why is this happening to potatoes

smokesniffer · January 2015

Not sure if any of you have had this happen or would know why it happens. Here's the scenario, doing baked potatoes, so I wash them and scrub them and then I take a fork and stab holes into the spud in a few places. Onto the egg they go, usually at 400* and bake until done. When I cut the spud open to do either twice baked or just a regular baked potato, I can see the stab holes from the fork. They show up as a black line into meat of the potatoes. Have had this happen a couple of times. I am wondering if it is the type of potatoe. This time I am using a Russett potato. We had company a while back and SWMBO noticed this and today it showed up again.

Any ideas out there, as to why this happens.

theyolksonyou · January 2015

Strange seems like it would turn a hasslewhoever potato black if it was smoke lines. :-?

smokesniffer · January 2015

Ya it is weird, it only has happen two times. It is more a visual thing, but can't figure why the fork would leave this type of mark on the meat of the spud.

henapple · January 2015

Maybe smoke infiltration?

smokesniffer · January 2015

@henapple. Hmm you may have a good point there. It doesn't show up all the time though. But I like they way your thinking.

bud812 · January 2015

Thank god you didn't post a pic of a dirty fork!!

Jeepster47 · January 2015

Do you only poke the holes on the top of the potato ... top when it's on the grill I mean. I use the tip of a sharp knife and only poke it four or five times. Haven't seen any black marks yet.

smokesniffer · January 2015

@Jeepster47 I generally poke holes all around the potato. I do this before I put them on the grill. I to only stab the spud about 3-4 times.

smokesniffer · January 2015

Also what is interesting, is I rotate the spuds on the grate. And not all the areas where I poked them show up as the darker marks. Did 8 spuds today and only about 3 spuds had those marks, and there was only a couple of these marks on them. You'd think that there should be 4 lines as that is the number of tines on the fork.

grege345 · January 2015

Only potatoes I poke are the ones I put in microwave. Am I suppose to be forkin my potatoes?

gpsegg · January 2015

Silly question but curious..why are you poking holes in the taters? I just rub with EVOO and Kosher Salt and cook 400-425 degrees for about an hour until internal temperature hits 210 degrees. Always turn out good! Again, just curious. Thanks.

pgprescott · January 2015

I've had this happen also. Never really cared why. Now I'm interested as to why.

Durangler · January 2015

Fork marks show up occasionally when I microwave them also. It is ugly, but doesn't seem to affect the taset.

Theory is to poke to prevent skin breaking from moisture build up, I believe.

Good question about the hasselbak knife marks, Yolk brotha.

smokesniffer · January 2015

Not sure why I poke holes in em.. maybe it was the MWO thing. Maybe I should quit forking em.

smokesniffer · January 2015

@Durangler. Our hassle back turn out great and NO marks at all.

smokesniffer · January 2015

@gpsegg. I use EVO, S&P and a light dusting of garlic salt..and I love eating the skin of the potato.

Botch · January 2015

Was it a clean fork?

jcaspary · January 2015

The only think I could think of is that the potatoes are going on too early when there is a lot of whiter smoke. Could this be the case?

Tjcoley · January 2015

How long from poking with fork and baking? Could it be the potato oxidizing from being exposed to air?

Durangler · January 2015

smokesniffer said:

@Durangler. Our hassle back turn out great and NO marks at all.

I'm doing 3 tomorrow & am anticipating no knife marks.

Maybe sharpie dots from precise measurements of slices though. :-j

AUCE · January 2015

Are you putting anything on the pots prior to poking. .maybe.....

Little Steven · January 2015

I don't poke. Never had one 'splode

smokesniffer · January 2015

jcaspary said:

The only think I could think of is that the potatoes are going on too early when there is a lot of whiter smoke. Could this be the case?

No, the egg had been settled in a good 40 min.

Tjcoley said:

How long from poking with fork and baking? Could it be the potato oxidizing from being exposed to air?

I poked them about 4 hours before. We all ate the potatoes up, the company loved the flavour and probably didn't see the few marks due to cheese, bacon, and onions on the spuds. I think will stop stabbing them with a fork and do like some of the others here and just cook em without the holes.

Tjcoley · January 2015

@smokesniffer There's your problem. In the four hours from the time you poked them until you cooked, the potato holes oxidized. Just like when peeling potatoes, or making fries. If you don't get them in water, they will turn black in short time (Leave a slice of raw potato on the counter for a couple hours and see what color is ends up) No reason to poke them, but if you do, do it right before cooking.

Tjcoley · January 2015

Same thing happens to a peeled apple.

fishlessman · January 2015

only thing ive had explode on the egg was a full load of chestnuts, poke chestnuts, not potatoes

TN_Egger · January 2015

I always fork my potatoes. More than once I've had 'sploded spud on the oven walls.

bettysnephew · January 2015

Just out of curiosity, stainless fork or silver? This has never shown up on mine, but all of our day to day flatware and cooking tools are stainless.

Skiddymarker · January 2015

Only read part of the posts, but egged taters do not need to be forked, IMO. Nuked ones need the steam escape holes, but for a baked tater, no steam vents and never had one explode.

When I nuke a tater I use a poultry pin, it is very small in diameter, drive it in three or four times a side. We use Russets for baking or twice bakers.

why is this happening to potatoes

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