Potatoes

mike rolite

Lads, ladesses, what is the story with potatoes these days? I have noticed in recent times that no matter what types of spuds you buy (even when it says on the bag that they're suitable for boiling) they dissolve when you boil them after ten minutes. Usually raw in the middle and the outsides boil away to mush in ten minutes.
I've tried boiling them at a lower temp but it doesnt seem to make any difference. Anyone else notice this? It's only in the last year or so. Weird.

motipp

mike rolite wrote: »

Lads, ladesses, what is the story with potatoes these days? I have noticed in recent times that no matter what types of spuds you buy (even when it says on the bag that they're suitable for boiling) they dissolve when you boil them after ten minutes. Usually raw in the middle and the outsides boil away to mush in ten minutes.
I've tried boiling them at a lower temp but it doesnt seem to make any difference. Anyone else notice this? It's only in the last year or so. Weird.

Why not get a steamer?

foodaholic

I use the Irish whites in tescos and they never fall apart

Mellor

mike rolite wrote: »

Lads, ladesses, what is the story with potatoes these days? I have noticed in recent times that no matter what types of spuds you buy (even when it says on the bag that they're suitable for boiling) they dissolve when you boil them after ten minutes. Usually raw in the middle and the outsides boil away to mush in ten minutes.
I've tried boiling them at a lower temp but it doesnt seem to make any difference. Anyone else notice this? It's only in the last year or so. Weird.

Do you honestly think the the potato has evolved that much in a year.

It's either;
A: You are buying cheap quaility,
B: Not suitable for boiling (ignore the bag, go with actual varieties for boiling)
C: You are useless at cooking spuds

imstrongerthanu

Would getting out of bed at 5:29am be a bit daft to cook a few spuds? I'm starved!

the beer revolu

I always steam spuds too.

Sofiztikated

What type of spuds are you buying? Might make it easier to tell if you let us know.

restaurants

imstrongerthanu wrote: »

Would getting out of bed at 5:29am be a bit daft to cook a few spuds? I'm starved!

Only if it were 'Dinner Time' back home.

.

restaurants

mike rolite wrote: »

Lads, ladesses, what is the story with potatoes these days? I have noticed in recent times that no matter what types of spuds you buy (even when it says on the bag that they're suitable for boiling) they dissolve when you boil them after ten minutes. Usually raw in the middle and the outsides boil away to mush in ten minutes.
I've tried boiling them at a lower temp but it doesnt seem to make any difference. Anyone else notice this? It's only in the last year or so. Weird.

Boil them until they are about to break.
Then put them in the microwave until cooked.
Steam in hot over for a few minutes.

xzanti

+1 on the steamer, better for keeping all the neutrients in too or so I'm told

Klove

You could try boiling them for a few minutes and then turning the heat off and keeping the lid on the pot to let the residual heat and steam finish them.

tfak85

are you putting them into a pan of hot or cold water to start cooking them?

arse..biscuits

I find that my own potatoes (from my garden) break up when boiled. I put it down to being extremly fresh. Where as the ones from the shop don't.
If I'm doing a coddle or stew I use some of each, my own eventually dissolve, thickening the stew and the bought spuds are still there for some bite.

brianthebard

You probably have a floury variety in your garden a_b, and the ones you are buying are waxy. The op may just be crap at cooking them as suggested, or have floury potatoes, or else bought old ones or washed ones that have absorbed a lot of water in the production. These seem the most likely reasons for potatoes falling apart.

John Mason

get yourself some red ones from lidl - the nicest all round potatoes i have tasted

mike rolite

Blimey, you don't get much support on here. Maybe i am crap at cooking potatoes?
Yesterdays mush were golden wonders. Took them out of the fridge, peeled them, put them in cold water, turned on the gas to medium heat, waited for water to boil, turned temp down slightly, put the lid on leaving it a bit askew to let steam escape. Ten minutes later: hey presto! Mush.

I actually have some of those stacking bamboo steamer trays. How long do you reckon it would take to steam them?

Thanks for all your replies though.

Mellor

mike rolite wrote: »

Blimey, you don't get much support on here. Maybe i am crap at cooking potatoes?
Yesterdays mush were golden wonders. Took them out of the fridge, peeled them, put them in cold water, turned on the gas to medium heat, waited for water to boil, turned temp down slightly, put the lid on leaving it a bit askew to let steam escape. Ten minutes later: hey presto! Mush.

Peel them? Why in gods name would you do that.

Boiled, fried, chipped or roasted, I always leave the skin on. (the exception is mash, but I still boil with skin on and peel afterward, and that's only sometime, i often mash with skin on)

I actually have some of those stacking bamboo steamer trays. How long do you reckon it would take to steam them?

It depends, on how quickly the steam gets going. But it'll be quick.
Chop evenly and small, and check every 5 minutes. You know when its getting close, then check every 2 mins. Stop when done, remember how long it took next for time

You stack the pot, biggest potatos to the bottom.
You put a small amount of water in maybe 1/3 of a saucepan.
Boil until the top potatos are tender, with the lid on slanty.
Drain.
Remove the lid, cover with paper....kitchen towel or newspaper. And but back on the heat for a minute or two.
This removes the sap.


Ask your green grocer which potatos are good at any given time. Right now it is Kerr Pinks. AFAIK.

the beer revolu

mike rolite wrote: »

Blimey, you don't get much support on here. Maybe i am crap at cooking potatoes?
Yesterdays mush were golden wonders. Took them out of the fridge, peeled them, put them in cold water, turned on the gas to medium heat, waited for water to boil, turned temp down slightly, put the lid on leaving it a bit askew to let steam escape. Ten minutes later: hey presto! Mush.

I actually have some of those stacking bamboo steamer trays. How long do you reckon it would take to steam them?

Thanks for all your replies though.

Golden Wonders are a very floury potato.
Boiling them peeled will always lead to mush.

Steaming them usually takes about 30 mins (if very floury, I steam them unpeeled - in fact, they taste better if you peel them after steaming)

If you must boil potatoes, then drain off most of the water after about 15 mins,keep heat low, then drain completely before they're quite done and let them finish cooking in their own heat in the covered pan (putting a clean teatowel on top helps).

mike rolite

Thanks folks for all the good advice. As to why I'd peel them, well call me a nutter but I dont like the skins.
Steaming from now on!

the beer revolu

mike rolite wrote: »

Thanks folks for all the good advice. As to why I'd peel them, well call me a nutter but I dont like the skins.
Steaming from now on!

The best mash you'll make is from baked potatoes (in their jackets)
Next is from potatoes steamed in their jackets (bit of a pain peeling the hot potatoes but it's worth it).
You don't have to eat the skins - although I love baked potato skins.

Mellor

mike rolite wrote: »

Thanks folks for all the good advice. As to why I'd peel them, well call me a nutter but I dont like the skins.
Steaming from now on!

Peel after you cook them so

muckety

Due to the wet summer(s) lots of Irish potatoes have a higher than usual water content. Also because they may have been in the ground for longer if conditions delayed harvesting. Agree with the suggestion to ask your greengrocer which potatoes are best right now....

dh0661

muckety wrote: »

Due to the wet summer(s)

A person I know who grows potatoes commercially showed me pictures of his potato drills during the "summer".

TBH the pictures looked like paddy fields you'd see in China.

mike rolite

muckety wrote: »

Due to the wet summer(s) lots of Irish potatoes have a higher than usual water content. Also because they may have been in the ground for longer if conditions delayed harvesting. Agree with the suggestion to ask your greengrocer which potatoes are best right now....

Aha! So I'm not a mentalist. This explains everything (well, not about the universe- just about my recent potato mush crisis)!
Thank you kind person for releasing me from this cage of quandary.

the beer revolu

mike rolite wrote: »

Aha! So I'm not a mentalist. This explains everything (well, not about the universe- just about my recent potato mush crisis)!
Thank you kind person for releasing me from this cage of quandary.

Maybe Muckety is a mentalist too;)