Cooking Time help needed

[pelicanafloat]

Just a quicky if anyone around. Have washed, pricked, and covered jacket potatoes in salt & butter before covering in foil and placing in ashtray. They went in at 13.40. Assuming nothing else, but open to any suggestions, how long should they take to cook (stove on medium heat)

 

Thanks,

 

Stewart

[bizzard]

Just a quicky if anyone around. Have washed, pricked, and covered jacket potatoes in salt & butter before covering in foil and placing in ashtray. They went in at 13.40. Assuming nothing else, but open to any suggestions, how long should they take to cook (stove on medium heat)

 

Thanks,

 

Stewart

A long time in an ashtray and you'll end up with a nicotine flavoured spud by keep stubbing fags out on it.

[pelicanafloat]

A long time in an ashtray and you'll end up with a nicotine flavoured spud by keep stubbing fags out on it.

well thanky kindly .... I knew something was wrong

[Pete & Helen]

Depending on size and what "medium heat" is for your stove, your looking at about an hour. Just check by using a skewer or sharp thin bladed knife and when it goes in easy their done. not normal to put butter in the foil, should have saved that for when you eat them. if you want a nice crusty skin then take them out of the foil after 30 mins

[pelicanafloat]

Ah, a sensible reply, I'll award you a greeny:) ... thanks for the skewer test, will try as you suggest. I won't be taking them out of the foil though - they will get covered in ash . When wife Jenny cooks them they seem nice just straight out of the foil though we do add more butter .....

[bizzard]

I think jacket baked spuds are boring objects to eat whatever extra stuff you mound on top of them. I suggest baking them well so that the skin is firm and crisp, dust off the ash then halve the spuds, scoop out the potato from the skin shell halves, mash the potato up all lovely and creamy with a little butter, seasoning and herbs and then return it to the skin shells and serve with whatever topping you like.

[Grace and Favour]

I think jacket baked spuds are boring objects to eat whatever extra stuff you mound on top of them. I suggest baking them well so that the skin is firm and crisp, dust off the ash then halve the spuds, scoop out the potato from the skin shell halves, mash the potato up all lovely and creamy with a little butter, seasoning and herbs and then return it to the skin shells and serve with whatever topping you like.

when I eat jacket spuds I usually wear a simply gorgeous Jacques Vert rainbow sequinned top

[pelicanafloat]

I think jacket baked spuds are boring objects to eat whatever extra stuff you mound on top of them. I suggest baking them well so that the skin is firm and crisp, dust off the ash then halve the spuds, scoop out the potato from the skin shell halves, mash the potato up all lovely and creamy with a little butter, seasoning and herbs and then return it to the skin shells and serve with whatever topping you like.

I didn't think much of jacket potatoes till we tried the ash-pan and they just seem a whole lot tastier than oven/microwave variety. I'm all in favour of keeping it simple especially as its me doing it at the moment.... have just put a couple of chicken breasts in oven, and will serve the chicken potato and a side salad; followed by treacle sponge and custard

 

I'm in charge ...

 

when I eat jacket spuds I usually wear a simply gorgeous Jacques Vert rainbow sequinned top

 

Blimey, if you free for dinner, I'll meet you behind the bike sheds in an hour

[Dave Payne]

I think jacket baked spuds are boring objects to eat whatever extra stuff you mound on top of them. I suggest baking them well so that the skin is firm and crisp, dust off the ash then halve the spuds, scoop out the potato from the skin shell halves, mash the potato up all lovely and creamy with a little butter, seasoning and herbs and then return it to the skin shells and serve with whatever topping you like.

 

 

Agreed, bit of cheese, onoin and corned beef mixed in makes a great snack...

[pelicanafloat]

Dinner was good .....

 

 

Just wish I'd done fishcakes though

[Dottyshirl]

Looks lovely, spud looks tasty yummy

[Naughty Cal]

That looks lovely. Well done you!

[Caprifool]

Ok, maybe you lot can tell me the secret behind the potatoes in school and pubs that has the leathery dark layer on the outside? Lard? Or what?

[Naughty Cal]

Ok, maybe you lot can tell me the secret behind the potatoes in school and pubs that has the leathery dark layer on the outside? Lard? Or what?

Just leave them in the oven indefinately on a lower temperature than usual

[pelicanafloat]

Thanks for the further comments :-)

 

Jacket potatoes were never a school option, just boiled or mashed and no choice! Have tried the jacket potatoes offered by pubs etc but never been a real pleasure despite what you stick on top to attempt to improve. In fact until I read of sticking the blasted thing into an ash pan I probably would not be aware of the fun to be had.

 

There is an additional pleasure in cooking something for free together with the unexpected heightened taste.

 

I considered replacing my dirty dusty multi fuel stove for a cleaner diesel stove but now I'm happy with what we have except perhaps a yearning for a bigger ashtray

[Caprifool]

We had them in Heston Primary School.

[pelicanafloat]

That must have been where Blumenthal grew up....

[Machpoint005]

No jacket spud is as good as one baked in an Aga (IMHO) -- about an hour, middle of the top oven, no covering at all -- but it depends on spud size.

Nice leathery, chewy skin and melt-in-the-mouth inside texture.

 

If you cut a big potato in half before baking it you get a flat bit like the skin of a roast spud but more so. Loovly.

That must have been where Blumenthal grew up....

Has he grown up?

[Pete & Helen]

Ok, maybe you lot can tell me the secret behind the potatoes in school and pubs that has the leathery dark layer on the outside? Lard? Or what?

 

Just leave them in the oven indefinately on a lower temperature than usual

 

"Indefinitely"? might be a bit overdone by then :-) ,

 

Just leave the foil off. if your doing them in the ash then put a layer of foil underneath

 

Best potatoes for doing jackets are waxy types like Cara. Try to avoid watery/floury types