The perfect baked potato is a subjective matter.
Some argue that the best potato can only be found at the top New York City restaurants - while others call those people fools, confident in their own knowledge of the true perfect baked potato: their mother's own.
No matter what the reality, it's true that mama's food was always comforting.
Which makes you wonder: What was it that always made it taste so good? Did she just know the perfect moment to make the perfect grub, or could she just know to create concoctions that maximized consolation in each specific situation? Most likely neither.
Because most likely, our association is just that: an identification of our mothers with perfection, not just when it comes to oven-baked potatoes but to any kind of comfort food that pulls us out of the mire.
Freud might have bagan to speculate on the meaning of these associations here, but before he reaches some perverse conclusion in his grave, let's stop him short.
We know the secret ingredient.
It's not science, it's fact: The oven time that mother cooked the potato is the time that she showered us with most-needed attention.
Exactly one hour, after which, she sealed the deal by offering us that perfect potato.
The attention was, and still is, priceless.
Yet time now is money - or so claims our boss, who happens to distribute to us that biweekly salary - and as warm and fuzzy the combination of potatoes and mother's kisses makes you, sometimes, you just can't bother.
Between work, drinks, shopping, bills, and sleep, you just don't have time to cook.
Relax.
Now there IS time to relax, because there is a secret to achieving equal baked potato success twelve times faster than mom managed to in the past.
It's all thanks of an appliance that, just like the computer, may still be a technological advancement to her.
And that, of course, is the microwave.
And since times have now changed, the microwave - using less than half the energy that an oven does - is now the knight in shining armor of our eco-conscious era.
That's why this novel baking method works best: Not only do you save time, but also energy - and money on your bills.
Read on: Ingredients 1 midsized potato salt and pepper to taste sour cream (optional) The How-to 1.
Wash potato well, without peeling it.
2.
With sharp knife, make 15 incisions in potato.
(Caution: Stab gently; do not take out work-related stress or misdirected anger on potato, lest you cut off a digit.
) 3.
Place in microwave; bake for five minutes.
4.
Slice potato in middle; add salt, pepper, sour cream, butter, bacon bits or whatever is desired.
Let cool.
Some things never change.
While your mother's attitude toward you may have changed as the years have passed and you have weened yourself off (hopefully!), the baked potato can still taste the same.
So multitask freely and bake away.
And most of all - no matter what your mother calls to complain about this time - enjoy.