Jacket Potatoes

@Kath948381

I too come from Manchester ((Denton) and remember the open coal fire which  we made toast.  Not done jacket potatoes but would be really interested in any replies,  particularly this weather.

Stab potatoes several times all over with a knife, then I put them in the ash collection tray under the grate, nicer without foil if you ask me, they cook a bit quicker also. 1 hour to 1.5 hours depending on size, turn half way. Butter, Enjoy!

Thank you Harry I'll try that.

I came from the really posh area , Snowball, Harpurhey.

We used to bury the spuds straight into the coals of the woodfire. The skin would burn into a black hard shell, but cut the potatoes open once they were cooked (I think it took about an hour) and they were fluffy and tasty inside.

I like Harry's idea to use the ash compartment

I seem to remember teddies being baked in foil on bonfire night when I was a kid, but being brought up with a solid fuel Rayburn we used to put them in the oven after breakfast and left them until dinner time.

I have seen for sale on eBay these little cast iron clam-shell devices for cooking baked teddies. They look a bit of a novelty, but I guess they reduce single use foil, and stop the skins spoiling against the coals.

@porridgeandprunes

I like that idea! I'd rather minimise use of foil if possible. Where did you see them for sale?

@janemulberry

I can't remember where I first saw them, but if you search eBay for "cast iron baked potato cooker" they should appear.

I did. They look cute! Not sure I can justify buying one, but the fact they're designed to go on top of a wood stove is a plus!

Poke each potato several times all over with a fork. Smear each potato with 1 tablespoon of butter, then double wrap in aluminum foil. Bury potatoes in the hot coals of a campfire and cook until crispy on the outside and tender inside, about 30 to 60 minutes.

    Stab potatoes several times all over with a knife, then I put them in the ash collection tray under the grate, nicer without foil if you ask me, they cook a bit quicker also. 1 hour to 1.5 hours depending on size, turn half way. Butter, Enjoy!
   

    -@Harry_Brown

Do you reckon thatll work with a standup gypsy love pechki? In the ash bit whatever you call it.

Yes, that's, put them it any ash collection tray. Depending on how close the potato is to grate and hot coals above which will obviously determine how long the potato takes to cook, the closer the better, mine lie about 1 inch away from the grate (its a shallow ash tray). So get them close as possible, maybe rest them on something, if you have a deep ash tray, but mine fit perfectly.

@Kath948381

You can do them in an open fire. We used to wrap them in foil and put them on the bonfire 😊

Well my baked potato attempt failed it was in the adh collector for hours but still as hard as a rock.  I'll look for a baked potato cooker.

What a shame! Those cast iron bakers are a little pricey but look like they'd do the job well.

My guess is that the ash tray only gets hot enough if the fire is well damped down. With the air vents open and a roaring fire there'd be too much air flow as that's where the fire draws a lot of its air. Wrapping the potato in foil and putting it in the coals when the fire has burned a while and got a good bed of coals would probably work better.

@Kath948381

Have you got an air fryer?

No

    @Kath948381
Have you got an air fryer?
   

    -@grumpyoldbird

Why?

@janemulberry, Is correct. It has to be a well established fire, longer the better, Its all those hot coals and insulating ash that make it so hot in the fire and ash compartment.

The stove needs to be running hot, but with the least amount of airflow through it as as possible, to keep it running hot. If that makes sense.

@Kath948381

It'll be a lot cheaper than a potato baker. I don't have room for an oven, so I use mine all the time. There are different types, some just have drawers, some have an oven cavity, but I wouldn't be without mine now.

@SimCityAT

I dont have room for an oven, so I have an air fryer instead. There are some with drawers, but mine has an oven cavity, so it works like a small oven, but faster and cheaper to run.

I'm thinking I will get an airfryer for my Bulgarian kitchen, one that looks like a toaster oven except far better. I'm having a wood-burning cook stove for winter cooking and heating, so fitting in a regular electric stove as well will be a squeeze. The previous owner managed it, but had ZERO counter space! Okay, so the usual bed in the kitchen might have had something to do with that too, but the cooker was in an awkward place and made it hard to use the sink. I'm hoping a portable infrared hob and an airfryer oven will do the job just as well and  take up far less room.