I prefer the texture of a baked potato rather than a microwaved one. Microwaved potatoes tend to have a more rubbery(?) texture. The ones from the oven are more light and flaky. I’m guessing that with the proper technique a microwaved potato could have that same texture, but I don’t cook potatoes often enough to get the expertise necessary. With a baked potato, I can get it right every time. No matter the type, size, and quantity, getting perfect potatoes from the oven is relatively easy and straightforward. Plus, with a little olive oil and salt, they come out with a crispy and delicious skin.
I have never microwaved a potato, probably because I’m not a huge potato fan. But i prefer the creamy texture of boiled potatoes to the dry texture of baked potatoes. So maybe I’d like microwaved potatoes. I should give it a try.
I wouldn’t compare boiled potatoes to microwaved, but it’s definitely worth a try.
If your microwave doesn’t have a potato setting, my guess is that the potatoes should be cooked at lower power in the microwave to get the best results. So instead of 100% for X minutes, do 50% for 2x minutes or 30% for 3x minutes. They are so dense that it takes a while for the heat on the outside to penetrate to the inside. By having the microwave cycle on and off, it will allow the potato to be heated more gently and cook more evenly.
This is my experience as well. I love a nice crumbly, light potato. MW potatoes can be o.k., but it’s not a guarantee, so I bake in the conventional oven.
That’s what the butter and sour cream are for, duh! But seriously I find the texture of boiled potatoes unappealing. They seem drier and denser to me than baked potatoes.
Denser, sure. But i find them smooth and creamy. Whereas baked potatoes are kinda dry and crumbly. I don’t usually put anything on my potatoes. Maybe if i did i would like them more. But i admit I’ve never really understood the appeal of baked potatoes beyond “bland starchy calories”
I tend to think pricking or skewering holes tends to decrease overall baking time, or put another way, leads to a better outcome at any rate.
A well prepared Idaho won’t be dry but it will be baked. A microwave by definition cannot do this. I’m not even a fan of using foil over a potato in an oven, it steams them a bit too much.
Another really great way to “stockpile” taters if oven utilization is a concern, is make up about a dozen Twice Baked potatoes. These freeze well and thaw out wonderfully in the oven maybe that makes thrice baked.
Microwave at best is a tongue-burning rubber food generator. It boils water OK … but I swear my tea tastes better using “analog” heat, so maybe the jury is out on that.
I also do that, and I poke holes in them first.
My one exploding potato was in the oven, and I agree about it sounding like a grenade went off. Probably almost as messy, too (j/k)
Microwaving a potato cooks it, but I liked baked-potato texture better.
And I feel the same way about boiled potatoes!
GRAVY!
Yeah, I’m into the boiled potatoes moreso than baked, myself. 
@puzzlegal says she doesn’t put anything on her potatoes. So no gravy for you!
I make gravy once a year, for Thanksgiving. 
But boiled potatoes sometimes come in stew, and i guess the stew sauce is a kind of gravy.
I like gravy, but it’s a pain to make properly.
In the prior cited thread, I shared my story of exploding baked sweet potatoes in the toaster oven, even after poking. In part because the long slow roast can allow the sugary syrup to bubble up and seal the punctures. And it suuuuuucks to clean.
These days I normally do russets in the air fryer. Poke, oil, sprinkle salt. Note: poke before oiling, don’t try to hold oily potatoes while wielding a sharp implement in your other hand! Air fry at 400F for 30-40 minutes (depending on size of your russet) and you have fluffy russets with crispy skin. It’s a decent compromise between speed and quality, especially if you want to eat crispy skin.
I can do it in the pressure cooker as well, but the skins aren’t as good (to me), and once you factor in time to get to and release pressure, don’t find it saves much time over other options.
Same here but I finish in the oven. Honestly, I don’t mind baking a potato for an hour but nuking it can give it a head start and then crisp up the skin in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
If all you need is cooked potato for something else (like mashed potatoes) then nuking is fine.
As for pricking them before putting in the microwave it seems helpful but not critical. The steam from insider the potato must get out. If you have not pricked the potato then it will just tear open a spot or two which may or may not be a big deal (looks a little bad when served but tastes the same). I would be surprised at a potato exploding in a microwave though but it happened to the OP so…I guess it can.
Just seems like normal conversation to me. Everyone knows that food is a matter of personal taste, so you don’t generally have to say something like “in my opinion” or the like.
That said, objectively, a microwaved potato does lack something relative to a baked potato. They don’t brown and tend to retain more moisture. This is true when comparing most baked vs. “nuked” foods.
They’re different enough that I understand why someone expecting one would be disappointed in the other. But that doesn’t mean you can’t like or even prefer the microwaved variety. Personally, a peeled nuked potato can perfectly hit the spot for me.
I was never able to make decent gravy, until I got my Instant Pot.
Instant Pot + meat juice + cold water/cornstarch slurry = GRAVY!
I make gravy from stock or broth usually. If there’s drippings to use, great, but I find gravy made from homemade stock to be quite good and not a pain at all to make. I make gravy maybe twenty to forty times a year.
I use the pan drippings (removing some fat of there’s to much), some broth (made from the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard) and flour. I brown the flour a little in the pan drippings and then slowly whisk in the broth. It’s not terribly hard, but it’s one more thing to do, and i don’t bother other than for Thanksgiving and maybe New Year. No one else in my family eats gravy, so if it’s just my household, i use the straight pan drippings (sans most of the fat) on my rice.
I’m in @puzzlegal’s team - I almost never make gravy, but when I do it’s in the pan. So, as an example, recently I cooked a couple of thickish pork chops in cast iron skillet with a bit of butter and olive oil to get it started. I made sure to cook the chops on the sides a bit to render the remaining fat off, and then let them rest. I used the remaining cooked out fat, bit of browned butter and oil remaining in the pan to make a simple roux, cooked for a few minutes, then added homemade stock (on occasions, especially with pork, used good apple cider instead) - once it thickened, checked to make sure it had enough seasoning from the chops (sage, rosemary, black pepper, salt) and added a touch more pepper and sage.
I plated the now rested chops, some thick egg noodles, and poured the sauce over the chops and noodles. My wife, who no longer eats meat, still wanted that sauce for her own dinner, but refrained.
Still, -most- of the time, I don’t want or need sauce enough to bother, just if I’m cooking a starchy side that would benefit: dry pasta, gnocchi, spaetzle, or (back to the OP!) potatoes.
Mmm, that sounds good.