Potato (Russet)

Buy russets that are firm and heavy for their size, with no soft spots, sprouts, or green tint (green means light exposure and bitter solanine, so cut it away generously if you find it at home). Store them in a cool, dark spot like a pantry or cabinet, never the fridge, where the cold turns their starch to sugar and makes them cook up sweet and weirdly dark. Keep them away from onions, which speed up sprouting, and they'll hold 2–3 months. For boiling and mashing I reach for Yukon Golds instead, but for baking and frying nothing touches a russet.

Russets are the baking potato: high starch and low moisture mean they cook up dry and fluffy where waxy potatoes turn dense and gluey. The number that matters is 210°F internal. Not "looks done," not a timer, 210°F, which at 400°F takes about 55 minutes for an 8 oz potato. Rub with oil and salt, poke a few holes, and bake directly on the rack. Never in foil, which steams the skin soft when the crispy salted skin is the whole point of a baked potato.