Perfect baked potatoes

Horace

In the oven (microwaves make the spuds mushy) - I use large whites - scrub the skins, !!!!! them with fork and bung them in the oven at 180 (I have a fan oven) and leave them in for a couple of hours. To serve cut a cross in the top, squeeze the spud, fluff inner with a fork, add salt n pepper, sprinkle over grated cheese and eat.

lilmoi1985lm

maybe thats what my problem is!! I have a fan assisted oven!I'm keeping them in for another hour now and see what they'll be like!!

Stephen_Leak

southernscouser wrote: »

Honest.

How do you cook jacket potatoes? Can someone tell me via oven and microwave, how long, foiled or not, etc? Also, if I want to put cheese and ham on it etc, do you put it on after or give it a few minutes in the cooker with the toppings on? :think: I thank you. :beer:

OP & SS.

The best way to do jacket potatoes is the oven method, but it takes a long time and lots of electricity or gas. Just microwaving them is quick and economical, but does nothing for the skin - IMHO, the best bit.

A compromise method is to prepare them in a microwave and finish them off in the oven. It gives a reasonably good result in a reasonably short time.

Turn on the oven to the maximum setting. Wash the spud, stab it all over with a fork or sharp knife and wrap it in a sheet of kitchen paper. Put it in the microwave, at the edge of the plate, and "zap" it at full power for 5 minutes per spud. When the microwaving is finished, unwrap the spud and put it in a roasting tray. Pour a little sunflower or vegetable oil over the spud. It will be hot, so I use the old bit of kitchen paper to wipe the oil all over the spud. Then you continue to cook the spud and, to all intents and purposes, fry the skin in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes.

SS,

If you are using a cold topping like cheese, just pop the finished spud back in the oven for a minute or two. Theoretically, you should use the grill, but I make use of the existing heat in the oven.

jackie_w

Hi

every time I make baked potatoes I always put them in the microwave and everyone tells me I should make them in the oven.

I have tried them in the oven but they always end up hard, and I end up neuking them in the microwave to finish them off.

So, if I put them in the oven how do I prepare the potatoes and how long do I leave them in there for and at what tempreture?


Jackie xx

ifonlyitwaseasier

i cheat with mine too but only a little, i nuke em first for about 4-6 mins depending on the size of the spud and then i put them in the oven for 30-45 mins at about 170c fan to crisp them up

if i do them entirely in the oven i try and do other things too as i leave them for about 2 hours on 160c fan

hth

ioiwe x

thefenman

In the oven is best. Rub them in olive oil or similar to help crisp the skin and stick a metal skewer through to transmit heat to the centre.

thriftlady_2

Hot oven, long time;)

200 c (180 fan) for an hour. If they are still hard then leave them for longer. Obviously the bigger the spud the longer it will take.

frivolous_fay

I never seem to have much luck... we always use skewers too
How do you know your spud is still hard in the middle, short of cutting it in half?

strawberry_laces

frivolous_fay wrote: »

I never seem to have much luck... we always use skewers too
How do you know your spud is still hard in the middle, short of cutting it in half?

stick a knife through it.

If it's hard in the middle the knife won't slide through with ease it will stop.

I have never had trouble with spuds in th oven infact I did one only yesturday:D.

I pr!ck the skin with a knife a few times. randomly around the potato.
put in top shelf of oven.
turn oven on to 200-220 degrees.
One hour later I test it with the knife.

slig

ifonlyitwaseasier wrote: »

i cheat with mine too but only a little, i nuke em first for about 4-6 mins depending on the size of the spud and then i put them in the oven for 30-45 mins at about 170c fan to crisp them up

That's what I do too, although I then take the potatoes out, mash up the middles with cheese and butter (or whatever you want), put the mashed middles back in the skins, then pop them back in the oven for 10 mins longer. This way the middles are soft and the skins are crispy.