We've found that when wrapping a potato in foil, they actually cook faster because the aluminum foil traps the heat, thus cooking them faster.
NEVER BAKE POTATOES IN FOIL.
Foil wraps will not decrease baking time, but will result in a soggy potato interior with wet skin. Wrapping a baked potato in foil after it has been baked will allow you to hold up to 45 minutes, but the best method for holding a baked potato is in a bread warming drawer.
Don't wrap your potatoes in foil
Foil holds in moisture and steams the potatoes, resulting in a "boiled" taste and texture.
Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method. Wrapping potatoes will also give you a softer, steamed skin, if that's what you like.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Poke holes in potato and wrap in foil. Bake in oven for 45 to 60 minutes until tender.
Place 1/2 tablespoon butter on the cut side of each potato half and season with garlic powder and salt. Close potato halves to form full potatoes and wrap each tightly with a square of aluminum foil. Bake potatoes directly on the rack of the preheated oven until tender, about 40 minutes.
Do not cover. (Covering changes the environment in the pot and can make the potatoes turn mushy.) Check the potatoes after 5 minutes. Cubed potatoes will cook more quickly than whole potatoes; smaller potatoes will cook more quickly than larger potatoes.
Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.
Usually the local health department determines how long you can hold them, which is typically no more than two hours, but I recommend no more than 45 minutes to keep the integrity of the potato, as the base will turn dark brown and outer skin will wrinkle.
Cut potatoes in half length wise. Coat potatoes all sides with olive oil and salt, and place cut side down on lined baking sheet. Sprinkle potatoes with additional salt. Bake at 400-degrees F for 30-40 minutes until done.
A potato's cell walls contain pectin, and these pectin chains remain stable when they come into contact with acids. This means that potatoes will remain hard if they are in a dish that has a lot of acid (for example, a dish you've added wine to). Salt is needed to dissolve these pectin chains.
Food cooks slower when wrapped in foil. The shiny surface reflects heat away from the food.
Although it's unlikely the aluminum leached will cause harm, you can always use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil for high-temperature cooking (above 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and store acidic leftovers in glass containers instead of wrapped in foil.
Foil wrapping reduces cooking time. The purpose of adding a bit of liquid before foil wrapping is NOT to create steam, but to increase thermal conductivity through the foil into the meat. Heat conduction from foil through air to meat is much weaker.
Bake 2 pounds of potatoes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 hours and 30 minutes.
“Cooking potatoes in unseasoned water prevents the starch from cooking thoroughly and creates a bland dense finished product. I would say not salting the water is like gifting a pair of shoes without laces.
But as long as more energy is being added to the water than is being lost with the vapor, the temperature will continue to rise until the water boils. Covering the pot prevents water vapor from escaping, enabling the temperature to rise more quickly.
The lesson here is that you can keep potatoes from turning brown by storing cut potatoes in cold water to slow the oxidation process (aka the thing that makes peeled potatoes turn brown). You probably should keep them covered in an airtight container though.
"Yes, it's good to prick them," Smith told Food52. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while. The potato is full of water it's trying to turn to steam, or water vapor.
How long to bake potatoes at 250 in foil? Bake potatoes at 250 degrees in foil for about an hour, or until they are soft. Prick them a few times with a fork before baking to allow steam to escape and prevent them from bursting. You can also add salt, pepper, or other spices to the potatoes before baking.
Boil your cut potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 5 minutes, just until they begin to soften and become slightly translucent. Remove them from the water and let them air dry on paper towels.
Cubed spuds will take around 15 minutes where larger chunks or whole new potatoes will be 20-25 minutes. To check when they are done, pierce the potatoes with the tip of a knife to see how much resistance there is. If it goes in easily, you're done!
Cook the potatoes in gently boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes for small red potatoes, new potatoes or cubed large russet potatoes, and 20 to 25 minutes for quartered potatoes. Remember the size of the potato pieces is a huge factor in how long it takes to boil potatoes.