How To Cook Microwave Baked Potato

Posted on May 14, 2009

It's just a couple of days before payday and your cupboard is looking pretty slim. The last time you shopped for groceries, every single item on your list had gone up significantly and you had to trim your list reasonably. So what's for dinner? As the old chestnut goes, when times get tough, the tough get going. Here's an idea for dinner that meets all your objectives. Tasty, filling, delicious and fast to fix. A single giant potato, bits of this and that and your microwave will provide a satisfying meal in just minutes.

The microwave baked potato provides the base for your dinner. Rather than wait 45 mins to an hour for an oven-baked potato, try the microwave baked potato. Some purists claim that a microwave baked potato does not stand up to the oven baked potato because the texture of the completed potato is a little different. Do not believe it! A big potato takes just eight to 10 mins in the microwave. Be sure it's completely cooked - that is the trick to simulating the stove baked potato texture.

The microwave baked potato must be punctured with a fork all around, top, bottom and sides. This allows the potato to steam and cook just as its oven-baked counterpart.

While your potato is cooking, assemble your dressings. Much like a salad, you can pile leftovers and gourmet goodies to make this meal both a totally mouth watering and healthful dinner.

A piece of bacon or ham contributes protein. Butter is a requirement. A bit of grated cheese provides calcium. Do you have some parsley, chives or onions? Throw them into the mix. How about some cut olives? Your microwave baked potato is coming into maturity now. Look through your remains, too frequently going to waste. What about that tiny bit of corn, begging to be used? Pile that on your burgeoning microwave baked potato meal. One mushroom, sliced and fried off adds a gourmet touch. Hmm. What else? Aha! There's a spoonful of sour cream. More calcium, with the added bonus of a delicious tasting topping.

Your frig probably holds lots of bits of food that will complement your microwave baked potato meal. herbs can make this meal more than gratifying. The neutral flavor of the potato makes it an ideal partner for almost anything you want to add.

So when you suspect there's nada to eat, get that potato out and build yourself a juicy meal. Your microwave makes it quick and your apparently bare cupboard will fill in the blanks. Eat hearty!.

For more information about food and useful cooking tips, check out cooking101.org and also have a look at homemade baked potato soup.