The secret behind Wendy’s famous baked potatoes revealed: Are they really baked in an oven?

Many people will associate Wendy’s with it’s famous square beef patties or their iconic dairy Frosty desserts. But for some, the star item on the chain’s menu is their tasty baked potatoes.

Baked potatoes were added to the menu in 1983 as an alternative for health conscious eaters. Simple, tasty and relatively low in calories (a plain medium baked potato has around 200-250 calories, zero cholesterol and zero fat) yet packed with nutrients and fiber. A plain Wendy’s baked potato weighs 11.5 ounces and contains more or less 270 calories.

Wendy’s offer baked potatoes with various fillings (bacon and cheese, broccoli and cheese, chilli and cheese etc - which bumps up the calorie count) and sell around 52 million of them per year.

How do Wendy’s cook their famous baked potatoes?

That means the chain must find a way of baking one million potatoes per week which in itself presents a number of production challenges. Stores have to find a way of being able to have the potatoes ready to serve while keeping them fresh.

Wendy’s baked potatoes are roasted in a convection oven which works by circulating hot air around the oven’s cavity. There are several benefits from using a convection oven rather than a regular oven.

Firstly, faster cooking times - convection ovens can reduce cooking time by 20-30%. Secondly, food can be cooked more evenly while the fan and exhaust system helps to remove moisture, which means your baked potatoes will be fluffy on the inside but not soggy.

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