Reheating jacket potatoes

[nickymanley]

Last week I cooked a jacket potato for 45 mins in the oven, then took it to work the next day for lunch. I heated it up in the microwave and it tasted exactly the same as if I had just cooked it in the microwave for 10 mins - really hard! Where did I go wrong?!

[WendyS]

Possibly once a potato has been baked in the oven, its substance has been converted to starch and possibly the steam in it as it cooled has caused all the starch nodules to congeal together. I imagine that reheating it would not break down the starch again leaving it in a rather hard state.

[jools88]

I used to microwave my potatoes and they too went hard. However if you microwave them (say 8 mins for avaerage sized one) and then IMMEDIATELY take them out and wrap them in foil for say 10-15 mins, then they will be lovely and soft. Obviously this depends on whether you like your skins crispy or soft but every one I have passed this tip onto agree the potatoes are delicious this way. If you are taking your potatoes to microwave in work - you may as well cook them from scratch....

[1977Nicky]

Jools88 Forgive me for asking a potentially stupid question but doesn't the potato go cold? (formerly nickymanley!)

[jools88]

Ha! Ha! I see how I have been misunderstood! Obviously I meant that the potato is to be eaten 15 mins or so after it has been wrapped in the foil (and not the next day). Then again - I have left them for say up to an hour and they have been hot enough to eat without reheating. The foil sometimes looks burnt (brownish tint) when you unwrap it 'cos the potato has been so hot coming out of the microwave. The foil wrap prevents the evaporation of the water contained in the potato (which would result in the potato becoming hard).

[Narolines]

Just my opinion, but I feel that potato + microwave = bad idea. There is no substitute for that just-out-of-the-oven texture and crisp, crunchy skin.........

However, if it suits you, do it - as I say, It's just my opinion!