I tried baked-potato recipes from Ina Garten, Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, and Nancy Fuller. My favorite took nearly 7 hours.

Garten's recipe for crusty baked potatoes intrigued me, with ingredients like chives, rosemary, lemon zest, and whipped feta.

I've tried many of Garten's recipes, so I expected to see plenty of fresh herbs, but I left out the thyme because I can't tolerate the flavor.  

The whipped feta also required olive oil, feta, cream cheese, lemon juice, and black pepper.

Garten's baked potatoes sounded pretty fancy, but they were simple to make.

Instead of putting the rosemary, lemon zest, and salt in the food processor, I was able to quickly chop them to make a salt mixture.

After washing the potatoes, I poked them all over with a fork, rubbed them with olive oil, and rolled them in the salt mix before baking them for an hour at 400 degrees.

About 50 minutes in, I used a small food processor to combine the whipped-feta ingredients. It smelled so good that I knew I'd be making this again to top other recipes.

The potato had an extra crispy exterior that contrasted well with the light, creamy whipped feta.

The fresh chives helped brighten an otherwise heavy dish. I also thought the flavors of the baked potato, particularly the hint of lemon, went beautifully with the salty feta.

I was proud of how nice these looked. Baked potatoes aren't always the most attractive dish, but the salt mixture on the outside elevated them.

Fieri's recipe for "The Bomb Bakers" involved a lot of patience — and salt.

The potatoes are meant to soak in a brine for two to eight hours before getting rolled in salts and baking.

First, I placed my washed potatoes in a liquid of warm water and salt for several hours. They kept floating to the top, so I used a small glass to keep them submerged.

After about six hours, I took them out and rolled them in a potent mixture of garlic salt, seasoning salt, kosher salt, and black pepper.

There weren't instructions to poke or slice holes in these potatoes, so they just went on a baking sheet and into the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Before they were finished, I quickly mixed a premade horseradish spread with sour cream and black pepper for the topping.

Right when I sliced into this potato, I could tell it was a winner. The exterior flaked right off, and the interior was the softest and creamiest I'd ever tasted.

The skin was definitely flavorful — similar to extra-seasoned curly fries — but far too salty to eat much of it on its own. The horseradish sour cream helped combat that overwhelming saltiness and also added a little heat.

The brine made a huge difference in the texture in the best way. It was definitely worth the wait.

I have to admit, I was skeptical of Cora's baked-potato recipe.

It only called for four ingredients, which I can get behind. But they included marinara sauce, frozen mixed vegetables, and mozzarella cheese.

Marinara and frozen veggies on a baked potato didn't sound appealing to me, but if nothing else, it's a healthier combo than butter, sour cream, and cheddar.

I poked holes in the potato with a fork, wrapped it in foil, and baked it at 400 degrees for an hour.

After removing the potato from the oven, I heated the frozen veggies in the microwave and put ¼ cup of marinara sauce on a plate.

Once I sliced the potato open, I filled it with the hot veggies and shredded mozzarella. 

This combination just wasn't for me. The potato itself was fine — it had a standard texture and flavor — but the toppings just didn't match up.

Peas, carrots, green beans, and corn don't work with the potato or the marinara in my opinion. I didn't mind the cheese, but I still prefer cheddar to mozzarella for baked potatoes.

Fuller's "Mile High" loaded baked potatoes included plenty of butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and broccoli.

The recipe also called for bacon, but since I don't eat meat, I cut it. Although I think adding some plant-based strips would be delicious.

I started by poking holes in the baked potatoes before placing them on a baking sheet in the oven for an hour at 350 degrees, which seemed a little low.

With about 10 or 15 minutes left, I boiled some water on the stove for the broccoli, which I cooked for three to four minutes before transferring into an ice bath.

Once the potatoes were supposedly done, I put them on a plate and sliced them open. The knife went through easily, so I assumed they were good to go despite the lower oven temperature.

I filled them with salt and pepper, butter, broccoli, cheese, sour cream, and chives.

These are my go-to potato toppings, so I wasn't surprised that they worked well. But the potato itself was definitely a little undercooked.

This is a simple fix though. Next time, I'd just bump the temperature up to 400.

I'd also probably roast or sauté the broccoli instead of boiling it to give it more flavor and crispiness. 

Making baked potatoes is really straightforward, but I can't believe I'd never thought to season the skins before baking, as Garten and Fieri do.

This simple addition really boosted the flavor of the baked potatoes, and pairing them with homemade sauces upped the ante further.

I know I'll be using these methods and recipes many times in the future.

Click to check out the other celebrity-chef recipes we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published in August 2021 and most recently updated on September 10, 2024.