Air frying whole potatoes seemed pointless to me until last week

I always baked potatoes in the oven because I figured the air fryer would dry them out. Last week, I was in a rush and tried a whole potato in the air fryer. I poked holes in it with a fork, rubbed a tiny bit of oil on the skin, and set it to 400 degrees for 40 minutes. The skin came out crispy and golden, and the inside was fluffy and hot. It was way faster than my oven, and I did not heat up the kitchen. Now I am sold on this method for baked potatoes. Has anyone found a better time or temp for different potato sizes? I would love to get your input on this.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_john2d ago

Okay, but an exploding potato in the air fryer? That's a new kind of mess I didn't need! Still, crispy skins in half the time is pretty hard to beat.

the_derek2d ago

For medium russets, I do 380 degrees for 45 minutes. If they're bigger, add 5-10 minutes but always poke tons of holes so they don't burst. I learned that the hard way when one exploded and made a mess in my air fryer. Smaller potatoes like baby reds only need about 30 minutes at the same temp. The skin gets super crispy without drying out the inside if you use just a light coat of oil. Your method is pretty much what I settled on after a few tries.

leec181d ago

Oh man, exploding potatoes are the worst! I once had a russet go off like a dirty bomb in my oven, took forever to clean the starch off the walls. Lesson learned the hard way just like you, now I stab mine like they owe me money. That light oil coat is the real key though, makes the skin perfect every time.