Oh, the potato. It’s simple, salt of the earth, kind of vegetable. Nothing fancy like your eggplant or your beetroot, you know? Potatoes are an old classic and they’re versatile as hell. That’s why we love them so much.
Over the years, the Lifehacker team has come across many spud hacks. As many. We enjoy our potatoes here and want to know all about how to cook these babies. Apparently you do too. So we thought we’d put together a collection of some of our favorite potato prep practices and list them for you in one place.
Check it out below!
Best Baked and Roasted Potatoes Recipes and Tips

Jamie Oliver’s Recipe for “Incredible Hasselback Potatoes”
Who can deny that Jamie Oliver knows how to handle a potato? This recipe takes piper potatoes and mixes them with ingredients like sausage, cranberries, polenta, and walnuts – flavorful as hell.
Garlic fried potatoes
Okay, so not technically roasted or baked, but this recipe is too good not to include it. This one is a real favorite among the Lifehacker team. Garlic and potato are such a sweet pairing and TikTok hack makes crispy and chewy potatoes without an oven.
Tilly Ramsay’s tip for crispy roast potatoes
This one comes from former Celebrity MasterChef contestant Tilly Ramsay, and it delivers a sweet hack for nailing crispy potatoes with a chewy interior. Believe us, we tried it.
Nat’s What I Reckon’s Roast Potato Recipe
Another celeb sharing the wares on how to up your potato game. This time, Nat’s What I Reckon is sharing its secrets, and they’re good. Oh too good.
Use your air fryer to make extra crunchy potatoes
The air fryer is a nifty little appliance, isn’t it? Find out how to use it to make your potatoes nice and crispy
The 45 cent hack to cook perfect roast potatoes
According to an Aussie mum, the best seasoning for roast potatoes is French Onion Soup Dry Mix.
The only ingredient you need for perfectly roasted potatoes is duck fat
Want to get really fancy on your next date with a potato? Hit that baby with duck fat.
This simple trick makes the the crunchiest roasted potatoes
TikTok hacks are random. This one, using baking soda, is a certified winner.
How to make a restaurant quality baked potato
Classic, simple, delicious. Here’s your guide to getting your ‘tato game cooked to perfection.
You should freeze sweet potatoes before roasting them.
This hack turned heads on TikTok, and soon after it got a lot of attention from sweet potato recipe fans here on Lifehacker.
Best Mashed Potato Recipes and Guides

How to Make Mashed Potatoes in the Microwave (or Oven)
Feeling lazy? No judgment, we understand. Here’s your microwave mash hack. Please.
How to make perfect mashed potatoes
Not all spuds are created equal in the mash game.
Simply add a store-bought French onion dip to the mashed potatoes
Want to elevate your mash a bit? Put some French onion dip on it! Here is a full explainer on how.
Simply Microwave Your Sweet Potatoes
Do sweet potatoes count? Well. We included them. It’s not strictly related to mashing, but it does give a nice little explanation on microwave mashed sweet potatoes.
Hot Fries Recipes and Hacks

(Mmm chips.)
Cooking fries in an air fryer is a dream
Who doesn’t want quick and easy access to hot fries anytime? Read how to achieve it here.
Here’s the secret to a perfectly cooked fry
A very serious and important explainer for cooking the ideal hot fry.
This is actually the best way to reheat fries
Reheating fries is a tricky space to navigate, but lucky for you, we know the best way to do it. Learn for yourself here.
How to make homemade potato chips in the microwave
Microwaves and hot fries aren’t usually best friends. But in this article, we show you how to make it work – really, really well.
Tips for hash browns

Make “Hash Browns” with Leftover Baked Potatoes
Leftovers are a beautiful thing. Especially when those leftovers become hash browns. Here’s your guide to making them at home.
Which frozen potato makes the best hash browns?
Did you just buy yourself a waffle maker? Here’s your tip to make sure you buy the best frozen potatoes for hash browns.
Here’s to you guys! Our starchy bible of delicious tips. I hope you will get some pearls out of it.