How to Cook the Perfect Baked Potatoes
Twice-baked potatoes (School Night Vegan)
Everyone loves baked potatoes, so here’s a quick guide on how to do them right. Russet potatoes are the classic choice for baking. They have thick skins that crisp up beautifully and starchy insides that become light and fluffy when cooked.
If you’re after something a little different, try Yukon Gold potatoes. Their yellow flesh is naturally creamy, offering a buttery flavour even before you start adding toppings. Though they won’t fluff up quite like a Russet, their unique texture brings a new dimension to your baked potato repertoire.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many foods like garlic and chives are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).
For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.
Don’t give leftover potatoes to garden birds or wildfowl, due to salt and butter (which can smear on feathers, affecting waterproofing/insulation).
How to prepare potatoes for baking
Give them a good scrub with a plastic-free produce brush, by running under cold water first. Then use a fork to make little holes, this lets steam escape and prevents potato explosions in the oven! Then rub with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, which helps the skin crisps up nicely when baking.
How to bake a baked potato!
It’s best in the oven (preheated at 200°C (392°F), although of course this does mean higher energy bills. You can buy metal skewers in some kitchen shops which helps to reduce oven cooking time.
Others use the microwave, not perfect but you can always crisp them in the oven for the last 10 minutes or so, for better results. Most cook on high for 5 minutes, then turn the potato over and cook for another 5 minutes, and then in 1-minute bursts until done.
Never microwave baby or pet food.
Some would ask ‘what’s the point of McCain’s ready-made baked jacket potatoes that are sold in freezers, as they take 10 minutes to cook too. Point indeed, though they are plastic-free so if you’re going to buy a ready-made food, this is a good option.
Of course the reason they are sold is for profit, as they work way more than just buying baking potatoes and cooking them yourself. One way to get around the ‘energy cost’ issue is to bake them in the air-fryer (buy new for safety). They take around 40 minutes so half the time, and energy costs are much lower.
Writer Neil Hughes was asked to review McCain’s frozen baked potatoes, and says although they tasted okay, he says the main issue is cost: Tesco sells 2.5kg of Kent jacket potatoes for £2.25, yet it costs more to buy four frozen ones in a box from McCains (which also are smaller than average baking potatoes).
Plant-based baked potato toppings
You can’t go wrong with a classic combination of vegan butter (Lurpak and Flora are both free from palm) and some sea salt.
This recipe for vegan sour cream (Jessica in the Kitchen) is also nice (you just need 5 ingredients: fine sea salt, water, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and raw cashews). Before blending, soak the nuts in water for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Keep chives away from pets.
Look in stores for Only Plants Vegan Sour Cream, a tangy condiment for favourite veggies, sandwiches and soups.
