The potatoes should be pierced a few times on each side prior to baking or they could possibly (for lack of a better word) “explode”, scattering potato chunks inside the oven. How can this happen? Consider that the skin that protected the potato throughout the growth and storage process can also trap steam within the potato, once the baking process begins. When pierced prior to baking, the steam has a gradual escape path. Similarly, never bake potatoes in foil, as this traps the moisture in the potato, resulting in a less-than-desirable or gummy interior texture.

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