Stringy baked potatoes?

[BAPyessir6]

Made twice baked potatoes last week.

Baked potatoes (which were about the size of a stretched out hand, medium to large) 350F about an hour to 1.5 hours, pierced a few times with a fork, and baking and squeezing to check for doneness, I removed them from the oven and cut into them. For some reason near the skin they were a bit stringy. I'm wondering if my cooking technique was off, or were my potatoes just off/too large or something.

I riced them, baked them again, and the texture was fine, but I'm still wondering why they were stringy.

Did I not bake them long enough or something? They seemed soft, but now I'm second guessing myself.

I pressed the potato so you all can see how soft the potatoes were after baked. Is it possible I overbaked them?

 

[caseydog]

FYI, if you have an instant read probe thermometer, the ideal internal temperature for a baked potato is about 210.

I don't know why the potato was stringy. I've never seen that before.

CD

 

[pacanis]

I don't know why the potato was stringy. I've never seen that before.

It's a potato parasite.
Not common, but you certainly don't want to eat it.
It works slowly... once the larvae have matured in your system.

 

[pacanis]

Heck, I don't know either

Sounds odd though.

Very, Invasion of the Body Snatchers esque.

 

[dragnlaw]

Sounds to me like they might have been overbaked. On occasion I've overbaked in the micro and it seems to me that the tissue just under the skin is ... I guess you could call it stringy. That is strictly a guess though.

 

[Andy M.]

When I do baked potatoes, I first pierce them then nuke them for 3 minutes per potato. Then into a 400ºF oven until it reaches an internal temp of 210ºF. Depending on size, anywhere from 30 minutes and up. I wouldn't worry about the stringiness. Especially if it disappeared in the process.

 

[taxlady]

I've had potato turn out that way. I think I overbaked them. They worked fine for twice baked potato. I just mashed them up with a fork before mixing them with cheese and stuff and sticking them back in the skins.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Next time, when you tie them with twine to keep their shape, tie them widthwise instead of lengthwise.

 

[BAPyessir6]

So I did a back to back roasting potato comparison. One I cooked until 210F., and the second I cooked about 30 minutes longer to about 230 F.

I did notice an almost. . .webbed exterior right near the skin. It did seem to make it slightly more stringy, so this seems to be the culprit.

(The first picture is the 230F potato, and the second picture is the 210F potato.) I wonder if the skin drying out more could contribute maybe?

 

[dragnlaw]

I find that when I overcook in the microwave. Makes the skin particularly chewy and not always a pleasant chew. Actually tough!

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I overcooked a sweet potato in the microwave one time and when I wasn't looking, it burst into flame!

 

[Savalgras]

I made this for the first time, and oddly enough, it turned out perfectly. Now it's my favorite potato recipe.

 

[Jusa]

So apparently wrapping potatoes in foil can be a food safety issue. I generally don't bake potatoes at home, but I've eaten them in restaurants where they've been wrapped in foil.

Should Baked Potatoes Be Wrapped In Foil?

Think baking potatoes in foil reduces the cooking time? You could be creating a food safety hazard that puts you at risk for botulism. Here's why never to bake potatoes in foil.

www.southernliving.com

 

[BAPyessir6]

So apparently wrapping potatoes in foil can be a food safety issue. I generally don't bake potatoes at home, but I've eaten them in restaurants where they've been wrapped in foil.

Should Baked Potatoes Be Wrapped In Foil?

Think baking potatoes in foil reduces the cooking time? You could be creating a food safety hazard that puts you at risk for botulism. Here's why never to bake potatoes in foil.

www.southernliving.com

Yeah, that's crazy. My mom heard of a case of a farmer getting botulism in the 90s after he ate a baked potato wrapped in foil that had been sitting on the countertop for an undetermined amount of time.

Haven't heard it being a risk with baking them in foil then fridging them or eating them, but then again better safe than sorry. I also don't know how long something (that's low acid) has to be anaerobic for it to produce botulism toxin.

I've also never wrapped my potatoes in foil before baking them. Though foiling them could cause them to cook faster.

 

[taxlady]

So apparently wrapping potatoes in foil can be a food safety issue. I generally don't bake potatoes at home, but I've eaten them in restaurants where they've been wrapped in foil.

Should Baked Potatoes Be Wrapped In Foil?

Think baking potatoes in foil reduces the cooking time? You could be creating a food safety hazard that puts you at risk for botulism. Here's why never to bake potatoes in foil.

www.southernliving.com

But, the article said that if you keep them at a temperature above 140°F, you can keep them warm without the risk. It's warmer than the danger zone. I would imagine that's what they are doing in that resto. It allows them to have hot baked potatoes ready any time. I can't imagine the foil not making them soft and odd though.

 

[taxlady]

I have only ever baked potatoes in foil when cooking them in a fire - campfire or grill.

 

[Jusa]

I have only ever baked potatoes in foil when cooking them in a fire - campfire or grill.

I think my dad wrapped them in foil for the oven. No one ever got sick.
It's just a bit mind boggling how I've lived this long with so many lurking food safety issues I've endured over the years--my mom always left the frozen turkey to thaw on the counter, she washed raw poultry, pies with eggs like pecan pie were kept at room temperature for a few days until consumed...I'm sure there are more!

 

[dragnlaw]

Conditions that favor production of botulism toxin in foods include reduced oxygen, low-acid, low-salt, high-moisture, and storage temperatures above 40°F. Safe methods for preserving and storing food can inhibit the survival of Clostridium organisms. (CSU Extension, Colorado State University.)

Perhaps that's why we use our fridges. But no one is surprised when something eventually goes moldy in there too. The usual length of time for the cooked food often is said to consume within 3 days or freeze it. Perhaps one has to start considering the moisture content of goods left out.
I was surprised about potatoes, but I was also surprised that the same thing easily happens with rice. (I'm guilty of the rice, but I'm a lot more vigilant with it now)
- I rather think that the pecan pie has enough sugar in it to act as a preservative for the now cooked eggs. IMHO
- plus I suspect the the pie was not sitting around for more than 3 days before being polished off!
- I also rather suspect that the older generation having been influenced by their parents who had limited refrigeration were a lot more vigilante about storage. I was usually concerned about the waste of the food($$) and feeding the family rather than sickness.

Just the first things that pop into my head...

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

In my opinion, cooking a potato wrapped in aluminium foil would be just like cooking it in the microwave. If the potato(es) can't "breathe", you're not baking, you're steaming.