Cook, Max McCann has shared his simple technique for achieving a perfectly fluffy inside with crispy jacket potato skin - and he claims it starts with avoiding a common oven baking mistake15:12, 04 Jul 2026There aren't many filling meal options that prove popular during the summer months - but the jacket potato is certainly one of them, thanks to its versatility and the ease with which it can be prepared on a hot day. A beloved source of comfort food at both lunch and tea time, the range of toppings available is virtually endless.‌What's more, these generously sized spuds can serve as a hearty standalone meal or a mouth-watering side dish. But have you ever stopped to consider that you might be cooking them incorrectly and failing to unlock their full flavour potential?‌According to one cook, a surprisingly large number of people make a fundamental error when baking potatoes in the oven.‌Max McCann took to TikTok to explain how to achieve the finest results. "If you're struggling to make the perfect jacket potato, don't worry, you're not alone," he began in his video.He continued: "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."Content cannot be displayed without consent‌Max went on to stress that for optimum results, potatoes should always be cooked in the oven rather than heated in a microwave. "Once they are wrapped in foil, cook them in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for around one hour and a half," he advised.When the time had elapsed in his clip, Max 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.‌To achieve this, he suggested returning them to the oven for 15-20 minutes, but this time without any foil covering them."They should end up super crispy like this and perfectly done inside," Max added, displaying his results by breaking open the skin to reveal a fluffy interior.Several TikTok users highlighted in response that failing to pierce the potatoes could result in them "exploding".Article continues belowHowever, specialists from Southern Living explain: "Potatoes are made up of a high percentage of water. As they bake, that water heats up, turns to steam, and expands inside the potato. Poking holes in the skin is meant to give that steam a way to escape.The idea is that releasing pressure prevents the potato from bursting open in the oven.. But while a potato can explode, it's 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 continue: "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. So while it does provide extra insurance against steam buildup, your potatoes will bake up just fine without it."