This 12-Minute Method for Making Baked Potatoes Is the Best I've Tried

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Baked potatoes are true comfort food and a great pairing for grilled steak or roast chicken but those little suckers can take upwards of an hour to cook through in a conventional oven. In an effort to waste less time and energy -- wall ovens ain't cheap to run -- I used a microwave and an air fryer and made the best potato of my life in about 12 minutes.

Baked potatoes make the perfect sidekick to BBQ favorites. While burgers and dogs are ready in no time, oven-baked potatoes require around 60 minutes and untold amounts of gas or electricity to cook in a convection oven. 

With this speedy method for baking potatoes, the microwave's nuclear rays blast the potato to soft and toothsome doneness in about 8 to 10, while an air fryer can crisp the flesh and skin in 4 minutes or less. By my math, that's roughly 12 minutes for a baked potato that's as good or better than anything you'll make in the oven.

As a bonus, air fryers and microwaves use less energy than a large oven and take almost no time to preheat. Here's how to make the best and fastest baked potato of your life in 12 minutes.

What you'll need:

• 1 russet potato 
• 1 tsp olive oil or butter
• A microwave
• An air fryer 

Directions:

• Step 1: Poke air holes in the potato using a fork.
• Step 2: Microwave the potato on high for 8 to 10 minutes or until it's fork-tender and cooked through.
• Step 3: Slice the potato halfway through and toss with melted butter or olive oil. You can also stuff the potato with cheese or bacon bits.
• Step 4: Air fry on high skin side up for 2 minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes until desired crispiness is achieved. (If topping with cheese, veggies or bacon, cook skin side down only.)

For more tips, see my list of the seven foods I'll only air fry from now and on and learn the best way to reheat every kind of leftovers.