Fossilized Potato

I don't know what I was thinking. Obviously I wasn't thinking. I guess because I cooked rice in the microwave for 20 minutes the day before, I was still in the mode. At any rate, when I put my lunch in the microwave (yes, a nice, clean, normal potato) instead of setting it for the usual three minutes, I set it for 20. After 14 minutes, I had completely forgotten about it and was in the other room, but Holly and Kylie were in the kitchen and suddenly became aware of white smoke pouring out of the microwave. The ensuing ruckus captured my undivided attention, and we opened the microwave door to stop the microwave, opened windows, and carefully moved the smoking object outside with the aid of tongs. Think of the most acrid, awful smell you can conjure up in your mind, multiply it by approximately 2,498 and it will come close to the scent we are sporting in our kitchen these days. The poor potato is charred black clear through. The picture doesn't really do it justice. The black part that fell off was the inside of the skin that was over the black body of the potato. The most surprising thing was that it weighs about as much as a feather now. All the moisture is sucked out of it and it feels a little bit like black Styrofoam. Pretty cool, but awfully scary, and endlessly stupid. I can't even tell you how hard it has been to get rid of the smell. We made a quick trip to the store for some Febreze plug-ins, and gradually we are getting back to normal, unless, of course we use the microwave. I fear we will stink forever. Just thought I'd make you all feel really good about your cooking skills. Have a great day!