A perfect baked potato makes for the ultimate comfort food at this time of year. But what makes the best jacket potato? KATHARINE CAPOCCI goes back to science class to find out

BAKED tatties really start coming into their own at this time of year. Along with heart-warming stews and super soups, it’s all about filling fare and comforting foods.

And a truly great jacket potato can be a thing of beauty. It is the ultimate comfort food, with its light and fluffy interior encased in crisp, flavoursome skin, made perfect by the addition of quality butter and a sprinkle of sea salt.

But why are we often sold short in so many cafes and restaurants? And why do the supermarkets sometimes recommend unsuitable varieties to make jacket potatoes?

Noel Jackson, head of education at the Centre for Life in Newcastle, reckons he has some of the answers to these hot potatoes. In fact, he’s holding a baked potato workshop, two hours in length and entirely devoted to the humble tuber, entitled What makes the best baked potato.

He declares: “A baked potato should be a thing of joy and beauty!” as he gets into the swing.

“The science is fun, it’s useful,” he explains. “Science is the only way to understand how the world works. Hard science helps you to understand something as simple as a baked potato.”

And it’s how I find myself, in one of Life’s laboratories, with about 15 other students, perched on lab stools, taking part in said masterclass.

For me, it’s scarily like being back in a science lesson at school, with Noel dressed in his white lab coat, talking us through sugars and starches; with pipettes, thermometers, beakers and all manner of scientific equipment laid out on the tables in front of us.

Laminated instruction sheets detail the sugar and texture measuring tests we’re going to be carrying out to discover the differences between potato varieties.

We’re testing myriad potato types including Rooster, King Edward, Mozart, Melody and Estima which have been cooked in a conventional oven for one hour and 40 minutes.

And at the end of it all we get to dig in and sample, comparing results in the all-important taste test.

Noel explains that the Centre for Life has sponsorship from the Institute of Physics and has developed the workshop in partnership with food scientists from Northumbria University.

Noel, who taught in schools throughout Durham for 20 years and has worked at the Centre for Life for 10, is a gifted teacher.

He is engaging, his enthusiasm infectious, and he explains the science in simple terms.

“The institute is very interested in making sure people know that physical sciences have a bearing on real life. It’s not just for people sitting around in white coats. It’s about bringing a bit of science to meal times and showing the kind of decisions people should be making every day.”

After extensive taste testing as the finale to our masterclass, the conclusion, says Noel, is to go for starchy and floury potatoes as opposed to waxy varieties. And red skins are exceptionally prized for their crispy jackets.

From our tests the King Edward and red-skinned American potato Rooster (apparently the potato to have with your Thanksgiving dinner) fared best.

“The general opinion is that starchy potatoes are better for making baked potatoes,” says Noel.

And we shouldn’t really set too much store by what the supermarkets try to market to us, just because it’s in their interests.

The supermarkets, he says, sometimes recommend the wrong potatoes, purely because it suits them for commercial reasons.

“It’s enabling people to be more informed consumers. I thought the King Edward emerged as the best. But I would give house room also to Mozart and Melody.”

According to the Potato Council’s website, Estima and Marfona are the best varieties for baked potato heaven. Desiree, King Edward, and Maris Piper are also good all-rounders.

Dig in and enjoy! I can’t help wondering if there’s a follow-up masterclass on toppings.

Centre for Life is running baked potato classes for specialist groups like schools and the WI. They are registering interest with a view to holding more classes for the public through their bookings line. Tel: 0191 243 8223.

The centre is running a series of evenings on the science and stories behind drink and food. For more details, go to life.org.uk

POTTED FACTS ON POTATOES

There are literally thousands of different varieties of potatoes grown around the world, according to the Potato Council, www.lovepotatoes.co.uk

In the UK around 80 varieties are grown commercially.

Varieties such as Rocket and Maris Bard are described as earlies or new potatoes as they are planted in the winter, ready for harvesting in the spring or early summer. Their skins are not firm and ‘set’ and are sometimes referred to as ‘fluffy’.

Varieties such as King Edward and Maris Piper are harvested in late summer or early autumn when their skins are firm and set and are known as maincrop. The majority of potatoes sold in the UK are maincrop potatoes; they are usually available from September to May.

Varieties such as Charlotte are described as salad potatoes. Their skins are firm and set and they have a moist texture.

The texture of potatoes varies considerably. A potato may be described as having a waxy or floury texture and there is a scale of 1-10 on which varieties are placed. Where potatoes sit on the scale will depend on the amount of dry matter in the potato. For example a floury potato will have a much higher dry matter than a waxy potato.

What’s the difference between waxy and floury potatoes?

Waxy potatoes are translucent and feel moist. They are good at staying firm and keeping their shape so make great salad potatoes. Key waxy potato varieties: Charlotte, Maris Peer.

Floury potatoes are brighter and more granular in appearance with a drier feel. They’re better for fluffy potatoes or mash. Key floury potato varieties: Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree.