The jacket potato: a humble, simple, spud that has so much to offer. You can have it just with a little butter, with the leftovers from last night’s chilli or even just a big ol’ wad of cheese.
Plus, it’s so easy to cook, right? Just wrap it up, put it in the oven for a good hour and there you have it!
Well, according to one potato expert that’s took off on TikTok, not so much.
Yes, for those who aren’t glued to the clock app, it may still seem like a place where people film themselves dancing in big houses but for me, it’s where I’ve found a whole host of foodies and the aptly named Spudman is the newest potato sensation on my feed..
Speaking on his huge 3 million follower TikTok account, Ben Newman, the Spudman himself said: “At the minute, every day is nuts. On average, I prep 1000 spuds on a weekday and 1,500 at a weekend.
“Every video I have posted since October has gone viral - it’s like someone turned a switch on and suddenly went mental for spuds.”
He also added that people have travelled from as far as Australia to sample his taters, so, with that in mind, who else would I trust with perfecting the baked potato?
How to make the perfect baked potato
When Ninja Kitchen spoke exclusively with Spudman, Ben revealed his 3 top tips for making the perfect jacket spud at home.
Make sure you use the right type of potato
“It’s all about the variety of potato as opposed to how you cook it. When buying jacket potatoes, avoid ‘Nadine Potatoes’ - they are a variety of potatoes stocked by many supermarkets.
“Whilst they look great and most likely have a high-yielding crop, the cook on them is absolutely awful.”
Use 2 small potatoes instead of 1 large one:
“Cooking time will depend on the size of the potato. If the potato fits in the palm of your hand, cook for around an hour and a half.
“Everyone makes the mistake of going for the biggest potato they can find, but it is better to buy a couple of smaller ones and have two. They will cook more evenly and won’t have any hard bits in them.”
Don’t wrap your potato in foil:
Whilst many may think you must wrap a spud in tin foil, Spudman says not to, saying. “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.”
Brb, I need to cook a couple of ’taters.