Use the Microwave for a Fluffy Baked Potato in a Fraction of the Time (2024)

FAQs

How long to microwave a cooked baked potato? ›

Cut leftover baked potato in half lengthwise, and place each half cut side up on a microwave-safe dish. Cover each cut side with a damp paper towel. Heat the halved potato for about 3 minutes, or until heated through.

First, microwaves heat food very unevenly, so some parts of the potato might rapidly reach 205 degrees while others get to only 180 degrees. Second, rapidly heating a potato causes pressure to build and cell walls to burst, releasing starch molecules that glue together the broken cell walls.

A whole potato or sweet potato can take up to 90 minutes to cook all the way through in a conventional oven; but a potato that's been pre-cooked in the microwave—say for 5 to 10 minutes—only needs about 20 minutes in a 450°F oven to finish roasting.

Potatoes take about 5-6 minutes in the microwave for a 1000w microwave. We recommend cutting the potato in half lengthwise for quick, even cooking. For lower wattage microwaves, add 1-2 more minutes of cook time for a fully cooked potato.

Don't microwave for too long: Overcooking the potato can cause it to become dry and overcooked. To avoid this, be sure to check the potato for doneness every few minutes and stop the microwave when the potato is soft and yields to the fork.

The rapid heating can cause the granules to burst, and release sticky, gelatinized starch. The result: A gluey potato that's also often marred by hard nodules where the starch has crystallized.

Give the potato a good scrub: Use a scrub brush to thoroughly clean the potato skin, and dry it with a paper towel. Poke holes in the potato: Using a fork or the tip of a knife, poke several small holes all over the potato before microwaving.

These little holes allow steam to escape while the potato is cooking. Forget to poke, and your potato could end up exploding in your microwave from the pent-up steam. It's both messy and a serious dinner let-down.

Here's the thing: the oven method gives you that lovely crisp, salty skin that's got you eating the whole potato, but it takes an hour and emits a great deal of CO2. The microwave cooks a potato in about eight minutes and emits fourteen times less CO2 than the oven, but you don't get the crispy skin!

Poke the potatoes with a fork just enough to pierce the skin so the potato won't burst when baking, especially in the microwave. Four or five times should be plenty. A potato is composed mainly of water, so poking them helps release steam as it cooks.

Do you need to add water when microwaving potatoes? ›

You can cook potatoes in a microwave without adding any additional water. Just place them in the microwave and get going. This has a great advantage: potatoes don't turn moister than they were to start with. If anything, they'll dry out slightly.

To get the most antioxidants, leave the skins on and choose colorful varieties like red and purple potatoes. The more color, the more antioxidants. Plus, the skin of some potatoes can have up to 12 times more antioxidants than the flesh. Baked potato skin is a great source of potassium and magnesium.

Step 1Wash potato thoroughly and pat completely dry. Pierce 3 to 4 times with a fork. Step 2Place potato on microwave-safe plate and microwave 7 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.

Many microwaves have moisture sensors inside so that all you need to do is press the button that says 'potato' and just wait for the microwave to beep at you. If your microwave doesn't have a potato button, a general rule is that one 7-to-8 ounce Idaho potato takes about 7 minutes to cook. 2 will take about 11 minutes.

When you consume them in moderation, baked potatoes may help you manage your blood sugar levels and lose weight, if that's one of your goals. They also have cancer-fighting properties and may improve heart and gut health.

Heat on full power for a further 4 minutes. Remove the plate and leave the potato to stand for 1 minute, as it will continue to cook. Check that the potato is soft by pushing a sharp knife into the centre. Return to the microwave for another 30 seconds if it is still hard in any part.

If you are just looking to reheat them and eat them as is. A Tupperware container with one corner of the lid lifted for steam to escape and just put a bit of water in the container to steam them. One option is the microwave. Thirty seconds then stir, another thirty and check for cold spots.