RECIPE: Rec: The Bomb Bakers....saw these done on the Food Network Sunday, questions....

RECIPE:

curious1

Well-known member
Has anyone brined potatoes for baking? The method intrigued me, so I looked it up. Sounded like a great (if salty) idea, then I read the reviews. They need to be taken with a grain of that salt on TFN, but a reviewer did say that one of the potatoes exploded in the oven. Hmmm...any thoughts on this method? Is it used in restaurants?

Btw, Guy Fieri is the winner of the last Next Food Network Star contest.

Guy Fieri's The Bomb Bakers

1 1/4 cups kosher salt

6 medium russet potatoes, washed

2 tablespoons garlic salt

2 tablespoons seasoned salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Horseradish Sour Cream, recipe follows

In large mixing bowl dissolve 1 cup kosher salt in 8 cups of water. Add potatoes. Insure that all potatoes are submerged, and brine for 2 to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the potatoes from brine and liberally coat with the remaining kosher salt, garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper.

Place the potatoes on a wire rack in the center of the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Do not puncture skin with tongs, fork, or tooth picks. Potatoes will be soft to the touch when done.

Let potatoes rest 5 minutes before cutting.

Horseradish Sour Cream:

2 cups sour cream

4 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Serve with potatoes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34126,00.html

 
If you don't puncture the skins don't they usually explode? That's what my mother told me.

 
Well, not always and the ones he prepared didn't. I've always thought it had to do with moisture

content of the potato. I'm wondering if the salt brine changes that in some way. Curious minds and all that, am hoping that someone has heard about the method and has an answer.

 
Does this fall under the category of 'food tortured into something it's not supposed to be'?

Sounds to me like an awful lot of fuss when potatoes baked on the rack are soooo goooood without all the brine, flavored salts, etc.

Wash 'em, pierce 'em and bake 'em at 400 degrees for about an hour. Couldn't be simpler.

Michael

 
I was intrigued by this recipe too. I have to say, that I'm kind of dying to try it

since I love what brining does for chicken. Worse case scenario, I guess I'm cleaning my oven (which sadly needs it anyway!)

Except for the meatloaf (blech, brings back awful childhood memories) I've wanted to try most of his recipes, including the ones he whipped up during the contest. There's a lot of food network stars whose food I'm not particularly interested in (don't even get me STARTED on that lady who matches her outfits to the curtains and manages to be pretentious about using canned frosting), but I find Guy's show very "to my taste."

 
I wouldn't think any more tortured than brining meat or salting eggplant, ie.

Corn on the cob is wonderful just briefly boiled, but it doesn't stop me from having 50 or so recipes for fresh corn.

 
If you do try, please report. Do you think there's any science behind the method? Would

a baking potato actually absorb any of the liquid? Just find it an interesting concept and can't find anything on the net.

 
Unmmm... I've had a similar recipe (FRC)

I saw the show, was more intrigued by his meat loaf except that it was too HUGE for me to make for my family these days.

At any rate, I've been in a couple restaurants where they bake potatoes like this. Since he brined them first, I don't think that they would have exploded. I had wondered how they got the potatoes that way - and it sure beats potatoes baked in foil.

Hugs
Cyndi

 
Brining potatoes is nothing new- in fact it is quite an old practice

The "supper clubs" in the area of Minnesota that I grew up in brined potatoes as a rule- for me, that goes back to the early 1950s and, since the area is predominantly German, maybe it comes from the "old country" (Richard, do YOU know?.) My family used to brine them before putting them in coals to cook them in campfires and in the BBQ grill. I remember not pricking them when roasting in the oven but pricking them when they went in to the high heat of coals and they came out fine. I think if potatoes are slow-roasted they don't need pricking. I think it might be an explosive reaction because of the skin getting "superheated" while the very moist center of the potato stays cooler- and it might be the too-high heat and the amount of moisture in the spud that does it.

 
Does it get a salt coating on the outside of the potato? I can see NO use to

this except for that possibility. And can see no way that the brine would permeate the potato. Even with meat it only goes centimeters into the surface.
Actually in re-reading the recipe I see he coats the outside with Kosher salt which would "stick" because of the moisture. I wonder if just wetting the potato and putting the salt on would give the same taste/effect. If anyone does the recipe, maybe give one potato that treatment.

 
Thanks Cathy. The recipe calls for russets, I'd think the 'baking'

potatoes I've bought recently wouldn't be a good idea as they are very moist, probably new crop. I may try it when the drier, Idaho bakers are in the market.

 
Try it sometime, Gretchen- you might be surprised at the results. Brined potatoes are delicious.

 
Yes, I think that is a good idea Curious but then I have only had Russets done this way so

I don't really know how new potatoes would fare.

 
According to a post on another board it apparently gets the skins very crisp/hard.

As I asked before, what is so different about them besides being delicious and surprising. How is the flavor enhanced? How is the skin different? I am interested, but would like some information. Right now I am in Michael's camp. Thanks.

 
I have never made "The Bomb Bakers" recipe- but when I brined potatoes I found this

The skin does get sort of crispy- I love that- I always eat the potato skin. The flavor of the potato when brined is excellent- and the consistancy inside is sort of fluffy.

You may not like this at all- so be it- but it is a rather old-fashioned-making-a-comeback method thanks to this young chef. What's old is new once again.

 
Cracker Barrel coats their bakers in parrafin., This must keep all the steam in. nice and fluffy.

I haven't eaten there in ages, at least that's what they used to do, and I think it was parrafin, my mind is fuzzy on it but it was really different.

 
That helps.My potato skins get very crispy.I think the salt on it would probably

be interesting. I don't think it would take 8 hours to get it however. I was truly asking why it is good. You answered.

 
Don't think it could be parrafin--it would melt off.Maybe it was the plastic

that is now sold for microwaveable potatoes.

 
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