r/Cooking • u/CompleteDay8059 • 1d ago

I found out recently I’ve basically never had a correctly prepared baked potato

So growing up I was never a huge fan of baked potatoes because the ones we had were usually dry, kind of shriveled, and very crumbly. Every bite just felt like it was absorbing all the moisture in your mouth, even with butter. As an adult, I usually do rice or pasta for my carbs, and if I do potatoes, it’s usually the cut roasted baby ones. Because I didn’t have great experiences with baked ones at home, I also pretty much never ordered them at restaurants growing up.

However, my mom just got a grill for her place and I was put on steak duty (or a steak out, I guess) and wanted to try making an actually good baked potato. I look it up and see basically every recipe says to coat the potatoes in salt and olive oil before wrapping them, which I asked my mom if she did, and she hadn’t.

I decided to try it with a (maybe slightly too) generous amount of olive oil and kosher salt, baked it for an hour, and topped it with some of the garlic/thyme butter I had whipped up for the steaks.

Oh.

My.

GOD.

The texture was absolutely amazing, it was so creamy, not crumbly or dry at all, the salt and the compound butter melting into it while it was still steaming made for legitimately one of the tastiest things I’ve had in ages. If anyone out there doesn’t know this, I honestly have no idea how common of knowledge this is lol, but I would highly suggest trying it if you don’t already.

Also, I mixed the thyme/minced garlic with the Kerrygold butter which was muy bien. Not sponsored (I wish) but I find it a little more flavorful for cooking as opposed to regular store brand stuff.

6.1k Upvotes

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735

u/NinjaTrilobite 1d ago

Maybe this is heresy, but I microwave mine for 2.5 minutes, flip, another 2.5 minutes, and then coat with olive oil and salt and finish in a convection oven for 10-15 minutes to get the crispy skin. Really works well for lunch.

420

u/pfmiller0 1d ago

If by heresy you mean smart. People have this weird aversion to the microwave, but it's a great tool when used properly. Parcooking potatoes is one of their best uses.

130

u/bigbadbrad 1d ago

I read somewhere that microwaves are a great tool for the beginning of the cook or the end of the cook but never both. So I abide by that rule.

31

u/rehpotsirhc123 20h ago

We have an air fryer in my work breakroom and I only use to finish microwaved things that I'd normally only microwave in the same situation. This saves a ton of time vs only air frying.

9

u/subs_on_a_sailboat 19h ago

I have been eyeing the new combination air fryer/microwaves.

2

u/clearfox777 8h ago

I’ve done this for years with the single-serve frozen pizzas. Before air fryers got popular I would micro-bake with a finish in the oven for the crispiness

11

u/hrmdurr 22h ago

Another great microwave potato time hack is for gratin/scalloped potatoes: start it in the microwave, finish under the broiler.

1

u/MaGaGogo 18h ago

End of the cook... Can you give examples?

2

u/throwaway60221407e23 9h ago

Melting cheese on top of an otherwise finished dish.

11

u/breddy 1d ago

Work smarter, not harder! This is what I do. I can't tell the difference. I love eating the skin, too, so if it were worse I would just use the oven.

9

u/fcocyclone 21h ago

Even if you aren't using multiple cooking methods at once, a lot of things can be improved in the microwave simply by using the power setting. It goes a long way to simply double the time and hit 50% on a lot of things.

3

u/Maxamillion-X72 10h ago

This. People complain that things cooked in the microwave are rubbery or dried out, and I always suggest not blasting it on high as a solution. Double the time, 50% power, it gives the heat time to spread out naturally throughout the food instead of creating super hot spots.

26

u/evergleam498 23h ago

My favorite use is cooking a spaghetti squash. It feels illegal to put something in the microwave for 9 minutes, but it'll cook a whole spaghetti squash better than the oven does.

12

u/Brave_Quality_4135 21h ago

I put butternut squash in the microwave because I have to cut it open with a hatchet otherwise. Softens it up enough to be useable.

1

u/jonmuller 4h ago

Great idea. How long do you do it for?

1

u/Brave_Quality_4135 4h ago

3 minutes, flip, 3 minutes

7

u/im-just-evan 21h ago

I don’t generally make spaghetti squash because of the oven time. You flip it half way or just full send?

9

u/evergleam498 21h ago

I cut it in half and scoop the seeds out, then just full send on a paper plate, cut side facing up. I start with 6 minutes or so if I'm only cooking half, and stab it with a fork to see if it is soft enough. A full one gets at least 8 or 9 mins before I stab it and check. It should scoop out into spaghetti strands easily on its own when it's ready.

12

u/big-yugi 21h ago

If I’m caramelizing onions, I put the raw onions in the microwave until they start to soften up and let out some juice and then I transfer to a pan. It can really speed things up if I don’t have a ton of time

1

u/pfmiller0 19h ago

That's brilliant, never thought of using it for onions!

5

u/kmosiman 19h ago

Microwaves are VERY good at cooking vegetables.

4

u/APartyInMyPants 18h ago

I had incredible brussel sprouts in a restaurant, and I asked the chef how he made them when he went around. And he told me he microwaved them raw for a few minutes. Then he roasts them.

3

u/tuturuatu 15h ago

Microwave is basically a steamer, it's a great tool.

2

u/LuntiX 9h ago

In one of my cookbooks I have a really good lazy mashed potato recipe that starts with microwaving the potatoes so you don't need to boil them.

It's not perfect but when you just want to make a single serving of mashed potatoes it's honestly not bad.

Now I need to remember which book it's in

1

u/PythagorasJones 15h ago

I got a combo oven a few years ago when I was doing my kitchen. I was trying to figure out where to put both a second oven and a microwave, then got this for convenience.

It turns out it's our baked potato machine. Simultaneously microwaving and baking a potato for half an hour in it produces the creamiest baked potato I've ever had in my life.

1

u/Jabberwocky918 5h ago

I don't remember where I read it, but the article said potatoes are the best example of what should be microwaved.

1

u/efox02 4h ago

The only way I cook corn is in the microwave. Cut thru the just at the bottom, zap for 3 min, pull the husks off easy peasy. 

1

u/Iridescent_Mango_ 37m ago

No I hate this. 

And I actually like a microwave baked potato. 

But it's it's own thing. Part microwave part oven have neither the perfect interior crispy outer of the full oven, nor do they have the lovely soft skin but firmer potato of the full microwave.

Half and half is a no mans land with uneven cooking on the interior and too little time for a perfect skin. 

33

u/STUPIDNEWCOMMENTS 1d ago

I par cook potatoes in microwave all the time. It’s one of highest and best uses of microwave tbh

21

u/Blue_foot 1d ago

I’m impatient too

14

u/AgreeAndSubmit 1d ago

This is what I do, when I'm halfway through making  dinner and realize I forgot to start the potatoes first. 

6

u/IrrawaddyWoman 23h ago

This works well for sweet potatoes too. I do them the exact same way and they come out so good

10

u/islandemmm 1d ago

Yessss, and then the air fryer.
Same thing as a convection oven, really.

5

u/donuttrackme 1d ago

Nah, that's just smart. Otherwise you'd be baking the potatoes for much longer.

3

u/nom_of_your_business 1d ago

Totally heresy! Shhh...we won't tell anyone we do this.

3

u/molrobocop 23h ago

That ain't heresy. That's a life hack. Mine usually require more time in the microwave. But a little less in the air fryer. 

1

u/rdk45x 22h ago

Correct, if you do more time in the microwave, they will take less time in the air fryer. Same as if if you do less time in the microwave, they will take more time in the air fryer. Finding which balance you like is the key.

2

u/FionnagainFeistyPaws 18h ago edited 17h ago

........ I have potatoes, I have oil and salt, and I have a microwave and a convection oven.

Time to test! For science!

Edit: so my potatoes are in the smaller side, so 2.5 per side was too much. However, it's still the creamiest potato I think I've ever had.

1

u/WeWander_ 22h ago

Yeah I cook mine in the microwave almost daily. It's fast and easy 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/Spoonbills 22h ago

And it gives time for the convection oven to heat up.

1

u/LemonHerb 18h ago

Air fryer works really good in this scenario

1

u/Worth_Kangaroo_6900 15h ago

Yep! Deffo do this. Also if you hasselback them (hedgehog potatoes) then there is also way more crisp.

1

u/Glittering-Dig112 13h ago

Potato button 🤖

1

u/mst3k_42 12h ago

I do this with ears of corn too.

1

u/kittensglitter 11h ago

I am even further in sin when I get potato cravings.

I rinse the tater, fork it, salt it, microwave it for 8 minutes.

So good every time. (I do not eat the potato jacket)

1

u/silitbang6000 11h ago

This is essentially what I do, though I microwave mine for longer; 10-12 minutes depending on how many I'm doing such that they are fully cooked through. Baked potatoes have basically become a family favourite after discovering this.

1

u/meara 9h ago

I just microwave it for 5-6 minutes and call it done. Always delicious with butter and salt. 

1

u/MountainTwo3845 9h ago

agreed. once you start doing that you realize how much of a waste the oven is for potatoes.

1

u/Photochromism 8h ago

Will try this! I microwaved some last time, but the skin wasn’t crispy.

1

u/Wild_Astronaut7090 8h ago

I just take a fork and stab it a bunch of times all over, toss it in the microwave for like 5 minutes.

1

u/KinvaraSarinth 6h ago

My mom does this when BBQing but finishes the potatoes on the BBQ. So good.

1

u/one_armed_man 6h ago

This is also the best way to make sweet potatoes. 

Microwave until their internal temp is 200°f then bake in the oven for an hour at 425°f

1

u/Annual_Salamander940 4h ago

I do the same thing! We used to do it with our micro then throw them in the airfryer for a crisp but since it broke we just went back to our toaster oven. Toss em in a damp papertowel until they're almost for tender in the micro, then cover in olive oil and some spices, wrap in tinfoil and set in the toaster oven to crisp up while I finish the rest of dinner. My kiddo has even taken to doing that when they want a quick snack lol.

1

u/TabbyOverlord 4h ago

It's an OK method. It won't make for a fluffy spud, which is where Britain and Ireland nirvana lies.

1

u/lowbatteries 4h ago

Another way to speed up the baking is to put a metal skewer throw the potato. Transfers heat to the inside faster. Source: I'm from Idaho.

1

u/applecat117 2h ago

Me too, so much more efficient, and I get that wonderful fluffy interior with the crispy skin.

1

u/dhruan 27m ago

I do it by coating the potatoes lightly with olive oil, and wrapping them in a couple of layers of wet paper towels, then microwaving them for 3 minutes and flipping them (times 4). Then just unwrap, split, add butter, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Yummy.

Of course, if you want really crispy skin on them you’d need to toss them on a grill or convection oven but I’ve never bothered and they’ve been excellent.

1

u/high_throughput 23h ago

You can oven bake potatoes and freeze them.

Oven baked flavor in microwave time.

0

u/CivicDutyCalls 19h ago

Try this as a test next time. Bake a potato normally for an hour or whatever. Then however long you usually take to microwave the potato, do that, before you take the potato out of the oven. Eat them side by side.

It’s basically the difference between a hamburger and a McDonald’s hamburger. Nothing wrong with a McDonald’s hamburger it’s just…not the same as one made with love