Forget the oven and crisp up baked potatoes in 10 minutes with 'genius' method
Jacket potatoes make a brilliant filling meal as they're incredibly simple to prepare, but the major drawback is the lengthy oven cooking time required. Typically, it takes more than an hour to properly cook a potato, which can be frustrating when you're peckish and want your meal prepared swiftly.
Nevertheless, Karli Bitner, a chef and creator of Cooking with Karli, uncovered a "game-changer" technique to prepare a baked potato in just 10 minutes.
She explained: "A baked potato is the perfect side for so many dinners - but I never think about making them until it's too late to pop them into the oven. That's why knowing how to make baked potatoes in the microwave in minutes is one of my favourite dinner time hacks!" In other related news, Gen Z prefer using social media for meal planning as cookbooks become a thing of the past.
Whilst it might sound peculiar, this approach will significantly cut down the preparation time and will actually help create a fluffier interior as the microwave preserves moisture in food during cooking, reports the Express.
Karli explained: "Using a microwave to bake your potatoes is a super quick way to get a hearty side on the table. Done in minutes, these are soft and tender with the absolute minimum effort possible."
How to prepare a jacket potato in the microwave
Simply begin by washing the potatoes completely, then pierce each potato several times with a fork to let steam release whilst it cooks. Next, position the potatoes on a microwave-safe dish and heat for five minutes. Once the timer rings, flip the potatoes and give them another five minutes in the microwave.
To check if they're ready, give the potato a gentle squeeze. It should feel soft, but if it's still hard in the middle, pop it back in the microwave for another two minutes before testing again.
When fully cooked, take them out of the microwave, slice the centre of the potato and press on the sides to open it up. Add your preferred toppings and voila! Your delicious baked potato is ready to be enjoyed.
If you fancy a crispy skin, simply slather the potato with oil, season with salt and pepper, then pop it in the oven at 200C for 10 minutes after microwaving. Your baked potato should take no more than 10 minutes to whip up from scratch, or 20 minutes if you're using both the microwave and the oven.
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