What kind of spikes do you use for potatoes?
I recommend food-grade stainless steel Spud Spikes. Stainless steel both conducts heat into the potato and provides structural strength to pierce the potato. At 6″ long, Spud Spikes are a full 1 ½ inches longer than most potato nails.
Which is better for cooking potatoes aluminum or stainless steel?
Aluminum is much better at transferring heat and tends to cook potatoes more quickly. On the other hand, stainless steel nails won’t discolor the potato’s flesh as aluminum nails will.
Why do small potatoes take longer to cook than large potatoes?
The main reason for the difference in cooking time between small and large potatoes (pieces), is that it takes time for the potato to heat up. When a potato is heated from the outside, that heat will slowly have to penetrate throughout the potato. The shortest distance within the potato determines how fast the heat gets in.
Can a steel nail cool down a potato?
It seems that steel is just not conductive enough to make a big difference. Keep in mind, a potato consists mostly of water, and the mass of cold water in the spud can counterract the small amount of heat coming through the skinny nail and cool the nail pretty effectively.
I recommend food-grade stainless steel Spud Spikes. Stainless steel both conducts heat into the potato and provides structural strength to pierce the potato. At 6″ long, Spud Spikes are a full 1 ½ inches longer than most potato nails.
Aluminum is much better at transferring heat and tends to cook potatoes more quickly. On the other hand, stainless steel nails won’t discolor the potato’s flesh as aluminum nails will.
It seems that steel is just not conductive enough to make a big difference. Keep in mind, a potato consists mostly of water, and the mass of cold water in the spud can counterract the small amount of heat coming through the skinny nail and cool the nail pretty effectively.
Can a copper nail reduce the cooking time of a baked potato?
The experiment shows that even a copper nail doesn’t significantly increase the heat and cut down the cooking time for a baked potato. This myth is busted. Click here for more details on Blonder’s experiments.
