The use of potato nails is generally believed to help baked potatoes cook faster. The idea behind them is that the nail will heat up and conduct the heat into the center of the potato. Others believe that the nail will help to keep the potato from "bursting" if it overheats.
The purpose of getting these is to cook the potatoes in the oven faster than you usually can without a potato nail. The way it works is the nail distributes the heat to the middle of the potato without having to overcook the outside edges of it. Very handy to have.
They are made of metal and they conduct heat very well. This means that your baked potatoes will cook faster in the oven, thus saving you fuel costs, and they will be cooked all the way through. They are not suitable for microwave.
Potato Nails reduce the amount of time it takes to bake a potato in the oven. As the nail becomes hot, it moves heat through the potato, helping it to cook from the inside out as well as the outside in. They work!
