To think frozen jacket potatoes are..

[Dancingfairy]

Disgusting?! I bought some to save time kind of thing if I just wanted something to stick in the microwave and my god they are awful, was still frozen even though putting them in the microwave for the time stated so had to go in for an extra 5 minutes. Taste very powdery and aren't even cheap?! Aibu in thinking they are disgusting?

You can bake your own potatoes and freeze those they work just as well.

Seconding the Bannisters (Waitrose or Iceland) recommendation. McCain and Sainsburys own are the worst.

If you can’t wait an hour, start them in the oven and finish off in the microwave. (Sorry still can’t get over that these exist and that there’s even more than one brand).

jab potato with a fork.
microwave for 8 min.

how long do frozen ones take to be ready?

I love them.

They're convenient and I'm lazy. Fresh microwaved jackets are gross but I cannot be arsed doing them in the oven.. or faffing in the microwave then the oven.

Frozen ones take 4-5 minutes but it's the fact that they've already been baked that makes them taste nicer (to me) than just fresh ones microwaved. Obviously baked from fresh is nicest but that isn't always convenient.

The McCain ones are nasty, all powdery and plasticky but the ones from Aldi are lovely. 4 mins in micro then 10 in the oven to crisp a bit. I know it sounds odd but they're nicer than doing them from 'fresh' iyswim.

Prick a potato, rub with olive oil and salt, bake at 220C for an hour or more. Job done and nice crisp skin.

Have you any idea how difficult pricking a potato is with severely arthritic hands, or EDS, or with Cerebral Palsy?

To other naysayers, some people have disabilities, some people are getting on a bit and forgetful, or they're just plain forgetful. Putting something in the oven is not always an option. Pricking something isn't always an option. Life is just sometimes easier for those of us with disabilities if we can bung something in the microwave and know it isn't going to hurt doing so and we're not likely to burn the house down.

McCain over chips are shite too. Aunt Bessies are much better .

I've tried the McCain ones and thought they were awful and a weird texture, so that put me off trying any other brands, the Bannister ones look particularly unappealing on the box.

What I do is - turn oven on to heat to 230 C. Microwave potato for 5 minutes while oven is heating up and then put the nearly cooked potato in the oven to crisp up for 5/10 minutes. Result is a reasonably quick potato with a crispy skin that is nicer and cheaper than the frozen ones.

Just microwave a fresh potato! Not as nice as oven cooked ones (no crispy skin) but still taste good

You can bake your own potatoes and freeze those they work just as well

I seem to throw loads of potatoes away because we don't get through them in time so this is my genius tip of the day as far as I'm concerned. Thank you @ousernameforme Next time I'm doing baked potatoes I'll do a couple extra and freeze them!

Bannister's ones are lovely.

Bannister's ones are lovely

I came on here to say the same., especially the bacon and cheese stuffed ones

I bake a big bag of them in the oven then freeze them. Takes about 5 minutes to reheat if i defrost them. They taste fine. Haven't tried the McCain ones though

Yum

I think they taste nice and it's convenient for me to have things like that that can stay in the freezer. I use them when I work late and don't have time to cook. I wouldn't want to keep throwing fresh potatoes away because I've had them around just in case I work late.

If you don't like the taste of them OP don't buy them again.

Quite Gilead, an hour+ of oven time isn’t doable for every household either. A quick blast in the microwave is more affordable from a fuel point of view for those on low incomes.

I like the McCain ones, nicer than doing a fresh one on the microwave, though I do put loads of butter n salt on it.

Horrible from frozen. Never thought of defrosting first.

DH keeps some of the Bannisters ones in the freezer for taking to work (he microwaves them), along with his horrid tins of curry.
When I had unexpected guests recently, I cooked the potatoes in the normal fan oven - they weren't too bad actually although I added extra butter and seasoning.

I've had them a couple of times and found them to be dry/powdery too. I do prefer a proper one cooked in the oven BUT I only eat them when I'm at my grandparent's so I'm hardly going to complain. The reason that they buy them is because it's too heavy to buy a bag of potatoes (they don't drive any more) and when they buy loose potatoes and put them away they aren't eaten quickly enough and so they end up going funny. It's far easier to buy 4 frozen because they keep for longer and they don't have to eat them in a short time frame or faff around cooking and freezing a few in advance.

There's all kinds of reasons people buy them - I don't think taste is the main factor, it's convenience/ease of preparation. There's obviously a market for them for a reason.

cook a bag of baking potatoes, cool then mash the scooped out middle with cheese, onion and a bit of chilli if you like spice, freeze in individual bags. defrost, top with grated cheese and cook in the oven mmmmm

You can totally just microwave your own oven-baked-then-frozen jacket potatoes from frozen in 6 mins on full power! It's a winner- just put loads in the oven in one go then stick them in the freezer

I just throw mine in the microwave for 5 mins and then let them crisp up in the oven but I do buy the frozen ones now and again. I think they are ok.