Baked potatoes

[Wotsitsareafterme]

Please tell me how you cook to perfection. And don't laugh. I can cook all sorts but these rarely turn out that well

There was another thread asking the same recently. Amazing jackets are no laughing matter, OP, fear not!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/2346636-How-do-you-do-crispy-skinned-jacket-potatoes-and-whats-your-favourite-filling

Smear in marge, cook - whole - at 200o for an hour.

Microwave them (don't shoot me!) until they're nice and soft, then put them in the oven to crisp up. Avoids waiting ages for the oven and then finding hard bits, and also avoids the microwave sogginess

Microwave then 15 mins @ 220 in the oven

I've used the Delia method since moving out of home. Oven at 180C fan, about a teaspoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of salt mixed in the palm of my hand.

I use this to sort-of scrub the potato (like an exfoliation treatment for spuds) until I can see that the entire surface has a little bit of oil.

Then into the oven for between an hour and 1.5 hours, depending on size. It's ready when it sounds a bit hollow when tapped.

No need to prick with a fork.

I also start in microwave, prick the skin, and blast for 5 mins, then into oven straight on the shelf, half an hour, perfect

Thank you I will bet testing this out tomorrow. I had such a fab one in house of Fraser I am determined to learn

Prick, microwave for about 8 minutes, then wrap in tin foil and put in the oven for about half an hour (I like that crunchy bit on the bottom!)

Yep, microwave is the secret. Microwave first for 5 mins depending on size. Don't forget to prick them. Then whack in a hot oven (220-240) until nice and crispy. I sometimes put it on a baking tray to make the bottom extra crispy. There's absolutely no need to smother the skin in any oil etc to get the crispness. Save the calories for lashings of butter inside.