'I've mastered making crispy jacket potatoes in less than 30 minutes - here's how'

Air fryers have long been hailed as the must-have kitchen accessory, loved for their ability to turn any food into a crisp, crunchy delight with little effort.

After years of grappling with the microwave and oven to cook jacket potatoes to perfection, I decided to see what the fuss was about making them in the air fryer.

For this task, I called upon my trusty Salter Digital Air Fryer Oven, which boasts three oven racks so I can cook up to six spuds at a time, should I wish to.

Ordinarily, I would allow over an hour to produce the perfect baked potato, but this method meant I achieved it in just shy of 30 minutes.

I like my jacket potatoes extra crunchy on the outside too, so this is the absolute maximum it should be. In addition to potatoes (I used the Lidl Deluxe British Baking Potatoes), a few other supplies are essential for delicious results including oil, salt and pepper.

How to cook a jacket potato in an air fryer

The first step to mastering the crispiest shell on the potato begins before seasoning it. I started by washing the spud under cold tap water and gently brushing away any visible dirt.

Next, I took a clean tea towel and rubbed the potato dry until every spec of water had been wiped away. After this, I sourced a small bowl carefully placed the potato inside and pierced it a few times all over with a fork (it's important not to do this before washing the potato as it will allow moisture to seep inside).

After doing so, I coated the potato in some good-quality olive oil and a very generous sprinkling of black pepper, plus a little salt.

Once I had rubbed the coating over the skin of the potato, I set the air fryer to 200C for five minutes. This step isn't essential, but it speeds up the process.

I then placed the potato (while still in the bowl) into the microwave for five minutes on full power. Of course, you should always check that your utensils are microwave-safe beforehand and if you don't have any, just place the potato directly onto the microwave plate.

After removing the potato from the microwave, I pierced it with a table knife to feel how tender it was inside and decided it was ready for the air fryer.

I then carefully removed one of the grill racks from the fryer and popped the potato on there in the middle of the air fryer. Those with a basket design can pop the potato directly into the centre of the basket.

The air fryer remained at 200C for the full 20 minutes of cooking and produced perfect results. Not only was the skin dark brown and golden in place, but also firm and crispy.

Upon cutting into the potato (I used a sharp knife to cut a cross into the centre), I was met with an enticing, fluffy white core that was covered in steam.

As for the taste, the simple seasoning of oil, salt, and cracked rainbow peppercorns made for a truly delicious potato - one so good that all it needed was a knob of butter melted into the middle.

On separate occasions, I topped the potato with cheese and salad with a dash of balsamic vinegar and went for another classic, tuna mayonnaise and chopped red onion for my third attempt at making this air fryer delight.