I made a classic baked potato in an air fryer and a toaster oven, and the winner was almost too close to call

First I preheated my toaster oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. The air-fryer recipe I chose didn't include preheating, which was a time-saver.

Then I pierced the skin of each potato eight to 10 times, poking just deep enough to break through the skin.

I finished the prep work by rubbing about 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil on each potato and sprinkling them with coarse salt.

I placed one of the prepped potatoes on my toaster-oven rack (with a clean drip pan underneath to catch any spills) and set a 45-minute timer.

By then, the potato was golden but not quite fully baked. I flipped it and placed it back in for 15 more minutes.

I placed the second potato directly in the air-fryer basket at 400 F.

There wasn't enough oil to drip and stick to the bottom of my air fryer, so I was free to enjoy the heavenly aroma without dreading a greasy cleanup later on.

It looked close to done after 30 minutes. But when I pierced it with a fork, it was still too hard.

I decided to flip the potato and put it back in for 15 minutes as well.

The air-fried spud looked like a classic baked potato. The skin was firm and seemed crispy.

But the toaster-oven potato was lighter in color and less sturdy feeling, even though it spent more time cooking.

Unfortunately, the inside of the air-fried potato wasn't creamy or fluffy like the skin made it seem. Instead, it was a bit stringy, similar to an overcooked parsnip.

The toaster-oven potato had a fluffier inside — although parts of it seemed dry as if it hadn't cooked evenly.

I thought the air-fried potato had this in the bag. But the flavor simply wasn't there.

The inside tasted oddly sweet, again reminding me of parsnips. And the thick outer layer that seemed so promising turned out to lack flavor.

The toaster-oven potato had more of a classic taste and interior texture, even if I wanted it to have crispier skin.

The second time around, I used a little more olive oil (about 2 ½ teaspoons per potato) and more seasoning (onion salt, garlic powder, and black pepper).

I also gave both potatoes a little less cooking time for the first bake — 20 for the air fryer and 35 minutes for the toaster oven. But I still put them both back in for 15 minutes after flipping.

The potatoes held their shape well when I cut them open and fluffed their insides.

The textures also seemed right for both.

In the second round, the toaster-oven potato had the same slightly sweet taste the air-fryer one had before. Plus, the skin still wasn't crispy enough for my taste.

The second air-fried potato nailed the texture and there were some delicious bites with the right mix of skin, potato, and toppings.

Although the interior didn't have as much flavor as I wanted, I have to give this one to the air fryer.

It only took 45 to 50 minutes and next to no prep, and I loved the crispy skin. I'll definitely be making these again.