Baking Time and Watt-Hour Consumption in Baking Potatoes Wrapped in Aluminum Foil Shiny Side Out and Dull Side Out, Plain, and Oiled in a Range Oven, Rotisserie Oven, and Toast-R-Oven

Aluminum foil is usually considered another aid to the homemaker in food preparation. The advantages claimed are that it reduces the time needed to cook the food and to clean the equipment after cooking. Some individuals recommend it as a means of heat retention. Does a foil wrapping on a potato give one a decided advantage in cooking time as compared to baking a plain or oiled potato? Does it make a difference which side of the aluminum foil is to the outside?

This study compares the baking time and energy consumed in baking potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil shiny side out and dull side out, plain, and oiled at 425^o F. in a range oven, Rotisserie Oven, and Toast-R-Oven. The temperature selection of 425^o F. (218^o C.) was based upon its common occurrence in cookbooks for baked potatoes and upon the recommendation of Dr. Ada Marie Campbell, Professor of Foods at the University of Tennessee.

The objectives of this study were to compare the baking time and the watt-hour consumption in baking potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil shiny side out, dull side out, plain, and oiled in a range oven, Rotisserie Oven, and Toast-R-Oven. Variables controlled were size, weight, and temperature of the potatoes, temperature of the room, oven temperature, end point of baking, and line voltage. Questions should be answered concerning the significance of space provided for cooking, difference in baking time required of each to reach a point of doneness, and difference in watt-hour consumption.

As a result of this study it is hoped that recommendations might be provided for the homemaker in regard to economical practices for the use of different appliances as an oven and a preferable method for the preparation of the potatoes for baking.