So a few years ago, Aaron and I began the great potato debate. It all started when Aaron saw me putting potatoes in the oven to bake. I washed them, wrapped them in foil, and placed them in the oven as my mother had taught me and as her mother had taught her. Aaron was concerned because in his eyes I had missed a vital step, I had not poked the potatoes! He proceeded to tell me that if I did not poke the potatoes they would "explode!" After a good laugh I explained to him that my Mom had never poked her potatoes and hers had never exploded. Thus began the great debate. We spoke to both sides of the family and while the Ogden side insisted that you must poke your potatoes, the Bird side (the side from Idaho where potatoes are famous!) had never poked their potatoes. So we ran a test. We wrapped one unpoked potato in foil, another unpoked potato not in foil, a poked potato not in foil, and a poked potato in foil....Well the results were obvious. There were no explosions and we found that the foil wrapped unpoked potato was the best to eat as it was still moist on the inside. So, I had bragging rights for a few years and the matter was settled....until now. Saturday night we had some guests over for dinner. I had run out of foil, so I place the unpoked,unwrapped potatoes in the oven to bake. They were in for one hour. As I went to remove them to serve to our guests, I was in for a surprise. One of the potatoes had exploded all over the oven!! Well as you can imagine, Aaron was loving this moment and ran to get the camera. So while our guests wondered what the big deal was, we laughed and photographed the exploded potato in my oven.
I cannot say I will start poking my potaotes from now on. But I will concede Aaron's point that it is possible to explode a potato in the oven!
7 comments:
Few, I'm glad you guys settled that one! Now I'm feeling bad about whoever had to clean up the mess!
ha ha ha ha ha. I think it must be the foil that is the key to not exploding the potato? He is probably so proud of himself. Congrats Aaron.
That is Great! I remember when this whole thing came up the first time...I was on my mission... I was actually in Burlington... I'm glad you figured it all out. :)
i'm so glad Aaron had the presence of mind to take a picture! that is so funny! I truly have never had a potato explode. and just for the record, my mom didn't wrap hers in foil until later in life and she didn't poke or explode potatoes! figure that one out!
that is so funny! i can't believe that it really exploded!
Richard and I loved that story because I was a poker and he was a non-poker. Jacob is so cute! Come visit us sometime.
www.richardandjo.blogspot.com
Jo Bird
I was just watching a cooking show where they were discussing the poking of potatoes. They said it was to help the skin somehow, but I forgot. I am glad that in my lifetime I know someone who has seen an exploded potato.
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