I love the potato in all its forms. Baked potatoes sit near the top of the heap but the painfully long cooking time keeps them off the menu most nights. Not so since I discovered a powerful hack for making speedy baked potatoes at home. The method requires no special skills and just 15 minutes of time — more like 20 if you’re missing one key piece of equipment.
If I sound excited, that’s because baked potatoes, which normally take upwards of an hour to cook, come flying out of my kitchen in a fraction of the time, ready to be stuffed or topped or eaten as is. And these 15-minute potatoes are just as crispy as their slow-cooked counterparts.
My secret? The one two punch of a microwave and air fryer.
As a bonus, air fryers and microwaves use less energy than a large oven and are remarkably easy to operate and clean. Here’s how to make the fastest, crispiest baked potato of your life in under 15 minutes.
A microwave and an air fryer will give you the best baked potato of your life.
What you’ll need:
Directions:
- Step 1: Poke air holes in the potato using a fork.
- Step 2: Microwave the potato on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until it’s fork-tender and cooked through.
- Step 3: Slice the potato halfway through and toss with melted butter or olive oil. You can also stuff the potato with cheese or bacon bits.
- Step 4: Air fry on high skin side up for 2 minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes until desired crispiness is achieved. (If topping with cheese, veggies or bacon, cook skin side down only.)
Feel free to stuff or top the potato to your heart’s content.
For more tips, see my list of the seven foods I’ll only air fry from now and on and learn the best way to reheat every kind of leftovers.
