Perfect baked potatoes

rising_from_the_ashes

I used to have the same problem .....

Now put them in the microwave for about 5 mins and then stick them in the oven for another 10 or so - it does make them lovely and fluffy inside.

meritaten

if I want a quick jacket spud I put the oven on high - then wash and dry my potato and cut a slit in the top and bung it in the microwave for about 5 minutes - if its a reallly big one about 8 minutes then test with a sharp knife to ensure its cooked all the way through. then drizzle a little oil or put a bit of butter on it, put on a baking sheet and bung in the hot oven for another 8 - 10 minutes! perfect baked potato! in less than 20 minutes!
I could eat it after microwaving it - but it wouldnt be the same without that lovely crispy skin!

MaggieBaking

I'm wondering if you had it on the wrong setting. If they were getting a bit hard could you put them in a bowl with a couple of tablespoons of water maybe?

If I were you I'd just blame the potatoes :rotfl:

alwaysbrassic

Thank you everyone! I will have another try tomorrow and if not stick to beans on toast! (which was yummy anyway!):o

Sambucus_Nigra

alwaysbrassic wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I will have another try tomorrow and if not stick to beans on toast! (which was yummy anyway!):o

Cooking a jacket spud really isn't cooking, wash one tonight and put it in foil, with oil and salt and forked all over. Turn the oven on just over an hour before you want it, on 220 deg c; and just take it out when you are hungry. Much less faff than microwaving and all that palaver.

meritaten

a tip for you alwaysbrassic - you can pop baking potatoes in the oven and then leave them to do their own thing for about an hour and a half! it takes just a minute and you can do as many as you can fit in on your baking tray! this gives you time to play with the kids, tidy up etc. and it can be the base for a healthy supper for the family (and guests). you can make it fun for the kids by serving a hot dog or two, as if the spud was a bun. or make them posh by serving with sour cream and chive sauce, a nice salad, and bowls of bacon bits, grated cheese, butter pats, baked beans or even roasted peppers for your guests to choose from!
I used to do this when we had visitors and money was tight! they loved it!

lostinrates

I don't have a microwave, but I do make jacket potatoes but a litle differently to the methods listed above. I rub mine with a little olive oil then salt, which makes the skins nice and crisp ( brush the salt off before plating up) and then push a metal skewer through them and cook them on that.. on a highish heat.

lizzyb1812

To be honest I've never cooked more than one potato at once - how many and the placement of them is important to the timing and cooking and I can't be bothered to work it out. I do just one at a time, stab it with a fork a bit and put it inthe middle of the turntable for 5 minutes on high. After 5 minutes I cut it open, if it's hard in the middle I put the 2 halves cut side up on the edges of the turntable at positions of 3 o' clock and 9 o' clock. Cook another minute and test, etc. Don't do the extra cooking for more than one minute at a time, just cook, test, repeat, until you're happy. Total cooking time depends on the size of the potato.

Microwave cooking is not like oven cooking - how much stuff is in the microwave makes a difference to the cooking time.

Oh, and a potato properly cooked in the middle might have a hard bit on the bottom - it's the price you pay for convenience. Jacket potatoes are always a compromise in a microwave - convenient but not the real thing.

Try again when you're not tired/stressed - you may find it's not worth the bother and a packet of cheapy noodles is better - that's certainly my preference :rotfl:

alwaysbrassic

Doesnt give a good impression of me that I can't cook a potato does it?! Lol!

My husband despairs of my cooking!! I think I need to go on a cookery course, I can only get away with blaming the microwave/oven for so long!:j

Sambucus_Nigra

alwaysbrassic wrote: »

Doesnt give a good impression of me that I can't cook a potato does it?! Lol!

My husband despairs of my cooking!! I think I need to go on a cookery course, I can only get away with blaming the microwave/oven for so long!:j

Stop using the microwave would be my first advice, it's not really for proper cooking.

you can bung in a tray of potatoes, say 6 - at once; for an hour and a half; and then the ones you don't eat; put in the fridge and just heat them when you need them.