My husband, Andy, and I love a good baked potato. Sometimes I add Chickpea “Chicken” or “Tuna” Salad, and Andy loves his with a big spoonful of vegetarian baked beans, a la the British jacket potato. Other times we’ll add one of our 15-Minute Skillet Stews. But a good baked potato loaded with plant-based butter, sliced scallions, salt, and pepper can be a satisfying, light dinner alongside a salad and steam-sautéd or roasted veggies.
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! What to do?
While we don’t like the leathery texture of fully microwaved potatoes, we wholeheartedly endorse the microwave for efficiently par-cooking while the oven preheats. Just eight minutes on high power and potatoes are piping hot and just starting to soften.
Then, thirty minutes in the oven is plenty of time for the potato to turn soft and fluffy and the skin to bake up irresistibly crisp. It will also free up time to make one of the full-flavored sauces that transform a plain tuber into a hearty, satisfying main course. Faster, delicious, and better for the planet.
Here Is the Fastest Way to Cook PotatoesSteam the potatoes instead of boiling. Steaming has all the benefits of boiling—no cooking oils, not much clean up—at a fraction of the time. … Cut Them Smaller. … Parcook in the Microwave. … Use a Bigger Pan (or roast on a wire rack)
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Steam the potatoes instead of boiling. Steaming has all the benefits of boiling—no cooking oils, not much clean up—at a fraction of the time. …
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Cut Them Smaller. …
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Parcook in the Microwave. …
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Use a Bigger Pan (or roast on a wire rack)
Same Technique For Baked Sweet Potatoes
You can use the same technique for sweet potatoes, too!
To get potatoes onto your weeknight dinner plate faster, start by cooking them in the microwave. Food writer Josh Friedland, father of two and author of a recent dinner diary detailing what he cooks for his kids in a week, makes a practice of microwaving diced potatoes before roasting them in the oven underneath a whole fish. This allows the potatoes to get nice and crispy as the fish cooks, in about half the amount of time as usual. (The same technique will work with fillets if whole fish–cooking isnt on your agenda.)
To try it, place diced or whole potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, add a teaspoon or so of water (this is optional, but cant hurt), cover with plastic wrap, and start nuking. The amount of time it will take to cook the potatoes depends on the size of the potatoes and the wattage of your microwave, but start at about 2 minutes for diced or baby potatoes or 4 minutes for the big guys, and work your way up from there. Test them the same way you would any potato, by piercing with the point of a paring knife—if the knife slides in and out easily, its fully cooked. If it slides in but you have to work to pull it out, theyre ready for a second round of cooking; and if it doesnt slide in at all, nuke it a little longer—theyll still be ready for the oven before the oven is even ready for them.
Other places where microwaved potatoes might come in handy? Frittatas. Breakfast tacos. Any kind of hash (which is equally good for breakfast or dinner). Even to speed up a simple side dish of ordinarily-boiled-potatoes: just microwave the potatoes instead. Toss with butter and herbs, or olive oil and lemon juice, and serve.
Friedland employs the same microwave trick—this time being sure to cook the potatoes all the way through—when tossing them with a flavorful sauce, like pesto, thereby bypassing the lengthy task of waiting for a pot of water to come to a boil.
And then theres the humble baked potato. (Not that your baked potato has to be humble. Your baked potato can be as egotistical as it wants to be. Im not here to judge.) 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 thats 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. Why not just cook it all the way in the microwave? Because the microwave essentially makes a steamed potato, while roasting will crisp the skin and—especially in the case of a sweet potato—caramelize the inherent sugars so the flavor is more concentrated.
How To Boil Potatoes Perfectly Every Time Easy Simple
FAQ
How can I speed up cooking potatoes?
How do you soften potatoes quickly?
Which way is faster to cook a potato?
How do you speed up cooking potatoes?
There you go—super-fast par-cooked potatoes. 4. Use a Bigger Pan (or roast on a wire rack) The more space your potatoes have, the more air can circulate around them, and the more heat gets into each piece of potato. The result? Faster cooking. Another way to speed up cooking?
How can I lose weight fast by eating potatoes?
There is no evidence to suggest that potatoes are a magical weight-loss food. In fact, potatoes are a high-carbohydrate food that can actually cause weight gain if consumed in excess. If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best to focus on eating a variety of healthy foods from all food groups, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats. A registered dietitian can help you create a well-rounded diet plan that fits your individual needs and goals.
How to cook potatoes fast without boiling?
Fact is, there are several alternate methods for how to cook potatoes fast that not only cut down on time, but actually make your potatoes taste better. So I spoke with the Epi Test Kitchen, and they gave me four quickest ways to cook potatoes—no boiling necessary. 1. Steam the potatoes instead of boiling
How long does it take to cook potatoes?
Sprinkle them with kosher salt. Turn the potatoes cut side down and prick the tops several times with fork. Bake until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 25 to 35 minutes depending on the exact size of the potatoes. Prick them with a fork to assess doneness.