To not realise that McCains baked potatoes are nothing special.

[boredwfh]

So my DD is a fussy eater however decided she wanted a jacket potato this week with cheese and bean. As it was a last minute request but eager to find new meals she likes, I only had some sad looking potatoes that were starting to sprout but managed to make one and she thoroughly enjoyed it. I decided whilst doing the weekly shop online & after reading a recent thread where everyone said McCains frozen baked potatoes were good, to add them to my basket thing they’d be good to have in as a quick meal if my DD asks again. Now I don’t know what I was expecting, maybe that it had been part cooked so it would be faster for me to bake, or maybe it had some special seasoning on the jacket. But AIBU to be bemused that it literally is just potato with vegetable oil on the outside & it still needs cooking for 45-55 mins! So no less effort than me just getting a spud and cooking it myself?! Am I the only one who doesn’t get the point of them?!

You can in pop in the microwave and in 5 mins its done
I know how to cook a bloody baked potato but after a long shift Im exhausted and want to eat straight away so I can collapse ready to do it all again

Microwave fresh potatoes are rank btw
They go glutinous not fluffy
The Bannisters ones are lovely, so fluffy
I think they pressure cook them

In summary yes baked potatoes in the oven are nice, we all know how to make them but this is a decent alternative in 5 minutes

They are cooked

Honestly I get that, I’m all for convenience. I’m not knocking it at all! I’m just trying to understand how, if it’s just a potato, it cooks better and quicker than a normal potato? Are they pre cooked? That’s what I always presumed, but the OP seems to suggest not?

Ah ok, that makes sense then! I thought the OP was saying that they’re just a raw potato covered in oil. I can stand down now 😂

It’s the difference between fresh and UPF food though. The ready baked ones taste like cardboard compared to freshly baked. Packs of 4 same size (ish) spuds are available in most supermarkets.

😂

Tell me how 99% potato and 1% olive oil is UPF ?
They taste like... potato
Dont you add toppings?
They are handy to have in the freezer if you work shifts ,thats it

Yes! Ive been thinking that. Are they using a different variety? You put your fork in and the thing disintegrates all over your plate. Had one last night, probably my last.

Everyone talking about blasting them in the oven or air fryers is kind of missing the point.
If you only have access to a microwave then they are nicer tasting than a potato that has been microwaved from raw. The bannisters ones are better though.
I’ve done my own and frozen them and they weren’t as good as the bought ones.

I like them , they’re very convenient if you don’t know what to have for dinner or need a quick filling lunch .
Just pop them in the microwave for the stated time 🕰️
I would only make baked potatoes the traditional way if I had a casserole or a large chicken in the oven slow cooking .
I would put baking potatoes in as well and probably things like banana bread .
However …I had a baked potato for dinner when I was away from home , from a baked potato shop oh my 😋😋 best thing I’d had in ages

Yes they are pre-cooked, I'm not sure what the hell OP is doing with them.

I get them because as PPs say they're convenient. Only rarely use them but whenever I do attempt a "quick" normal jacket (microwave then oven) it just goes absolutely rock hard on the bottom when it's in the microwave, no idea why. Got sick of throwing potatoes away so they work better for us when I just need one and don't want to waste gas on heating up the oven for just one sad potato.

It's all just branding, though: big companies spend a fortune to convince you that they are obviously the best, so you'd be a fool to consider if there are any other options.

Sometimes branding does equal better quality; usually they're no better (or can even be worse) than like-for-like supermarket own brands at a third the price; sometimes it isn't even any more convenient, quicker or better than just doing it yourself.

Like with the frozen jacket potatoes, oven chips are obviously quicker and more convenient; but the very best of them are a very pale imitation of proper home-made chips.

You still get all the adverts from McCain suggesting that it's accepted they are the best chips, when they aren't even the best oven chips you can buy - by a very long chalk. I suppose they wouldn't sell nearly as many if they said "Proper home-made chips are 20 times nicer; but if you don't have the time, equipment, any potatoes in or just can't be arsed with that, ours are a middling alternative".

Nevertheless, they've been successful in their branding and advertising to the point where I'll bet the majority of people under 30 wouldn't even realise that you can make your own chips from scratch as an option.

The weirdest one to me is the bags of ice cubes that supermarkets sell. I totally get if you're having a party and you need a load of them and/or you need them NOW; but I know people who will buy a bag of ice cubes from the supermarket just for their everyday freezer stock, using them gradually a few at a time.

Well at the end of the day it’s still just a potato there’s nothing much you can do to a plain potato that will jazz it up. I don’t know what you were expecting?

They’re not UPF

I love them! Quick, easy, I know the calories as all roughly same size, nice with tuna and cheese or beans, dinner sorted in 10 mins.

Most supermarkets sell a four pack of potatoes specifically labelled as for baking, of pretty even size. More expensive (per spud) than a 1.5kg pack obviously, but cheaper than frozen ones.

Why would you put them in the oven? The whole point is that you put them in the microwave for six minutes and they taste far more like potatoes that have been baked in the oven than a microwaved one. Probably not as good as a potato that had been sat in the oven for an hour but quicker and much less use of gas or electricity.

I thought exactly the same ! And you’re paying almost £4 for 4 potatoes. Someone said here just microwave them , but a microwaved baked potato is a very sad thing.

Yes, they are partly precooked so you can finish them off in a microwave and get something that tastes close to an oven baked potato.

They are usually on offer for 2.5 pounds. They taste a lot better than a microwaved fresh potato would taste

I love them 5 minutes in the northern 5 minutes in the air fryer gives me time to put shopping away, wash on or whatever and chop some salad or heat some beans

have tried other frozen jacket potatoes M&S, Lidl, Sainsbury’s and none are as good and often have that odd taste

I use a lot of frozen veg/herbs and now curry paste to cut corners with time when cooking it’s made life easier and food tastes just as good

The weirdest one to me is the bags of ice cubes that supermarkets sell. I totally get if you're having a party and you need a load of them and/or you need them NOW; but I know people who will buy a bag of ice cubes from the supermarket just for their everyday freezer stock, using them gradually a few at a time

Also frozen onion. Why? Can anyone explain?

Rub fresh jacket with alittle oil and salt, prick, then 20 mins each side on airfryer shelf - amazing!

Avoiding tears, and they soften quicker. I actually use them alot if making stir fry rice, or incorporating them into things etc. I used fresh on salads etc.

I keep my baking potatoes in the fridge and do 10 mins in microwave turning half way and then 15-20 mins in airfryer and they are perfect.