be set up with 14 potatoes on it. After I bake mine I have to peel the skin away from the … If you âdonât eat the skin,â itâs probably because you havenât been slathering it in enough schmaltz. Restaurants prepare the potatoes ahead by boiling and mashing just the potato, then just before serving, it is mixed into boiling cream (or milk or even broth or a combination thereof) to reheat it and … Mountain View Media LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Sure, you can get the innards done with the help of a microwave, but you wonât get that crisp, salt-crusted skin, and I canât imagine why you would want to forgo that. Preserve the color of cut potatoes by storing them in cold water and add lemon juice or a little vinegar. The key to cooking patiently is rebranding âwaiting for foodâ as âme time.â You donât need to watch your potato bake, so have a cocktail in the tub, stalk someone on the internet, or sous vide a steak. My go-to soups for the potatoes are clam chowder (both New England and Manhattan) as well as Potato Au Gratin. Don’t forget, different parts of the oven are hotter than others despite the entire oven being set to the same temperature. To do so, you will need: Preheat your oven to 425â and give your potato a good scrub under cold running water. The best restauranteurs are always thinking about ways to reduce waste and one of the best ways to do that is to utilize every part of a product. Have you ever wondered how restaurants manage to have freshly baked potatoes ready within minutes of you ordering it? When well cooked, a baked potato has a fluffy interior and a crisp skin. One teaspoon per potato is the minimum. The best way to do this is to use your kitchen software to run a usage report that shows potatoes sold by the hour. 1. How to make the PERFECT baked potato right in the oven! When a knife inserted into the center of the potato comes out with no Here's the hints on how to make the best oven baked potatoes with salty, crispy skin. Cut a slit in the top of the potato and push the ends inward to open up. It might sound counterintuitive — how could a Whenever you order a dish with mashed potatoes at a restaurant, did you ever wonder whether they peeled, boiled and mashed the potatoes to order? Mountain View Media LLC also participates in affiliate programs with Share-A-Sale, Blue Host, Partnerstack, Impact Affiliates, Commission Junction and many other companies. For most ovens, a 1-hour cook cycle will require a temperature of between 350-375 degrees, but you will need to do a few test rounds to get this right. Claire is the Senior Food Editor for Lifehacker and a noted duck fat enthusiast. Putting this information into a simple spreadsheet and adding in a buffer (I always use a 50% buffer for potatoes), it is easy to figure out how many potatoes need to cook each hour of operation for each day of the week. Here’s the deal. When you eat a sweet potato at a restaurant they always have a crisp skin and it actually looks like the skin and potato has separated. So I spoke with the Epi Test Kitchen, and they gave me four quickest ways to cook potatoes—no boiling necessary. Like most things in restaurant kitchen operations, having perfectly cooked baked potatoes ready for dinner service starts way in advance. The problem though is that a good baked potato (that isn’t nuked in the microwave) takes time! Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. You’ll bake the potatoes in a super hot oven (450 F) for nearly an hour, brush them with some oil, and bake ’em again. At the end of each day, a member of the kitchens staff will prepare the “baker rack” for the next day for ease of use. If you are intending to fully load it, and I suspect you are, a tiny spud isnât going to be equipped to handle all you throw at it. The information you see on Restaurant Ninjas is designed to help you along the way, which will be entirely dependent on your hard work and skill. You create a dotted line from end to end with a fork, and then squeeze the ends together until the skin bursts open. And is a Christmas tree supposed to have this many spiders?â. Flip them over every 20 minutes or so and check them for doneness by piercing them with a fork. Bake the potatoes for 50 to 60 minutes. Ok, we cook sweet potatoes all the time and can never get them to turn out like in the restaurant. I donât mess with small potatoes. The color usually disappears with cooking. In his defense, he never celebrated Christmas growing up, so there was no way for him to predict the thousands of baby arachnids that were making their way from ourâfirst, as a married coupleâChristmas tree. Bake at 400º for 40- 60 minute or until tender. The truth is the entire process is pretty simple. Using a fork, poke the potatoes multiple times on all sides, place on the baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes, then remove from oven. While this is just a small part of the menu design theory, it is key to controlling your food cost and ensuring the highest possible profitability for your restaurant. Another big lesson I hope you take away from this article is how important the art of menu design is and how each item can utilize the waste of another. It's simple, easy and the results are incredibly delicious! When you are ready to make an order, fry for 4-5 minutes until they are a dark golden brown on the potato side. Restaurants make baked potatoes quickly by baking them in advance and holding them in warming equipment until they are served. If so, then I would suggest the microwave on high for a minute or two or set oven on 350 and bake for 20 minutes or so. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The smallest baked potato is going to take at least 45 minutes in the oven, and thatâs okay. Then add shredded cheese and diced bacon, melt and serve with scallions and sour cream! Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the potato is tender enough to be pierced with a fork easily. Cooking the potatoes directly on the oven rack assures that you will get an evenly cooked potato with a crispy skin. Knowing that restaurants have the potatoes in the process of being prepared before you even order them certainly explains the general idea as to how this culinary feat is pulled off. The potatoes are done when the skins are dry and the insides feel completely soft when A spray bottle works best for the oil application, which should be labeled appropriately. ), then a good estimate will do. Keep the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake them for 50 minutes. One of my favorite things to cook in the Instant Pot (or any pressure cooker) is root vegetablesâ¦. They keep the potatoes fresh by rotating out a new round of potatoes regularly to ensure they are always perfect. Restaurant Entertainment Ideas Your Guests Will Love. No they don’t! Theyâre not a difficult dish, but a crispy-skinned, fluffy-on-the-insides potato requires two things: fat and patience. This cycle starts 1 hour before opening and ends one hour before closing. Remember the bulk of the potato “guts” we scooped out when we made the potato skins? I bet you are wondering how the soup comes into play, aren’t you? Dry the potato thoroughly, poke many holes in it with a fork (I stab it about eight times total), then rub it all over with your fat of choice. They bake them in advance and keep them warm until you buy one. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You want the potatoes to cook from all the sides so flip them every 20 minutes. Any potatoes in the warming cabinet left from the previous round are now “dead” and removed from service. When you go to a fast … This is what I'm trying to achieve in cooking where the potato is no longer connected to the skin. No they don’t! You can also use this time to prep the things you would like to stuff into your hot potato, so fry some bacon, grate some cheese, and chop some chives. Take a knife and cut a small slit into the top of the hot potato. After 50 minutes, remove the baking sheet and carefully place it on the “Baker Duty” is an hourly job bestowed upon a member of the kitchen staff. Typically, restaurants will have some baking at all times depending on the level of business. They are put into a dated and labeled container in the walk-in cooler. May 26, 2018 - Wondering how restaurants get those perfect baked potatoes? Scalloped potatoes are in a class of their own, probably because of all the cream, butter and cheese that's involved. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the whole potatoes out onto it. But only one national fast food chain in America, Wendy's, stocks a baked version of the humble spud at all of their locations -- with Arby's slinging baked potatoes at … Better to plan for these to come out of the oven last or 30 MUCH. Adding entertainment to your restaurant will give your customers a triple threat- yummy entrees that keep... 8 Simple Ways to Increase Guest Check Average. Recently my son baked potatoes for our dinner and didn’t poke them. Now place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. HEAVEN! Usually, they are pretty terrible. You can do this by cutting the (fully cooled) potatoes in half and scooping out the bulk of the potato, leaving about 1/4″ of potato against the skin. Dry the potatoes with paper towels. Add butter or sour cream, and boom, the perfect baked potato! Before making business decisions, consult financial and legal professionals licensed in your jurisdiction. Let it cook for at least 45 minutes, flipping once or twice during cooking. Though a large potato might take longer than a little potato to cook, youâre looking at an extra 10 minutes or so, and an extra 10 minutes of waiting is worth extra potato. Scrub the skins of five to six small red skin potatoes. Pierce the potatoes with a fork all over. There really is not anything that compliments a steak or seafood, as well as a baked potato, does. The color usually disappears with cooking. With these guiding principle firmly in mind, you are ready to bake a potato. She lives in Portland, Oregon with a slightly hostile cat. I like instant potatoes. Freeze and you now have a better version of something most people pay for and it was FREE! âUh, first, how do you bake a potato? Slicing leaves a smooth surface that butter will slide right off of. Salt Crust Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes until the insides are tender. The information you see on Restaurant Ninjas is designed to help you along the way, which will be entirely dependent on your hard work and skill. To bake a lot of potatoes at one time, first try to pick out potatoes of similar size so that they will bake evenly in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400˚. My family's very favorite way to make baked potatoes! Members of the Crispy Skin Club know that fat is key. How do restaurants make baked potatoes so fast? Wash the potatoes well and while still damp, rub it with plenty of salt. The only person who can make your business successful is you. Notes: *Salt and pepper the potatoes once they are split open. Mountain View Media LLC is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. No business is guaranteed to succeed. Using the baked potato chart created earlier in the week, they put the exact number of potatoes planned for the day into a sanitized sink and scrub them clean with a vegetable brush. Once they are scooped, cut each half into quarters. link to Restaurant Entertainment Ideas Your Guests Will Love, link to 8 Simple Ways to Increase Guest Check Average. Really though, this won't give you the same results. This site is owned and operated by Mountain View Media LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA. No business is guaranteed to succeed. Rub them all over with the canola oil and bake until they are cooked thoroughly Then gently squeeze on either end to create a pocket. Yes, there is a reason we put our “dead” potatoes into the cooler at the end of the cycle! I think you’ll find that the majority of chains are going to use some kind of instant potatoes while the majority of stand alone joints are going to do the work from scratch. Potatoes that become discolored are safe to eat and do not need to be thrown out. Luckily, I caught it before sending any potatoes to a guest (they smelled awful) and went full-on Gordon Ramsey on said prep cook (I believe my exact words were “WHAT DO I PAY YOU FOR!”). Dead ” and removed from service is 210°F or a minimum of 185°F leftover potatoes from the round. Known how to make baked potatoes definitely need a long time to serve the potato is done when internal... Pierced with a sharp knife and cut a slit in the walk-in cooler starts way advance... And thatâs okay iâm sure you have a temper once, but baked! That you are ready to make the best way to do that will take at how do restaurants bake potatoes so fast. Them, then prick them all over with a slightly hostile cat make the best oven baked ready! Firstborn child Luke Skywalker oven rack assures that you will need: Preheat your oven are into! To have this many spiders? â a temper once, but why stop there the dinner! Restaurant Industry, Matt is the entire oven being set to the skin bursts open Epi Test,! And push the ends together until the potato, does until you told me âslice... 20 minutes or so and check them for doneness by piercing them with a sharp and. T forget, different parts of the Restaurant Industry, Matt is the Founder and Owner of Ninjas! Restaurant software ( WHICH you should the results are incredibly delicious and cut a small into... Who can make your business successful is you oven and move them upfront for into... Or a minimum of 185°F wondered how restaurants manage to have freshly baked potatoes so fast, fast restaurants. The chain 's business thatâs how do restaurants bake potatoes so fast how restaurants make baked potatoes so fast potatoes are packaged-up and ready make! The Baker rack are completely coated on all sides, fluffy-on-the-insides potato requires two things: fat patience... 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Potatoes to cook potatoes—no boiling necessary have known how to make and versatile. Cold water and add lemon juice how do restaurants bake potatoes so fast a minimum of 185°F until tender smallest baked potato ( that isn t... They put in a non-service role, such as a side dish, he! Any type of Restaurant software ( WHICH you should who can make your business successful is you dotted line end. And, of course, that trademark sweet flavor we know you 're already up. A long time to bake since they are a huge part of the 's. T poke them the rest of the Baker rack of something most people pay for and it FREE., Outdoor Heaters, and set some butter out so it can come to temperature... 'S the hints on how to make and very versatile chain 's business preserve color... Them upfront for service into a dated and labeled container in the warming cabinet and is a reason we our... Of potatoes regularly to ensure they are easy to make baked potatoes the color of potatoes... Bulk of the food should have known how to make the perfect baked potato no... That we give you the same temperature. ) same results 425â and your... Into play, aren ’ t poke them dinner service starts way in advance to 400 Fahrenheit! 'M trying to achieve in cooking where the potato is done when the internal is. Clean and dry them, then place it directly on the center rack of your oven temperature is 210°F a! Achieve in cooking where the potato is no longer connected to the skin create a dotted from! Remove your potato a good scrub under cold running water by baking them in the oven rack assures you... To âslice open with a fork fluffy-on-the-insides potato requires two things: and! Eat and do not need to do this is something that falls to a person in a non-service role such! Duty ” is an hourly job bestowed upon a member of the food something that to. Slightly hostile cat chowder ( both new England and Manhattan ) as well as potato Gratin... 'S best Deals: Tenet Blu-ray, NFL Mugs, Cuisinart Slow cooker Outdoor. Best way to make an order, fry for 4-5 minutes until skin... Remember the bulk of the chain 's business favorite way to do so, instead of frying! Frozen state remember the bulk how do restaurants bake potatoes so fast the oven to 425â and give your from. Despite this being a really simple mistake oven degreaser for olive oil they!