The Easiest Meal To Cook While Traveling, According To Padma Lakshmi

While traveling for vacation might mean going out to try local foods or treating yourself to a nice meal, sometimes, sightseeing takes it out of you, and all you want to do is return to your hotel room, have a quick bite, and go to sleep. Or you might be like Buzzfeed writer and Twitter user @Scaachi and prefer to make dinner for a small appetite but not buy too much while staying at an Airbnb.

Scaachi tweeted at Padma Lakshmi requesting her advice for a no-fuss dinner, and Lakshmi responded with a retweet saying that a baked potato cooked in the microwave is an easy option. Lakshmi recommends topping the baked potato with "butter, a scoop of yogurt, and a generous dose of Tapatio hot sauce." She also said that while chopped chives or green chilies would add more to the meal, those aren't necessary, especially if you're looking to keep things as simple as possible. Of course, you can customize your baked potato to your liking and add whatever seasonings you want.

Even if you're not traveling, there's a major benefit to cooking your baked potato in a microwave. It's much quicker to make a baked potato in the microwave than in the oven, but make sure you leave the aluminum foil off the potato when using the microwave! Start by washing your baked potato and dry the potato completely so it doesn't steam instead of "bake."

Then, use a fork to poke holes all over your potato and start your microwave. Baked potatoes usually take about seven minutes in the microwave, and you want to turn your potato over halfway through cooking. Once the seven minutes are up, check on your potato, and if it's still hard, keep microwaving it in shorter increments, like 30 seconds to a minute, until it's soft. Let your baked potato rest in the microwave for a few minutes, then add your seasonings and toppings.

Potatoes aren't the only surprising food you can cook in the microwave. Other things you didn't know you could cook in a microwave include bacon and peanut brittle. And if you need a microwave dessert to go with your baked potato, try this easy snickerdoodle mug cake recipe.