Cook Jacket Potatoes Perfectly by Avoiding Common Oven Mistake

Cook Max McCann reveals a common error people make with jacket potatoes: piercing and oiling is unnecessary. Instead, wrap in foil, bake at 200°C for 1.5 hours, then unwrap and crisp for 15-20 minutes for fluffy inside and crispy skin.

Brit Brief 04/07/2026 13:16

Cook Jacket Potatoes Perfectly by Avoiding Common Oven Mistake — Perfect Jacket Potatoes: Avoid This Common Oven Mistake

Cook Max McCann has shared a simple technique for achieving a perfectly fluffy inside with crispy jacket potato skin, and he claims it starts with avoiding a common oven baking mistake. According to McCann, many people unnecessarily pierce potatoes with a fork and coat them in oil before baking.

The Common Mistake to Avoid

In a TikTok video, McCann explained: "One thing that people tend to do with jacket potatoes that you don't need to do is poke them with a fork and also coat them in oil. Instead, just wash and dry the potatoes and then wrap them up in foil." He emphasized that the oven, not the microwave, is essential for optimal results.

Step-by-Step Method

McCann advised: "Once they are wrapped in foil, cook them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for around one hour and a half." After this initial baking, he removed the potatoes from the oven and carefully peeled back the foil. "At this stage they are cooked all the way through, but we want to get the skin nice and crispy," he said.

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To achieve crispiness, he suggested returning the unwrapped potatoes to the oven for 15-20 minutes. "They should end up super crispy like this and perfectly done inside," McCann added, demonstrating by breaking open the skin to reveal a fluffy interior.

Addressing Concerns About Exploding Potatoes

Some TikTok users expressed concern that failing to pierce potatoes could cause them to "explode." However, specialists from Southern Living explain that while potatoes contain high water content that turns to steam during baking, explosions are extremely rare. "Most potatoes naturally release steam through tiny imperfections in their skin, so there's usually no dramatic buildup of pressure to worry about," they note.

They add: "While poking holes may be a technique passed down through generations of cooks, it doesn't actually make a big difference in how potatoes cook. In some cases, it can actually allow too much moisture to escape, leading to a slightly drier interior." Thus, skipping the piercing step is safe and can yield better texture.