Potatoes have a long shelf life and even then it’s not a clear win.
A medium potato is around 110 calories. 15 * 150 calories servings = 5$ that’s 20.45 medium potatoes for 5$ or 24.4c per medium potato. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Doritos-Nacho-Cheese-Tortilla-Sna...
The potato requires prep, 10 minutes in the microwave ~= 1/4 kWh, and presumably a little salt and butter. A microwave meal is a more complete nutrition source and takes less time, making them more complex point of comparison.
Potato ------
Prep: 5 seconds under the faucet, 10 seconds to quarter it
Cook: 3 min 40 sec in the microwave
TV Dinner: 10 min in the microwave, $7.69 price
You’re undercooked your potatoes the goal isn’t simply to warm them, but allow your body to more easily digest them. But this isn’t just a me thing:
https://www.bigbearswife.com/how-to-cook-a-potato-in-the-mic... How long does it take to cook a potato in the microwave? Between 5-10 minutes
https://microwaveshub.com/how-long-to-heat-up-a-potato-in-th... The cooking time to heat a potato in the microwave will largely depend on the size and type of potato. Here’s a general guideline: Medium Red 6-8 oz, 4-5 minutes large Russet 7-8
I’ve literally never seen a microwave meal take 10 minutes, but I’m guessing that’s theoretically possible if it’s got enough mass to heat up.
See Marie Calendar pot pies. 10.5 minutes.
Marie Calendar pot pie, the instructions list 5-6 minutes of time in a microwave. https://contenthandler-raleys.fieldera.com/prod/392493/1/0/0...
They do want you to let them cool, but that’s true of anything you heat to a cooking temperature in a microwave. Potatoes have the same limitations, but most people don’t include the “don’t be an idiot” instructions in recipes just cooking times.
The ones I buy say 10.5 min on the box. Shrug.
If that’s true you should be able to provide actual evidence of a 10 min 30 second cooking time listed on their box art.
However it’s clear that microwave meals are generally designed to have shorter cooking times for simple convenience and the underlying physics involved.