Idle question. I’ve always heard that you need to prick the skins before baking a potato. The potential consequence for failure to do so is a catastrophic potato explosion.
Has anyone had this happen to them?
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Yes. It blew up real good.
Have you heard of the Tunguska Event?
*Spudguska Event
Not in a regular oven, but in a microwave, yes
I stab deep with a fork; twice on the ends, twice on the sides (six total). I’m paranoid but it works.
Yep
No pan or tray? Straight on the rack huh?
Yep! One of the worst burns I’ve ever gotten too. The potato sticks to you like glue and doesn’t come off right away.
Really sucks.
I used to work in a bar that made baked potatoes all the time
It was a fast way to sober up a bit when one would pop in the oven
Yes.
Despite microwaving potatoes frequently, (1-10/wk) for many years (often questionably, typically without pricking) I have yet to have one explode. One would assume microwave explosions would be more common.
Perhaps luck, perhaps potato type/size (I like Yukon gold and reds, which are thin skin, small, and relatively soft) but it’s just me so I don’t usually buy large/baking potatoes, and maybe those are more prone to bursting?
I put them in a microwave safe container, bit of water in the bottom, microwave for 10-15 minutes. Never a burst in… almost 20 years?
Not judging, but that’s a lot of potatoes.
Avg of 5/wk, 260/y, 5200 over the 20years.
Did you celebrate the 5000th?
Never
In the oven, really hot and it blew open and “baked” all over the inside. Hell to clean up. I was sure I poked it, but… couldn’t remember.
Now I go a serial killer on them before baking.Now that’s the exciting outcome from my worst fears.
Been practicing cooking for pretty much thirty years. Many many baked potatoes, never had one explode.
Same here! Last night I was stabbing a couple out of habit and felt like the question needed to be asked.
Never stabbed one potato in all that time.
…Perhaps they don’t explode in Australia? Or it could be a microwave thing. I don’t have a microwave.
When I was a kid my mom was baking potatoes one time and realized partway through that she forgot to stab them before putting them in the oven. She quickly opened the oven and slid the rack out and stabbed one with a fork. Unfortunately it was too late. I was standing right next to the oven and potato exploded all over my mom and I as soon as the fork touched it.
That’s the sort of horror story that’s going to keep me stabbing my potatoes.
Yes. And in a very traditional oven too.
Potatoes have exploded in my family’s microwave numerous times.
