Perfect Baked Potatoes In A Convection Or Conventional Oven

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You can make perfect baked potatoes in either a convection or conventional oven, and I will teach you how to do it!

Baked potatoes are one of my favorite foods. We used to get these huge barbecue stuffed baked potatoes at Cafe Pig, our local BBQ place that sadly is no longer. These potatoes were massive, fluffy, and filled to the brim with smoked brisket or pork, cheese, sour cream, and barbecue sauce. They were awesome. Baked potatoes were also my number one pregnancy craving with my last daughter. There’s just something comforting about them, whether they’re your main course, or a delicious side dish. 

If you have not cooked baked potatoes in your convection oven, this post is for you! If you do not have a convection oven, fear not! We will go over how to make them in a regular oven, too. 

What Is A Convection Oven?

A regular (conventional) oven has at least one heating element that heats the oven. That heat radiates and reflects all around the oven, cooking your food. A convection oven has a fan (sometimes more than one) that circulates hot air throughout the oven. This air circulation allows your food to cook evenly, and in less time than a conventional oven. It also promotes beautiful browning. 

If you do not have a convection oven, the simple steps below will still work great for you. Now let’s get cracking on that potato bar!

Ingredients For Baked Potatoes

All you need for this method are baking potatoes, such as russet potatoes, olive oil (or the cooking oil of your choice), and salt, as well as your favorite toppings. Some possible topping options are:

• butter
• sour cream
• salt
• black pepper
• sliced green onions
• sliced chives
• crumbled bacon or bacon bits
• cheddar cheese
• steamed or roasted broccoli
• sliced deli ham
• barbecue sauce
• ranch dressing
• barbecue or rotisserie chicken
• pulled pork
• barbecue brisket
• barbacoa
• caramelized onions
• cheese sauce
• Hot sauce

The possibilities are really endless. If it sounds good, put it on a potato!

I prefer to use medium sized potatoes, but you can use large ones! The baking time will just be longer. 

Equipment

You only need a few things to cook baked potatoes in your convection or conventional oven. You need:

• either a vegetable scrub brush or a kitchen towel (paper towels work, too). 
• a fork
• a rimmed baking sheet
• an oven safe wire rack
• A high quality instant read thermometer. My favorites are the ThermaPop 2 and the Thermapen One by ThermoWorks. They are absolutely the best.
• Either a pastry brush, or the back of a spoon will work. 

That’s it! I don’t recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper for this recipe because of the high cooking temperature and relatively long cook time. It may or may not catch fire. It’s worth just washing the baking sheet to eliminate the risk. A fire would definitely put a damper on the perfect potato (not to mention your house)! You could line the pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, if you’d like.

How To Make A Baked Potato In A Convection Or Conventional Oven

Baking the perfect baked potato in a convection oven in just a few easy steps. This is the best method to get perfect potatoes with fluffy interiors and crispy skin.  

Prep The Potatoes

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and make sure that you have an oven rack in the center position. If you are using a convection oven, be sure you are using the convection mode.
2. Wash and scrub the potatoes with water and either a kitchen towel or a vegetable scrub brush to remove dirt. 
3. Poke holes all over each potato with a fork. This gives the steam a designated escape route and keeps the potato from bursting.
4. Place the wire cooking rack inside the rimmed baking sheet. 
5. Arrange the prepared potatoes in a single layer on the wire rack, and place the baking sheet on the center rack of the preheated convection oven.

Bake The Potatoes

1. Bake for 60-80 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees Fahrenheit, flipping the potatoes halfway through. The size of the potatoes will have a huge effect on the cooking time. Smaller potatoes will cook faster than larger ones.
2. You can check the doneness of the cooked potatoes with an instant read thermometer. Insert the thermometer probe into the center of the potato. The internal temperature of a perfectly cooked baked potato will be between 205 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Any cooler, and the texture won’t be fluffy and amazing. Any hotter than 212 degrees F and it will start to overcook and dry out.
3. Once the potatoes reach an internal temperature of around 205 degrees, remove them from the oven, and use either a pastry brush or the back of a spoon to brush them with olive oil and sprinkle salt on top of the potatoes. Return them to the oven for another 5-10 minutes to crisp up the golden brown potato skins. 
4. Slice the tops of the potatoes immediately, and serve with toppings.

If you have a conventional oven, the process is the same, but the potatoes will probably take longer to cook. Flipping your spuds is also more important in a conventional oven. Convection ovens generally cook more evenly. However, raising the potatoes off of the baking sheet using the wire rack helps the air to circulate around the bottom of the potato, no matter which type of oven you have.

This method will work for as many potatoes as you can fit on your wire rack, as long as there is some room around all of them for air circulation. You don’t want them touching each other. Also, the cooking time may be longer if you cook a lot of potatoes at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make baked potatoes in the air fryer? What about a toaster oven?

You certainly can! 

For both the toaster oven and the air fryer, the process is the same. The only differences are that in the air fryer you don’t need a wire rack, and the cook time may be shorter in the air fryer. Also know that when I tested these in the air fryer, they came out VERY crispy. Maybe too crispy for some people. Not burnt, just very crispy. Wrapping the potatoes in foil may mitigate this, then you could crisp up the skin at the end like stated above.

How do I know when the baked potatoes are done cooking?

Temperature really is the best way to know. You’re looking for an internal temperature of between 205 and 212 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have an instant read thermometer, then you can guess when the potatoes are done by inserting a knife. If the knife slides right into the center of the potato with very little resistance, you’re probably good to go. 

Can I use Yukon golds instead of russet potatoes?

For best results, I would use a baking potato, such as a russet. You can use Yukon golds, but they will not have the same fluffy texture as a russet potato. 

Why do you recommend cooking the potatoes on top of a wire cooling rack?

If you bake potatoes directly on the baking sheet, they will develop a large hard spot where the potato had contact with the metal. The wire rack allows the potato to have less contact with the metal, thus avoiding that hard spot. It also lets air circulate all around the potato.

Can I use this same method on sweet potatoes?

You sure can!

What can I do with the leftover cooked potatoes?

Never fear, I have a whole post about this very topic coming later this week! 

Other potato recipes I think you will enjoy…

What Is Your Favorite Potato Dish?

Tell me in the comments section below! I’d love to hear about it.

Happy Cooking!

Carli