Why is a jacket potato wrapped in foil when it is cooked?

Answer

I do not know why people wrap them in foil at home, one can bake a potato in their oven without wrapping it. I do wrap them when I cook them on the grill. In many places the potatos are boiled before wrapping them and placing them in the oven. A friend in the food business said that people expect them to be in foil. I guess that people see it wrapped so it must be clean.

Answer

Some folks don't want the potato to dry out while it's cooking. A spud wrapped in foil will not suffer the water loss that an unjacketed one will. Depending on the cooking time, one may chose to put on the foil or not. Even when spuds are cooked quickly in the microwave, it is recommended that they be cooked in a covered dish or bowl. (They will not, of course, be covered with foil when we nuc 'em.) It's a moisture thing.

Bon appétit!

First answer by Gouch53. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 786 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 15 [recommend question]