Cook a perfectly crispy baked potato in just 15 minutes

I love baked potatoes, but they can take way too long to cool. So I end up preferring other types of potatoes, because they’re much quicker and more convenient. It’s true: it can take up to an hour to bake a potato, and nobody has that kind of time. Luckily, I’ve found another way to make an equally delicious baked potato—soft and fluffy on the inside with a crispy skin—in just under 12 minutes. Talk about a total game-changer.

With this CNET-tested method for baking potatoes, the microwave’s nuclear blasts will blast the potato until tender and cooked through in about 8 to 10 minutes, while an air fryer can crisp up the flesh and skin in 4 minutes or less. By my count, that’s 12 minutes for a baked potato that’s as good or better than anything you’ll make in the oven.

As a bonus, there are air fryers and microwaves usage less energy than a large oven and it takes almost no time to preheat. This is how you make the best and fastest baked potato of your life in 12 minutes.

What do you need:

Directions:

• Step 1: Prick air holes in the potato with a fork.
• Step 2: Microwave the potato on high for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through and tender.
• Step 3: Cut the potato in half and mix with melted butter or olive oil. You can also fill the potato with cheese or bacon.
• Step 4: Airfryer on high heat with the skin side up for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes or until desired crispiness is achieved. (If topping with cheese, vegetables or bacon, cook skin side down only.)

For more tips, see my list of the seven foods i will only prepare in the air fryer from now on and learn the best way to reheat all leftovers.