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?!

I'll try that next time.

I'd microwave for 4-5 and oven bake for 10-15 but close! I have no idea as to why people buy them 'ready made'. Bizarre. You can get bags of 4 raw potatoes of a good size now to bake, from most of the supermarkets.

I used to buy the 2.5kg bags of them, and cook many at once. They would be good for lunch the next day.
I don't think any ever made it to the freezer but it was always my intention.

They taste shit too imo! We bought some of these whilst without an oven during our kitchen renovations expecting them to taste like a normal baked potato. Instead they had that awful 'warmed up' flavour - yuck!

Having then purchased an airfryer, we now do as a previous poster suggested and start our own potatoes off in the microwave, finishing them in the airfryer.

Genius idea.

Because potatoes microwaved from raw don't taste anything like baked potatoes. And I don't want to waste time oven baking things after microwaving them either.

I like then because they offer more flexibility than uncooked potatoes. If I’d bought uncooked ones, I’d be under pressure to prepare them within a certain time frame. They’re more expensive, but I don’t eat jacket potatoes often enough for that to be an issue.

I think sometimes people don't understand other people's lives. The only way I could fit 40 potatoes in our freezer is if there is absolutely nothing else in it as it is a very small slimline under counter one. In fact we didn't even have that until 5 years ago - no stand alone freezer, just a box within the fridge. This is like people who say why not buy 50 packs of bog roll and store them in your garage.

We have two freezers (the bottom half of the fridge freezer and a separate under counter one in the utility room) and I still wouldn't bake and freeze 40 baked potatoes, because in my experience, they're just not very nice when reheated, and I'm perfectly happy with the microwave then air fry method.

I've tried the McCain ones when they first came out and didn't like them - weird, very dry texture, that wasn't improved even when adding a large amount of butter.

I might try the Bannisters ones if I see them on offer somewhere, but if they're not good, I'll be asking around Mumsnet to find someone to take 7 unwanted frozen baked potatoes off my hands

I've perfected the use of these. 5 mins in 800w microwave, 10 mins in air fryer at 200 degrees.
Crispy skin, soft fluffy inside every time.
Just as good as oven baked done in 15 mins.

I bought a box of them recently and they looked really tasty on the box, thought they'd be full of flavour with special 'secret seasonings' - boy was I wrong. Just plain bland potato. I thought they'd at least be buttery - but No.
Has to cut open, melt in loads of butter and cheese just to make it edible - Will not be buying again!!!

They are about 75p each so why would you expect them to have tasty seasoning or butter?

This is what I do. I sometimes also remove from freezer, blast them in the microwave until they're soft then cut them into wedges. Toss in a bowl with oil and seasoning then bake.

I am forever complimented on my wedges!

That's nice for you but a lot of people don't have the freezer space or even want to fill their freezer with 40 potatoes that then have to be seasoned and put in the oven. They don't want to spend the time and it can't save much money either.

Well you don't have to do 40 of them do you? There is a middle ground.

I used to do a couple of extra ones and freeze them but I don't bother nowadays as it's easy enough to do them from scratch, started in the microwave and finished in the airfryer.

It still takes longer than putting a McCann or Bannister one in the microwave though doesn't it and it's not any healthier or probably even cheaper.

Yes it does take longer, I'm not disputing that. I was just making the point that your don't need freezer space for 40 potatoes to do them yourself in advance.

I got rid of my microwave around 15 years ago as I hardly used it, I didn't like the texture of food cooked in it. I do miss jacket potatoes though, I used to do them in the oven but it costs too much now so they're more the type of food I buy when I go out for lunch. My DP thinks I'm mad for not having a microwave though, but I couldn't see the appeal.