My Number One Fan's Butter Baked Potato

I've said this before, but the great thing about the Internet is that you can find a lot of information in a nanosecond.  The bad thing about the Internet is that there is a lot of misinformation written by stupid, misinformed people who pass off their opinions as fact.  Take any recipe that says it is "The Best Whatever," or "The Perfect This or That." Or the most egregious of hyperbole, "The World's Best....".

Food is - quite literally - a matter of personal taste. So any adjective to describe its relative favored position is entirely subjective. The only "Number One" in the name of this recipe is it in its origin - this is the way My Number One Fan has been making baked potatoes in our household for years.  And I can say without equivocation, this is the best baked potato I've ever had.  That's not to say it's the best baked potato that you will ever have; it may or may not be and honestly, I don't really care.  But man oh man, is there ever an Internet controversy over her baking method.  You see, [cue the suspenseful orchestral riff], she bakes her potatoes in aluminum foil.

Years back, I had a blog of essays about miscellaneous stuff that I ultimately abandoned, but one of the last essays I wrote was about who was the best Star Trek Enterprise Captain: James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Piccard? I was astounded by the controversy of the subject.  There were entire websites devoted to one character over the other.  People argued with great passion and emotion one way or the other, generally re-interpreting facts to support their preconceived conclusion.  My essay was humorously written to spoof this international debate over fictional television characters, and for the record, Kirk is the better Captain.  

But the point is that it was a ridiculous premise to begin with; you like whomever you like and no amount of persuasion or argument is going to cause you to change your mind, particularly when the subject is as inconsequential as this one was.

Similarly, I have been astounded over the Internet controversy of whether or not to wrap a Russet potato in foil to bake it.  People have argued equally as passionately as they have about a fictional TV character, and in some cases, cite erroneous sources and make outlandish claims to support their position.

Consider these snippets:

• "Baking a potato in the oven with no foil wrapping is the secret to baked potato perfection!" -What's Cooking America
• "Not only do baked potatoes not need to be wrapped in foil while they're being baked, but they are actually much better if you skip the foil." -Happier Homemaker
• "In reality, a foil baked potato is far inferior to a baked potato without foil. When cooked in aluminum foil, the potato actually steams instead of bakes. And steaming results in soggy skin and a moister, less fluffy interior." -Everyday Homemade
• "While aluminum foil does lock in the heat, it also traps moisture, which results in a soggy, steamed potato instead of a baked potato." -Mashed

Even what one might think is the quintessential authority on baking a potato, the Idaho Potato Commission gets into the act:

 "Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy. Potatoes are made up of about 80% water, so sealing it up in foil does not allow enough water to escape, making it soggy."

And of course, you just had to know that wrapping a baked potato in foil will destroy the planet.  I'm surprised more people didn't make this argument:

"Foil is also wasteful and bad for the environment." -Just Plain Cooking

But the granddaddy of them all is this complete nimrod, Baking Baron, who outright lies about it:

"You should never bake a potato in aluminum foil for many reasons.  Aluminum foil is not food safe.  The FDA has warned against using aluminum foil in cooking because it can lead to contamination."

I went to the FDA website for a search on this outlandish claim.  Look what I found.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing:

Even though he cites the FDA, the Baking Baron provides a hyperlink to the USDA website to support his contention that cooking with aluminum foil is unsafe.  The USDA directly contradicts him:

"Pinholes in foil or a blue liquid that may form on the food that has come in contact with the foil are not harmful. These reactions can occur when salt, vinegar, highly acidic or highly spicy foods come in contact with aluminum foil. The product is a harmless aluminum salt and presents no safety problem if consumed...."

If that isn't enough, he goes on to make this outlandish claim:

"Aluminum foil is a poor conductor of heat."

The idiocy of that comment is almost unworthy of rebuttal.  Like any metal, aluminum is a good conductor of electricity and heat, but then he directly disputes his own hypothesis by following-up with:

"Aluminum foil can cause fires.  If you wrap your potato in foil and put it in the oven, the foil is likely to catch fire and burn your house down."

How can aluminum foil catch fire if it's a poor conductor of heat?  He clearly disregards physics: aluminum particles do not combust in the air at temperatures below 3,140F degrees.  

Enough.  This guy is not only galactically stupid, but he's also an outright liar.

And in fact, everyone is getting it wrong.  Wrapping a potato in aluminum foil will not steam the potato and make it soggy - unless that's all you do.  And My Number One Fan got this right.  To be clear, she doesn't bake her potato in foil so much as she is baking it in butter. The foil is just the courier.

That's right.  Plenty of butter to one potato - 4 tablespoons to be precise - and loosely wrapping the potato twice in aluminum foil so there is no spillage, ensures the spud will sizzle away in the hot oil to create a deliciously crispy jacket with a butter infused, fluffy interior.

So, aluminum foil naysayers, go be small-minded and think you're superior without ever knowing the joy of a delicious butter-baked potato in aluminum foil.

Ingredients
2 large Russet baking potatoes
1 stick of butter
1 tsp Morton Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend
2 tsp Mrs. Dash Onion & Herb Seasoning Blend
2 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
non-stick cooking spray
4 large rectangular sheets of aluminum foil

The Recipe
Pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees and place a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven. 

Thoroughly wash the Russet potatoes with a plastic scrubber, then dry them thoroughly. Using a dinner fork, poke the potato 3-4 times on the sides of the potatoes that will be facing upwards while cooking.

Lay out two rectangular sheets of aluminum foil one on top of another, but turn the top sheet 90-degrees so the two overlapping sheets look like a cross.

Spray a bit of non-stick spray on the foil, followed by two tablespoon-sized pats of butter side-by-side.  Push the Russet potato down into the butter pats.  Spray a bit of non-stick spray on the potato which will allow the herbs to stick to it.  Sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon of Nature's Seasons and 1 teaspoon each of the the Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends.  Place two more tablespoon-sized pats of butter on top of the potatoes.

Wrap the potato in each sheet of aluminum foil, one at a time, folding the ends upward to seal them.  Don't wrap too tightly.  You want to leave a little room for the steam to accumulate.

Put the wrapped potatoes in a baking dish in case the butter runs out, but if you've correctly wrapped them to begin with, this won't happen.  You don't want this to happen.

Bake 90-minutes to two hours depending on the size of your potatoes.  You can check to see if they're done by squeezing them.  If they give easily, they're done.  That said, this method won't really allow you to overcook the potato.  It can't dry out.  It will only get crispier.

When you unwrap the potato, take care because you can easily burn yourself with the escaping steam.  Unwrap the potato so that you don't spill the melted butter.  After you slice open your potato, pour that delicious accumulated butter inside.

Add more butter to the potato, of course, and then add your favorite toppings.  I simply use lots and lots of grated Parmesan cheese, and more salt and pepper.  While the whole potato is a sublime accompaniment to whatever your entree is, the pièce de résistance is the crispy jacket. More butter, please. Who needs dessert?