Chef Poppy O'Toole, dubbed the 'potato queen,' conducted a thorough comparison of three cooking methods—oven, air fryer, and microwave—to determine the best way to prepare a jacket potato.
Each potato was prepped identically by piercing with a fork, coating in oil, and seasoning with salt to ensure fairness.
For the oven method, potatoes were baked at 200°C for 40-50 minutes, yielding a crispy skin and fluffy interior, earning a 4.75/5 score with a five for appearance and four for fluffiness.
The air fryer method required pre-cooking in a microwave for 10 minutes to soften, followed by 25 minutes at 170°C in the air fryer, scoring a four overall for its nice appearance but slightly less impressive texture.
The microwave method, cooking for 12 minutes, scored a mere 2/5 due to its lackluster crispiness and uneven cooking, with only one corner fully cooked.
Poppy noted the oven method as superior, though home cooks suggested hybrid approaches, such as microwaving followed by air frying or oven baking for optimal results.
Comments from readers included tips like cutting potatoes post-cooking to maintain crispy skin.
Poppy’s findings highlight the oven’s reliability for achieving the classic jacket potato texture, while air fryers offer a quicker alternative with decent results, and microwaves fall short for those seeking crispiness.
Each potato was prepped identically by piercing with a fork, coating in oil, and seasoning with salt to ensure fairness.
For the oven method, potatoes were baked at 200°C for 40-50 minutes, yielding a crispy skin and fluffy interior, earning a 4.75/5 score with a five for appearance and four for fluffiness.
The air fryer method required pre-cooking in a microwave for 10 minutes to soften, followed by 25 minutes at 170°C in the air fryer, scoring a four overall for its nice appearance but slightly less impressive texture.
The microwave method, cooking for 12 minutes, scored a mere 2/5 due to its lackluster crispiness and uneven cooking, with only one corner fully cooked.
Poppy noted the oven method as superior, though home cooks suggested hybrid approaches, such as microwaving followed by air frying or oven baking for optimal results.
Comments from readers included tips like cutting potatoes post-cooking to maintain crispy skin.
Poppy’s findings highlight the oven’s reliability for achieving the classic jacket potato texture, while air fryers offer a quicker alternative with decent results, and microwaves fall short for those seeking crispiness.
