How To Cook Potatoes In A Microwave

Select The Best Potatoes For Microwaving

Choosing the right potatoes for cooking obviously is a crucial step for microwaving them. Similarly, this step depends on the dish you are preparing, as different types of potatoes have varying textures and flavors.

Here is a proper guidance on which potato to select for microwaved baked potatoes:

• Russet Potatoes: This type of potato is starchy and often has a fluffy texture when cooked. Similarly, the potatoes in this category are ideal for baking, frying, and mashing. They are perfect for fluffy mashed potatoes or crispy fries due to their high starch content.
• Yukon Gold Potatoes: These potatoes have a medium starch content and are slightly creamy and buttery. They are versatile and work well for roasting, boiling, and mashing. Similarly, their rich flavor makes them a great choice for potato salads and soups.
• Red Potatoes: These are waxy potatoes and hold their shape well, making them perfect for salads, roasting, and stews. They have a smooth texture and a slightly sweet flavor.
• New Potatoes: These are young potatoes with thin skins and a waxy texture. They are often considered great for boiling, steaming, or roasting. Likewise, their small size and tender skin mean they don’t need peeling.

Ingredients For Microwave Baked Potatoes

You need pretty much the same ingredients you would need to bake potatoes in the oven. These ingredients are easy to find in the kitchen.

1. Potatoes: Potato varieties like Russet or Yukon Gold are considered best for baking due to their starch content. They also have thin skin which will get crispy as they cook. Take medium-sized potatoes, which are fresh, firm, and without blemishes.

2. Water (optional): For steaming potatoes, when you may want to bake them in whole or large chunks, add a small amount of water.

3. Salt: Salt gives flavor to the potatoes. Hence, you may sprinkle it either before or after baking.

4. Olive Oil or Butter (optional): Olive oil adds richness and improves flavor. You may rub olive oil or butter on the potatoes just before microwaving in case you want to eat it with skin.

5. Herbs and Spices(optional): Want more flavor? Get some dried herbs and spices like garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, or black pepper. Chopped chives or parsley also are great on top.

How To Cook Potatoes In Microwave

Gather all the required ingredients and utensils, and then follow the exact measurements of ingredients required for the purpose. Here is the ingredient list in the correct proportion; check it out:

Ingredients 

• Potatoes: 1-2 medium-sized potatoes (about 6-8 ounces each)
• Water: 1-2 tablespoons (optional, for steaming)
• Salt: 1/4 teaspoon (optional, to taste)
• Olive Oil or Butter: 1 teaspoon (optional, for added flavor)
• Herbs and Spices: 1/4 teaspoon (optional, such as garlic powder, rosemary, or black pepper)

Instructions

1. Prep The Potatoes

• First, you have to prepare the potatoes. For that, start off by washing the potatoes well under running water, and skimming the dirt off them.
• Leave the skin on or peel it-your choice.

2. Poke Holes

• Next, you need to make some pricks. Please use a fork to make 4-5 pricks all over each potato.
• That's a very important step to let steam out while potatoes are being cooked, preventing them from popping inside the microwave.

3. Optional: Seasoning and Moisture

• If you want to season the potatoes before cooking, then you will have to rub them with 1 teaspoon of olive oil or butter. This step will add richness and help the skin crisp up a bit.
• Season the potatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and herbs and spices like rosemary and thyme.
• For additional moisture, we recommend placing the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish and adding 1-2 tablespoons of water. This will create steam inside the microwave which helps cook the potato without drying it.
• Cooking whole potatoes? Wrap them in individual damp paper towels before placing them into the microwave. This will also prevent any water loss during cooking.

4. Microwave the Potatoes

• Line up the prepared potatoes in a circular fashion on a microwave-safe plate or in a microwave-safe dish if you happen to be microwaving more than one.
• Proceed and microwave on high for about 4 to 5 minutes per potato. 

5. Check for Doneness

• Carefully remove the plate from the microwave with either a pair of tongs or some oven mitts.
• Check if the potatoes are done by sliding a knife into the middle; the knife should slide in easily if they are done.
• If the potatoes are not done yet, continue to microwave them in additional 1-minute intervals until they are cooked through.

6. Serve

• Once done, let the potatoes start cooling for a few minutes. You can slice them open and fluff them with a fork.
• Add more butter, cheese, sour cream, or your favorite toppings and serve.

How Long To Cook?

For microwaving, potatoes will require about 4-5 minutes per potato, high power, depending on size and type. If you're cooking two potatoes at a time, begin with about 8-10 minutes on the timer.

As the potato cooks for 8 minutes, it is now time to check for their doneness. This is done either by sticking a knife in the middle of the potato or simply by pinching the potato.

If they are not through, continue to microwave in 1-minute intervals until they reach your desired level of doneness.

The exact cooking time may be changed based on whether your microwave supports low, medium, high, or super-high wattage and of course depends on the size of the potatoes; roughly, it should be around 10 minutes for two potatoes at medium size.

Usually, it is not necessary to flip the potatoes halfway through as they cook in their own time but you can do it if you like. This is especially helpful in the case of larger potatoes.

The time taken to microwave potatoes differs slightly from that taken to cook sweet potatoes in the microwave.

Microwaved Potatoes Recipe Tips

• Oil For Cripsy Skin: If you want crips skin on your microwaved potatoes, you must massage it with some oil. In addition to this, the oil also helps stick the seasoning to the potatoes better.
• Don’t Forget The Holes: As mentioned, poking holes in the potatoes lets the steam escape. This is important to prevent the potatoes from exploding.
• Add Toppings: The beauty of baked potatoes lies in the toppings. You can go with something classic like sour cream, chopped chives or just plain old Cheddar cheese. If you’re up for experimenting, you can try other topping ideas as well.

Topping Ideas

• Sour Cream, Butter or Greek Yogurt
• Cheeses like Cheddar, Feta or crumbled goat cheese
• Bacon Bits
• Mac and Cheese
• Chilli
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Fresh herbs like chives or parsley

Benefits of Microwaving Instead of Roasting

Even though oven-baked potatoes are in a league on their own, microwaved potatoes have their particular advantages. You can use microwaved potatoes to make other potato dishes like mashed potatoes, quiche and potato soups.

Microwave also cooks the potatoes really fast which is great for meal prep. If you’re planning to serve a large group of people for an event, microwave your potatoes to save some time.

How To Store and Reheat

Storage: To store leftover microwaved baked potato, simply store it in an air-tight container and put it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the potatoes if you like. This way, the potatoes will keep for up to a month.

Reheat: To reheat baked potato, you either heat it in the oven or just pop it in the microwave for a few minutes.