Do not plan to hold the potatoes more than 2 hours after baking, the skins wrinkle and the quality degrades. The potatoes will stay warm for up to 2 hours. It helps to have several volunteers prepping the potatoes to speed this up as much as possible. After prepping the potatoes per the instructions above, add the wrapped hot potatoes to the cooler and quickly close the lid. Once the potatoes are done, use an oven mitt to grab the potatoes and place each in a square of foil and then wrap to seal in the heat of the oven. Once the potatoes are a few minutes from being done, drain off the water and quickly re-close the lid. Place a large cooler outside and when water is boiling, pour it in the cooler(s) and quickly close the lid. When the potatoes are 45 minutes from being done, bring several large covered pots of water to a boil.Holding MANY Baked Potatoes for up to 2 hours ![]() Do not plan to hold the potatoes in a low oven because the dry heat is going to take a lot of the moisture out of them. If not, wrap the potatoes in foil, roll the potatoes slightly with the palm of your hand and put them in a cooler. for small groups at home, the best method for holding a baked potato is in a warming drawer if you have one available.However, if you need to hold your potato for longer than 15 minutes: How do I Keep Baked Potatoes Warm? Holding a FEW Baked Potatoesįor regular meals or small groups, it’s best to plan to serve your potatoes within 15 minutes from the time it is finished baking. That’s a large variance, so contact the merchant and ask what size potatoes you’re buying and the average count of the box. NOTE: When buying 100 potatoes, assume 2-3 are going to have to be discarded due to condition.Ī 10 pound bag of Jumbo Russet Baking Potatoes = about 15 – 17 potatoes.Ī 10 pound bag of Regular Russet Potatoes = about 26 – 28 potatoes.Ī 50 pound box of Russet Baking Potatoes = about 70 – 100 potatoes depending on size. These potatoes are 10 – 14 ounces in size and should be just what you want. You’ll end up with approximately 115 potatoes. If you’re planning a potato bar for 100, with potatoes as the main thing you’re serving, you can safely order 7 (10 pound) bags of JUMBO potatoes from Sam’s or COSTCO. How many potatoes do I need to serve a Potato Bar for 100? Here’s a great page from the Idaho Potato Commission which shows you potato sizes. ![]() If in doubt, call the merchant and ask them the count per 50 pound box. These potatoes will be 8 to 12 ounces in size, averaging 10 ounces. You’ll want a 70-count or 80-count box, which will yield you approximately 70 potatoes in the 70-count box or 80 in the 80-count box. These 50 pound boxes are often specified by “count”. The smallest I would go is an 8 ounce potato if I was also serving a salad.Īnother option is to order 50 pound boxes of potatoes. These are often sold as “Jumbo” potatoes and there are generally 15 – 17 Jumbo potatoes in a 10 pound bag. If the Baked Potato Bar is the main thing you’re serving, then you really want a 10 – 14 ounce potato. You want 10 – 14 ounce (jumbo) russet potatoes Here’s what a 10 pound bag of 5-6 ounce potatoes looks like. You need to be careful – because unless the potatoes are specified as “Jumbo”, these 5-6 ounce potatoes are probably the exact size you’re going to get if you buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes. I would only use potatoes this small if I was serving multiple other items and the potatoes were just ONE of the choices. The absolute smallest size potatoes you would want are 5-6 ounces. It’s an even bigger issue if you’re serving several hundred. Not so much when you have to purchase them by weight. ‘How many potatoes do I need?’ should be a pretty easy question to answer, right? Well yes, if you were ordering potatoes by count. : ) How many Potatoes do I need for my Potato Bar? (And what size?) What kind of Potatoes should I use on my Potato Bar? Allow me to share my hard-won knowledge with you. It took me several potato bars to figure all this out. And finally, what’s the most important step many people forget until they are ready to serve the potatoes? (cutting them open when prepping them once baked.) ![]() For example: how many potatoes come in a large bag of potatoes? (it depends, see below) How many potatoes can I fit into my 30 inch oven? (34-38 (16 ounce) potatoes on 2 racks and up to 50 (8-10 ounce) potatoes on 2 racks) How long does it take to cook 50 potatoes in an oven? (1 hour and 15-30 minutes) Should I wrap the potatoes in foil prior to cooking? (no, see below for why) Exactly how much sour cream should I buy to go with them? (2 tablespoons per person). ![]() I realized I had far more questions than answers. Many years ago when I was first assigned to coordinate a potato bar, I thought ‘this is a no-brainer piece of cake.’ Yes, well not so much.
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