While foil can hold in the heat, it can’t perform miracles. Foil wrapped potatoes on a counter top are going to cool off. Hopefully this picture was taken after the plating was set up and a concentrated effort is being made to take the still warm potatoes and the steaks hot off the grill and assemble them quickly to go out to hungry guests.

The typical kitchen, already short on labor and being challenged constantly to reduce food costs just spent as much as a 1/2 hour of labor time wrapping a carton of potatoes and 3-5 cents each on aluminum foil. What’s that worth at your operation?

Our recommendations would be simply wash and bake. Ideally place the potatoes one level high on sheet pans and place into an oven for about one hour at 400 degrees F or until the internal temperature is a minimum of 185 and ideally is 210 degrees F.

Potatoes that need to be held for extended periods of time do really well in under-counter heated bread drawers. Or, placed in heated make up tables using the metal pan inserts. If you insist on wrapping the potatoes, wrap after baking, when the steam has escaped, the skin is crunchy and the interior of the potato has that wonderful fall apart with a fork texture.