'Bake' potatoes on a range

You can "bake" a potato in the microwave in a matter of minutes, as long you don't mind one side getting a little hard and the whole thing having a strange texture when you go to eat it. Your other option is to take up your oven for up to an hour, often right when you're trying to get dinner on the table. There seems to be a third option, though: the stove top. The Stovetop Potato Baker has a base that sits over your range's electric cooking element or gas burner, as well as a lid that creates the hot environment necessary to a good baked potato.

The Stovetop Potato Baker is nonstick, meaning that if you forget to poke your potatoes with a fork before baking, clean up isn't going to be the problem it is when a potato explodes in you microwave or oven. It fits up to three potatoes at a time, taking about 45 minutes to cook them through. You can get crisp, crunchy potato skins in the baker--although if you prefer softer skins, you should be able to wrap your potatoes in aluminum foil to keep more steam on the potato during the cooking process. The Stovetop Potato Baker is priced at $11.99.