If you want a baked potato with a fluffy center, russets are a useful starting point. Other potatoes can also be baked, but some will have a firmer, creamier texture.
Choose the potato for the texture you want, then follow a baking method that suits its size. The variety matters, but it doesn’t guarantee crisp skin or a fully cooked center on its own.
3 Different Types Of Potatoes
For cooking, potatoes are often grouped as starchy, waxy, or all-purpose. These are useful descriptions of their texture, rather than precise categories that every variety fits in the same way.
The three groups are:
- Starchy,
- Waxy, and
- All-purpose.
1. Starchy Potatoes
Starchy or floury potatoes tend to have a drier, fluffier texture when cooked. They work well for baked potatoes, mash, and French fries.
They can fall apart during boiling, which is useful for mash but less helpful when you want intact pieces in a salad or soup. Russets are a familiar example.
2. Waxy Potatoes
Waxy potatoes tend to stay firm and hold their shape during cooking. That makes them useful for salads, soups, and stews.
You can bake them too, but expect a firmer result rather than the dry, fluffy center of a russet. Skin or flesh color alone is not a reliable way to decide how a potato will cook.
3. All-Purpose Potatoes
All-purpose potatoes fall between very waxy and very floury types, so they can work in several kinds of dishes. Yukon Gold is one example that is suitable for baking as well as boiling.
Dauphinoise is a sliced-potato dish, not a potato variety. A recipe for that dish will still need you to choose which potatoes to use.
6 Potatoes to Consider for Baking
The potatoes below offer different textures. Russets are a good choice when fluffiness is your priority, while firmer varieties can suit readers who prefer a denser baked potato.
Use the variety name on the packaging when it is available. Potatoes sold under a broad color label can have different cooking qualities.
1. Russet Potatoes
Russet potatoes have light- to medium-brown, netted skin and white to pale-yellow flesh. Their dry, floury cooked texture makes them well suited to baking.
For a fluffy center and crisp skin, prepare and bake them using the steps in your chosen recipe. Their skin does not seal all the moisture inside.
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2. King Edward Potatoes
King Edward potatoes have pale skin with red or pink patches and creamy-white flesh. The pink markings are on the skin, not an identifying feature of the flesh.
They are commonly used for floury roast or baked potatoes. The RHS profile describes their creamy-white flesh and kitchen uses. Their cooked texture can vary, so the name alone does not guarantee a particular result.
3. Desiree Potatoes
Désirée potatoes have red skin and pale-yellow flesh. The Canadian variety description confirms these identifying features.
Variety records describe medium dry matter and a firm cooked texture. Treat Désirée as a firmer alternative rather than expecting the same dry, fluffy result as a russet.
4. Vivaldi Potatoes
Vivaldi potatoes have yellow skin and light-yellow flesh. They are a useful example of why a potato does not have to be very floury to work for baking.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency describes Vivaldi as fairly firm and very good for baking, boiling, or steaming.
5. Melody Potatoes
Melody’s breeder describes regular, shallow-eyed tubers with light-yellow skin and flesh, a starchy texture, and good cooking qualities.
Choose individual potatoes in the size you want to serve. A variety name does not mean that every potato in the bag is the same size.
6. Estima Potatoes
Estima potatoes have smooth buff-colored skin, shallow eyes, and light-yellow flesh. The Canadian variety record describes medium dry matter and a firm cooked texture.
It is a firmer option in this list, rather than another example of a fluffy russet-style potato.
Tips To Prepare The Best Baked Potatoes
Once you have chosen your potatoes, use a recipe that gives a suitable oven setting and a way to check when they are done. Size, preparation, and baking time affect the result too.
1. Choose potatoes of the correct size.
Choose potatoes that are roughly the same size so they are more likely to finish at a similar time. Larger potatoes generally need longer than smaller ones, so match the size to your recipe.
2. Scrub, dry, and prick the skin.
Scrub the potatoes under running water and dry them. Prick the skins with a fork before baking, as directed in the recipe. This gives steam a way to escape; it does not guarantee a particular texture by itself.
3. Bake at the right temperature.
There is more than one workable oven temperature. Iowa State Extension’s method uses 425°F for medium potatoes, while Potatoes USA’s method uses 450°F for roughly 8-ounce russets.
Follow one method as a whole, including its potato size and preparation. A higher setting is not automatically better for every potato or oven.
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4. Check for doneness.
Check the center rather than relying only on the clock. A fork or skewer should slide into a cooked potato easily.
The Iowa State method takes about an hour for its medium potatoes, while the Potatoes USA method gives about 45 to 55 minutes for its specified russets. These are recipe estimates, so check your own potatoes before serving.
5. Follow the recipe for oil and seasonings.
Some methods add oil and salt before baking, while others add oil near the end. Neither timing is a universal rule.
For example, the Idaho Potato Commission’s recipe uses a light coating of oil and salt before baking. Follow the timing in the recipe you choose, then add butter, herbs, or other toppings to suit your taste.
6. Serve or refrigerate them promptly.
If you bake potatoes in foil, CDC guidance says to keep them at 140°F or hotter until serving, or refrigerate them at 40°F or colder with the foil loosened so they get air.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, or within one hour if the temperature is above 90°F, following USDA leftovers guidance. Do not leave foil-wrapped potatoes sitting at room temperature for later.
