WE all think we know how to make the perfect jacket potato, right?
Well, according to the infamous Spud Man, it turns out we’ve been doing it all wrong.
Not only are we cooking our spuds incorrectly, but we’ve also been buying the wrong thing too.
So if you want to tuck into a hearty jacket potato with cheese and beans, or maybe tuna is more your topping of choice, you’ll need to listen up and take notes.
Spud Man, a 39-year-old who took TikTok by storm after going viral for selling baked potatoes from his food van, has shared his top tips and tricks to ensure that your next jacket potato is fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
According to the potato pro, who has 3.8 million followers on social media, and has people all over the world flocking to Tamworth to try his tasty tatties, there are three areas that people go wrong when cooking a jacket potato.
The food lover, whose real name is Ben Newman, has been selling his faultless baked potatoes out of his food van since 2003.
And according to Ben, who cooks around 8,000 spuds every week, it’s important that you choose your potato wisely, feel it properly and ditch the foil.
According to Spud Man, the type of potato you buy is crucial to the success of the bake.
Posting online, he explained: “Everyone wants to know how to cook the perfect jacket potato at home.
“The first thing you need to understand is the difference between a good potato and a bad potato.
According to Ben, whilst “variety is everything”, Cara potatoes “make good potatoes”, as he confirmed: “They’re quite dry, low starch content – these are good bakers.”
Ben explained that Melody potatoes, which are quite yellow, are also good.
But whilst many foodies will buy Harmony potatoes for their jackets, Ben warned against it, as he stressed: “This is a very white potato which means it’s going to be quite starchy. This isn’t gonna be a great baker. Avoid.”
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Not only this, but the “worst culprit in the supermarket”, according to this chef, is the Nadine variety.
He emphasised that whilst “they look beautiful on the shelf”, they are “super high starchy” and “bake absolutely awful”.
In addition to getting the right spud, when it comes to “cooking the perfect jacket potato”, Ben stressed that “timings only get you so far.”
According to Ben, the way to really know if your spud is soft inside is to feel them.
You’ve got to feel those spuds
Spud Man
He explained: “You need to be able to tell that that spud is perfectly cooked all the way through and the way to do it is touch.
“You’ve got to feel those spuds.”
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After around 70 minutes in his professional oven, Ben removed a potato and used his hands to test it.
Whilst he stressed that you should be careful when doing this, or use oven gloves, the foodie gave his spud a squeeze and claimed that he can gauge it better using his hand than with an oven glove, as he highlighted: “It’s all done by touch.”
Finally, if you want to ensure that you make the best jacket potato possible, you’ll need to bin the tin foil.
Whilst Spud Man uses foil to cook his potatoes when using a professional appliance, he stressed that when cooking in a home oven, it is not necessary.
I’m so ignorant in the potato world
TikTok user
It’s a common misconception that a jacket potato needs to be wrapped in tin foil before going in to cook, but Spud Man was eager to set the record straight.
He told Ninja: “I never wrap my potatoes in foil at home.
“You’re less likely to burn them in your home oven as opposed to an industrial potato oven which hits 300-350 degrees.”
Foodies were left stunned by Spud Man’s claims and many flocked to the comments to express this.
One user wrote: “I’m so ignorant in the potato world. I only know Maris and King Edward.”
A second chimed in: “That’s so helpful thanks so much.”
Meanwhile, someone else commented: “Thank you for showing us.”
