Jacket Pots Advice

[Goalseeker]

Hi I am looking at ways to help a charity cafe improve their performance. One of the things I noted was that they prepared Jacket Potatoes and kept them warm in a warmer throughout the day, they were wrapped in foil in the warmer.

I do not think that they looked at their best when they were removed but as they needed to bake for 65mins + I was told this was the best way they could handle the situation thay do not have a large turnover.

I would welcome any advice on the best way of preparing and keeping jacket pots to be at their best at the point of sale.

Any advice warmly appreciated

 

[Christine Hough]

I know not everyone agrees but I prefer microwaved potatoes much better. Combi is best with a little crispness on the skin but not the hard leathery one you get with baking in an oven.

How about part baking them and then finishing them off in the microwave as customers want them so they do not come out too hard and shrivelled.??

 

[Goalseeker]

I know not everyone agrees but I prefer microwaved potatoes much better. Combi is best with a little crispness on the skin but not the hard leathery one you get with baking in an oven.

How about part baking them and then finishing them off in the microwave as customers want them so they do not come out too hard and shrivelled.??

Thanks for that Christine I will tell the girls tomorrow to try that. Hopefully we will see happy customers even at the end of the day, of course the best test is for me to visit the cafe at the end of the day and ask for a baked potato.

Thanks for taking time out to try to help.

 

[MrsPWN]

Believe it or not big chains like Harvester buy in frozen cooked baked potatoes, they micro from frozen and taste good. Not sure what the cost implications would be.

 

[roydmoorian]

A jacket potato without a crispy skin to chew on is not worth eating

It is acceptable to start them of in the microwave for a few minutes but always spike them to let the steam out.

 

[Goalseeker]

Believe it or not big chains like Harvester buy in frozen cooked baked potatoes, they micro from frozen and taste good. Not sure what the cost implications would be.

Thanks for this idea I have contacted a frozen Potato Company to take the matter further. Again I thank you for taking time out to try to help me.

 

[Goalseeker]

A jacket potato without a crispy skin to chew on is not worth eating

It is acceptable to start them of in the microwave for a few minutes but always spike them to let the steam out.

Hi Thanks for taking time out to try to help me. Are you saying that cooking frozen Jackets in the microwave is OK as long as you pierce them toi let the steam out?

Cheers

 

[Christine Hough]

Why not offer with or without chewy skins?

 

[MrsPWN]

No problems the manufacturer will tell you the best way to prepare their particular product but what we used to do was micro until it was piping hot and finish in a hot oven to crisp up. They are really good

 

[ps_leccy]

Make them taste really nice - making sure they are well cooked inside (personally I don't want it to have the texture of an apple - and I do like a tougher outer skin) and have good fillings that work well with them.
Maybe mash the butter in to it a little bit for the customer.
Used to get baked potatoes at Glastonbury (I'd take along say some beans and tinned meat and add that to a cheese one), but so often they came out solid in the middle, yet with a loose floppy skin - it'd take some skill to make one quite so badly normally!

 

[Richie N]

Don't think using frozen ones is a good idea imo.
Fresh is always better, we used to have ours on a hotplate after being cooked in the oven, customers preferred this than microwaved.
If you top up during lunchtime service then they should be fine.

 

[Goalseeker]

Make them taste really nice - making sure they are well cooked inside (personally I don't want it to have the texture of an apple - and I do like a tougher outer skin) and have good fillings that work well with them.
Maybe mash the butter in to it a little bit for the customer.
Used to get baked potatoes at Glastonbury (I'd take along say some beans and tinned meat and add that to a cheese one), but so often they came out solid in the middle, yet with a loose floppy skin - it'd take some skill to make one quite so badly normally!

I understand that the mud fillings were the most popular

 

[ps_leccy]

I understand that the mud fillings were the most popular

A couple of years I'd seen this stand advertising 'giant jacket potatoes, biggest at Glastonbury'. Unfortunately it was a fair way around the site, but with a mate I adventured over there. Got my not-as-giant-as-I'd-hoped jacket almost back to add fillings (at least a ten minute walk and I tend to walk quite fast) and someone knocked in to me, sending the jacket flying into a large pool of mud.

A little bit of me died that day!

 

[Goalseeker]

A couple of years I'd seen this stand advertising 'giant jacket potatoes, biggest at Glastonbury'. Unfortunately it was a fair way around the site, but with a mate I adventured over there. Got my not-as-giant-as-I'd-hoped jacket almost back to add fillings (at least a ten minute walk and I tend to walk quite fast) and someone knocked in to me, sending the jacket flying into a large pool of mud.

A little bit of me died that day!

I told you mud fillings are the best Yummy!!