To not realise that McCains baked potatoes are nothing special.

Lovely but if Ive just done a 12.5 hour shift more like 13.5 hours I just want to eat and collapse into bed not fanny around for 30 minutes and turn every 10

Anyway the Bannisters ones are nicer

Couldn’t you just do that with a normal potato though? If the McCains ones are just potatoes coated in oil, I’m not sure what they offer over and above a normal potato coated in olive oil?

I think I explained it well enough. Ten minutes in the microwave will give you a thoroughly cooked baked potato, if you don’t mind a thin soggy skin. If you prefer a crispier skin, you can then put it in the oven on a high heat for ten minutes to crisp the skin up. That step is optional.

I posted about how they just seemed dry and powdery and absorbed SO much butter.

The point, I suppose for me, is the same as have a couple of cartons of long life milk. Its miles to a decent shop so they can be handy to have in. Id never choose one though

I do mine on the dual cook setting on my combi microwave, so you get a crisp skin and a fluffy interior.

I do potatoes in the microwave for about 7 minutes, turning halfway through and then drizzle a bit of olive oil and 5 to 10 minutes in the airfryer, depending on how long I've got.

It's only a brand name nothing special.
I buy my loose potatoes at Lidl usually 4 for about £1.20, microwave them for 30 minutes, turning them every 10 minutes and then 10 minutes in hot oven. Crispy and fluffy every time.

So they’re literally just a potato?

These products started for people with limited cooking/storage/shopping ability, or disabilities and have just crept into everyday usage. When in a caravan, in the past, it was easier to use the microwave and hob. The same applies to oven chips, I hate the cheap type, it's cheaper to make your own chunky/skin on chips. I don't, which is good because I eat less chips thanks to the cost.

I like them because they don't go crispy in the microwave. I don't like crispy potatoes.

I love them for lunch. 6 minutes for a perfect jacket with nice skin. I ran out and cooked a normal potato the other day in the microwave and it was horrible in comparison

40? Jeez, how big is your oven?

I have never bought them before in my life, mid fifties but now buy them weekly, so easy and can use up all left over dips and salads in the fridge before a big shop, microwaved potatoes always had a hard spot on them so this is a perfect solution for me.

Sadly where I live in the NW potatoes from many different shops don't last more than a couple of days. Don't know why.

Convenience is you always have some in, whereas not always a decent sized potato that’s not sprouted at home. I buy them as I don’t buy potatoes all that often so handy to have.

I like them. Always fluffy inside, cooks perfectly in the microwave. Not sure why you’d put them in the oven.

It only takes 90 minutes if you don't have a microwave to start it off in. If you put it in the microwave for 5/10 minutes then the air fryer for a similar amount of time (or oven, but obviously costs more) then it takes about 15 minutes for a nicely cooked, crispy skinned baked potato.

The frozen ones might cook from frozen in 10 minutes in a microwave, but they're still not properly crispy, weird texture and expensive. Like @andnowwhatdowedo the only real advantage is if you want to be able to have a jacket potato in more than 2 weeks time so your fresh potatoes would probably be past their best.

it is not just as quick to bake a potato from raw! it takes about 90 minutes just to cook
through never mind crisp! and that’s with a very good oven/air fryer so it’s not that. I’m not sure what you mean about 10 minutes then 10 minutes?

Five mins in microwave, crisp off in airfryer, job done! Who’d have thought jacket potato snobbery existed? Only on mumsnet!!

The only benefit that I can see is that you can always have a potato handy to bake. Fresh spuds don't last as well as they did. In every other way fresh is better.

I don't like reheated potatoes, I get the packs of 4 fresh potatoes that are described as 'baking potatoes' and microwave for a few minutes then finish off in the air fryer for another 5-10 minutes as I think this is the best compromise of time and taste. If you don't want 4 baked potatoes before they go all sprouty, you can just use them as you would any other potatoes.

I agree with you, no quicker and either soggy outside because done in the microwave or take just as long in the oven. And they were a weird dry crumbly consistency and tasteless too. Normal jacket spuds all round for us!

My old combination microwave had a baked potato setting that microwaved and used the fan oven at the same time to crisp the outside. They came out very nice in about 20 minutes.

When I had a microwave (and hungry children) they were great for a quick meal. I think they are nicer than a microwaved from raw potato and quicker than part microwaved then finished in the oven ones. I never even thought of cooking them in the oven. I don’t have a microwave now so I don’t buy them.

I think they're great! Three minutes in the microwave, job done!