How do you make a jacket potato?

[DavidM]

Stops them exploding at least...

[Saracen]

I use the skewer technique too.

A slight variation on the salt and oil, though. I use low-sodium salt, but also a fair bit of fresh-gtound black pepper. Mix in a bit of oil (usually, olive oil but rapeseed at a pinch), and then spread liberally over the skin.

That oil/salt/pepper mix makes the skin really crispy and tasty, and the skewer makes sure the middle is thoroughly cooked, too,

Serve with whatever takes your fancy, which can be a bit of butter, melted cheese and baked beans, bacon in mayo, tuna or salmon, and so on. The baked potato is incredibly versatile as a base for all sorts of quick, cheap, nutritious and very tasty meals. All it needs is a bit of experimentation to get the timing right for your oven, and a bit of imagination for the toppings.

Oh, and I forgot to mention chilli mince, or a mild curry mince. Or bacon and sweetcorn in mayo. Or marinate chopped chicken breast overnight in Teriyaki sauce, then flash-fry and serve with mushrooms sautéed in butter. And don't forget the salad. And so on.

[strike-down]

Completely different take on the jacket potato, cook as suggested above with the skewer, but for 15mins less, cut the top of the skin open and scoop all the potato out, mash it and mix it with a bit of butter and grated cheese, put it back in the skins and sprinkle grated cheddar ontop. Then grill till golden ontop. Gives a damn crispy skin, tastes damn good and goes damn well with crispy bacon bits

Damn I want one now . . But its half 12

[Zak33]

eenteresting, meester Bont.. does this skewering method reduce cooking time?

/best Connery scottish brogue

Scho... You're intereschsted in my schpudsschsh reschipe
No, the timesch are not redusched.... it schimply makesch the innardsch lighter and fluffier.... like Miss Funny Fanny'sch Unwear

[schmunk]

I use low-sodium salt,

I know, I know..

[HSK]

Throw it on the fire wrapped in foil for about 45 mins and hope for the best.

[Saracen]

No, schmunk. That's a chlorine compound, or rather, a tablet containing it. There's a small difference, as you'll notice if you sprinkle that on your chips.

I said Low sodium salt, as in (brand name) Lo-Salt, which is more potassium chloride, as opposed to sodium chloride (though it still contains the latter, but in much-reduced volume). It's roughly 2:1. The benefits are that it's a good source of potassium, and that it reduces the sodium intake, which is a major aggravating factor for blood pressure. Some people don't like the taste, but it doesn't bother me.

I would, however, draw the line at sprinkling chlorine on my dinner. That, I'd taste.

Chlorine, in it's various compounds, is actually a hugely versatile substance, ranging from flavouring your food (sodium or potassium-based salts, chlorides), to water purification and disinfecting treatments, to tooth decay prevention, to treating your swimming pool, to being one of the few things that dissolve gold (hydrochloric acid). And, in case you were wondering, I don't stick hydrochloric acid or my chips, either. I prefer a form of acetic acid .... preferably, based on malted barley, for that.

[Zak33]

I don't stick hydrochloric acid or my chips, either.

ya see, that's where you're missing out.

[Fennie]

for the win.

I do the same, but with two metal skewers through each one, so I can get 2 or 3 spuds onto each pair of skewers.

By the way, kebab skewers, of the kind I mean here, as really cheap in the supermarkets now. Normally hung on the end of an aisle somewhere almost invisible for 79p for 6 of them. Everyone should have some,

The hot matel takes the heat through the spud in the oven hence the knife working too.

Ah good stuff, glad me and my GF aren't the only people that do this! It can get some odd looks when you bring them out the oven when you have guests around lol. Thanks for the tip, will have to grab some next time we are at the supermarket and try it out!

[Whiternoise]

Cut it in half, microwave for 5 mins to cook the inside (keeping a lid on so it doesn't dry out). Oven preheated to near maximum.

Put both halves in the oven with a bit of oil on the outside to crisp. Once nice and crispy, scoop out a bit of filling, mix with cheese (if you're feeling like a coronary you can add chopped, cooked bacon) and herbs, put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Glorious!

Or.. for an interesting twist, crush your potatoes into a burger like shape halfway through the oven cook. They taste really nice if you dab some oil on top!

[FatalSaviour]

As I don't usually eat Jacket Potatoes on their own, but have them as an accompaniment to something else, I usually stick them in the Microwave on full power for as long as it takes for them to cook fully (till you can prod a fork in them and they're soft in the middle - normally about 8-10mins for the size potato I use). Then chuck them in the oven with whatever else I'm cooking till it's ready (but not longer than 20mins! )