I say Potato...

For this mini-experiment, I wanted to find a difference between microwaving a russet potato and putting the potato in the oven.  I came about this because I love potatoes. Almost as much as I love bacon. So I tried to figure out what would be a good experiment that would have to do with potatoes, and I decided on this one.

Hot and fresh out the kitchen

My hypothesis for this experiment was the potato in the oven would have a browner and crispier outside, while the microwaved one would have a softer peel.  I also believe that the middle of the oven-baked potato would be mushier, while the microwaved baked potato would be firmer.

My reasoning for the above hypothesis had to do with the starch content and what happens when starch is heated up.  The starch to moisture ratio in russet potatoes is large, which causes the potato cells to absorb moisture, swell, and burst. (Science of Good Cooking)  This is why russet potatoes are perfect for mashed potatoes.  Using an oven, it gives it the time it needs and the temperature for the inside to burst, leaving it soft.  The microwave doesn't give it enough time, therefore the potato will be firmer on the inside.

I grabbed 4 potatoes and rinsed them each off.  I put one in the microwave for 5 minutes and one in the oven for 55 minutes.  I then did that a second time with the last two potatoes.  I then would had three people taste and give me a rating on a scale from 1-10 of the crispiness of the outside, and the firmness of the inside of the potato.

 Before

 Before

My independent variables were the oven and the microwave. My dependent variables were the potatoes, mainly the texture of the inside and the texture of the outside.  My standardized variables were the oven temperature (425 degrees), the people tasting and rating, the microwave, the oven, and the pan used for baking the potatoes in the oven.

Left: Oven
Right: Microwave
Table Cloth: Hawaiian

Left: Microwaved
Right: Oven
Right: Delicious
Left: Not-so-much

My results supported my original hypothesis.  I found that the firmness of the potato on the inside was much higher in the microwaved potato than in the oven-baked potato.  I also found that the outside was much crispier and firm in the oven-baked potato than the microwaved potato.

O= Oven... M=Microwave
Potatoes are always 10 in deliciousness

There were clearly some limitations as well.  Neither me nor the two people who tasted the potatoes are professional tasters, so it is possible that we made errors in judgement.  The potatoes used were also not exactly the same size, though I tried to match them up evenly.  Each set of potatoes also may not have been cooked the exact same as the time before due to possible temperature changes, or overall setting of the potato.

Eating the oven-baked one

If I were to do this again, I would have used more samples, and also more people to taste and rate the firmness.  Firmness is also a hard variable to measure, so it could have been subjective rather than objective.  There was definitely a difference between the potatoes, but putting a number on it was a tough thing to do.

Professional Potato Tasters

I'll leave you with a recommendation, take the time to oven-bake a potato.  Way more delicious.