How to Cook Cubed Potatoes in a Microwave
The microwave makes it much easier and faster to cook cubed potatoes, whether you want to prepare an entire potato dish in the microwave or add the potatoes to a dish to be baked, boiled or fried. This technique is especially advantageous when making home fries because it's difficult to cook the center of the potatoes before burning the outside. Microwaving potatoes makes them soft, but you can crisp the outsides in a skillet. Alternatively, you can mix in some butter and parsley to make quick parsley potatoes.
A close up view of a potatoe. (Image: Ciaran Griffin/Stockbyte/Getty Images)Step 1
Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and blot them dry with paper towels. Cut the potatoes into cubes roughly 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You can peel the potatoes first or leave the peels intact.
Step 2
Add the potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl or spread them on a microwave-safe plate. Add your choice of herbs and spices, if desired. At the very least, the potatoes benefit from salt to add flavor, but you might also add pepper, butter and herbs. Cover the dish with plastic wrap to trap in steam and prevent drying.
Step 3
Microwave the potatoes on the highest setting for 3 minutes if cooking one or two medium potatoes, or 5 minutes for a larger amount of potatoes.
Step 4
Remove the dish from the microwave and turn them. Stir the potatoes if you cook them in a bowl or flip them to the opposite side if you use a plate.
Step 5
Return the potatoes to the microwave and continue cooking in 1-minute intervals until they are soft to the center and you can easily pierce them with a fork. You should be able to cook one to two medium potatoes in 3 to 5 minutes, but a large bowl of six potatoes might take 10 minutes or more.
Things You'll Need
Paper towels
Vegetable peeler (optional)
Paring knife
Microwave-safe bowl or plate
Assorted seasonings and spices
Plastic wrap
Fork
Tip
If the potatoes will be used for home fries, cook them until the center is still slightly firm rather than until they're soft all the way through so they don't fall apart in the pan.
