How long do you bake a potato?

I bake two baked or sweet potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes. You have to stab the potatoes about 6 times, so that it gives the steam a chance to escape. If you don't, the potato could "explode", and make a mess in the microwave.

A couple of days ago, I was stabbing a potato, missed, and caught my finger.

Baked potatoes are horrible done in a microwave. About 45 minutes in a medium hot oven.

Never had any trouble. I think that it is a matter of getting the timing right. I have no patience to bake a potato for 45 minutes.

nothing wrong with nuked potatoes. I actually prefer my sweet potatoes nuked at high for about 12 minutes.

I bake a potato in a 450 degree oven for about an hour.

180c 350 f. medium oven.
depending on size around 1 hour less if the oven is fan forced. You need to score the skin to alow steam to escape as perviously described.
The fun bit is experimenting with time, temp and size to see what works for you.

Nuked is probably better. It keeps people from the ill conceived concept of wrapping their potatoes in aluminium.

I nuke mine as well. Then, I place them on the bbq for a few minutes on high to brown them.

Oh, and I have stabbed my finger as well when poking them.

I use 400 F for an hour. You are being way to violent when stabbing potatos if you hurt yourself!

Not violent. Just inattentive.

Depends on the size and type of the potato and what texture you like inside, powdery or not. I usually poke them with a sharp knife (I've poked myself too often when using a fork) and bake naked (no foil) at 350 for an hour. Russet potatoes are often powdery when baked at a high temp, so if you don't like the powdery texture, turn off the oven and leave it in there for another 10 minutes.

Nothing wrong with nuking them, either, but you don't get that crisp skin that way, so if you want that, just nuke them for 10 min or so, then pop them into the oven for a bit.

It also depends on altitude - for me, here at 5000 feet, potatoes take longer to oven bake at the same temperatures I used back in coastal California. So, I either put the temp higher, or leave the potatoes in longer.

You can nuke them and finish them off in the oven to get a crispy skin (the best part, IMHO)

I always rub the outside with butter when using the oven only. 450 degrees for hour.

I make twice baked potatoes all the time.

I used Idahos for baking, red skin or yellow for potato salad.

I wish people would not say "nuke" when they mean "microwave".

No, we mean nuke.

Like at Hiroshima?

NUKE (verb)
The verb NUKE has 3 senses:

1. strike at with firepower or bombs
2. bomb with atomic weapons
3. cook or heat in a microwave oven

Is that from The American Dicktionary?