How long do potatoes need to cook? Which variety is suitable for which dish? And why is the potato so healthy?
I love potatoes. Even as a child I loved potatoes more than anything. So it's time for a post dedicated to the tuber.
By the way, I am not alone in this. The potato is one of the most popular side dishes among Germans and Austrians.
No wonder. It is so versatile, healthy and contains few calories.
You can use it to make potato salad, soups, main courses to casseroles and stews.
Table of contents
But let's start right away with the most important thing: cooking :) There are a few tips and tricks you should know when cooking potatoes.
We have collected the best ones for you here.
How to cook potatoes in the crock pot
Cooking potatoes is like many things that sound simple at first: The devil is in the details.
This begins with the preparation, extends to the choice of the right variety and the question: With or without shell?
Here you will find a step by step guide with which you are guaranteed to succeed with the potatoes.
Mega delicious: baked potato with cottage cheese and herbs!
1. prepare the potatoes
Before going into the pot, prepare the tubers. Start by washing the potatoes. You can do this with your hands, a sponge or a brush.
Remove dark spots and germs.
If you want to prepare boiled potatoes, peel the tubers with a peeler. Cut them into small pieces and put them into salty water.
You don't need to peel normal jacket potatoes. The skin contains vitamins. By the way, you can eat the skin too. Potatoes do not need to be peeled.
Tip: Do you know the big potato cookbook? You'll find 414 recipes based on the tuber. More potato does not go! :) You can order the potato cookbook from Amazon.
Treat yourself: potato parsnip casserole!
2. choose the right tubers
So that cooking potatoes does not become a never-ending undertaking, it is best to use only tubers that are the same size. That way they cook evenly.
By the way, you bring boiled potatoes to the same size simply by making a few targeted cuts.
3. boil the potatoes
Put the potato in a pot and cover it with cold water. A few pieces can stand out of the water. They will be cooked by the hot water steam.
Boiled potatoes are not salted during cooking. Only after that.
You salt boiled potatoes while they are still cooking. They then absorb the salt wonderfully.
Tip: A teaspoon of vegetable broth ensures that the potatoes already get a good flavor during cooking.
Yummy: You have to try this wild herb soup with potatoes!
4. how long potatoes need to cook
Put the pot on the stove. Put the lid on. Turn on the highest heat and wait until the water boils. Tilt the lid and turn down the temperature.
Tip: A small piece of butter in the cooking pot prevents the water from overflowing.
If you like, you can add a clove of garlic or two or three bay leaves. This will give your potatoes a wonderful aroma already during cooking.
My stove has 5 levels. I use level 2 for boiling potatoes. As soon as the water has calmed down a bit, I close the lid again. So less energy is lost and the potatoes are cooked faster.
Depending on the size, the potatoes need between 15 and 30 minutes.
5. when the potatoes are ready
How long the potatoes have to cook until they are done, you can not predict. But you can easily do the cooking test.
To do this, pierce a tuber with a knife. When the knife slides smoothly through the tuber, the potato boiling process is complete.
If you feel resistance, leave the pot on the stove for another 5 minutes and then do the test again.
6. peel and prepare
Pour off the hot water. Rinse the tubers with cold water and let them steam briefly. Now you can peel them.
Too hot to peel? Skewer the potato with a fork and peel it with a knife. That way you won't burn your fingers.
Tip: The tubers last especially long in the potato pot. It has ventilation holes and keeps the potatoes nice and dark. The pot comes in vintage look and is particularly stylish. You can order the potato pot at Amazon.
How to cook the potato faster
The smaller your potatoes are, the faster you can eat them. I always buy small potatoes because I don't want to cook them that long.
Of course, you can also help and cut the potatoes into small pieces. By the way, this also makes peeling easier later. The peel is then often lost during the cooking of the potatoes.
Mega creamy mashed potatoes with Jerusalem artichoke!
By the way, some supermarkets now sell potatoes that don't conform to the norm. In the market that is around the corner from me, they are called "Wunderlinge". They are very cheap and usually quite small. Perfect when the potato cooking must go quickly.
Why you can cook potatoes with or without skin
You can cook the potatoes as you like. If you want to make boiled potatoes, peel the tubers beforehand.
If the skin is removed only after cooking, they are called jacket potatoes.
The advantage of cooking potatoes with the skin is that the loss of vitamins and nutrients inside the tuber is preserved. If you remove the skin, you also remove the nutrients.
You can eat the skin of the potato. I eat the skin of small potatoes with. And even with large ones, if the skin is not too thick or tough. I only do that when I have organic quality to cook potatoes with. With conventional potatoes, I take the peel off.
Important: You should not eat the skin of older potatoes that have already sprouted or turned green.
With these tubers, the content of toxic alkaloids in the shell is simply too high. Especially children and pregnant women should not eat such peels.
How to cook potatoes in a pressure cooker
If you do not have time to give away, you can get a pressure cooker. In it you can cook the potatoes very quickly. Another advantage is that you can save energy and water.
So easy you make pumpkin gnocchi with potatoes!
For half a kilogram of potatoes, take 300 milliliters of water and put the pot on the highest heat.
Tip: The Tefal pressure cooker has room for 6 liters. You also get a basket insert for steam cooking. You can order the cooking pot at Amazon.
The water will begin to boil very quickly. Then reduce the heat. In 8 to 12 minutes your potatoes will be cooked in the pressure cooker.
Take the pot off the stove and wait until the pressure in the pressure cooker decreases.
Pour off the water and peel the potatoes.
How to cook potatoes in the microwave
Yes, potatoes can also be cooked in the microwave. But here it is important that you do not take a large portion. Otherwise the tubers will not be cooked.
After you have washed the potatoes, put them wet in a bowl suitable for the microwave.
Cover the tubers with a microwave lid.
Boil potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes at 600 watts.
So you can easily remember: 6 small potatoes need 6 minutes in the microwave until they are ready.
Important: This only works with small quantities and small tubers. If the potatoes are too big, it takes forever. You can also cut large potatoes into small pieces. Without a lid it does not work, because then they dry out and become tough.
The great advantage of preparing potatoes in the microwave is that they do not lose nutrients to the cooking water.
What potatoes are suitable for what dish
Dita, Linda, Selma and Annabelle - No, these are not my best friends, these are potato names :) The names are wonderful and sound nice, but they should not influence you in the purchase decision. There you orient yourself to the cooking behavior.
Did you know that there are more than 4000 different varieties worldwide? But no matter what size, shape and color: potatoes are divided into three categories.
A distinction is made between: waxy potatoes, predominantly waxy potatoes and floury potatoes. Which variety you choose depends on what you want to prepare.
Firm potatoes for
- Potato salad
- Boiled potatoes
- Fried potatoes
- Potato gratin
- French fries
- Potato casserole
- Boiled potatoes
Floury potatoes for
- Mashed potatoes
- Cream soups you want to prepare without cream
- Potato dumplings
- Puree
- Potato souffle
The difference in the varieties, by the way, lies in the proportion of starch.
Floury potatoes contain about 16 percent. This is why the cells dissolve more quickly during cooking - they become floury and are marked blue. If you cook floury tubers too long, they disintegrate in the pot.
Predominantly firm-cooking tubers have 12-14 percent starch. They are marked with a red label and can be used for just about any dish. That is why this variety is sold the most.
Firm-cooking potatoes contain little starch, about 10 percent, and have a green label. Unlike floury potatoes, you cannot overcook waxy potatoes. They always remain in the same shape.
Why you should cook potatoes more often
Whether floury or bacon, potatoes are a wonderful side dish for many dishes. And the best thing is that they consist of almost 80% water.
At the same time, they contain little fat and are optimal for a low-calorie diet.
A small comparison: 100 grams of potatoes contain 79 calories. 100 grams of spaghetti contain 345 calories. Rice with 96 calories is far below noodles but still clearly above potatoes.
The tuber provides high-quality protein and a whole lot of potassium. You can also find B vitamins and vitamin C in potatoes.
Potato has a positive effect on blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
It's only unhealthy when the tubers are turned into chips, fries and the like.
The best tips for storage
Potatoes keep best if you store them in a dark and cool place. However, they must not be exposed to frost.
If you don't have a proper place to store them, then you should buy potatoes in small quantities and use them up soon.
If they are stored in a bright and warm place, potatoes begin to sprout with it. By the way, you can still eat them then: Just break off the shoots and cook them normally.
If you buy potatoes in plastic packaging, you should remove it soon. Moisture accumulates in it, which causes the potatoes to go bad more quickly.
Our conclusion
Cooking potatoes is not difficult. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to do it without instructions the next time.
By the way: Cold (naturally cooked) potatoes are said to keep you full longer. The reason for this is the resistant starch that forms when they cool down. So go ahead and eat potato salad more often.
I'm off to boil some potatoes and make myself a big bowl of salad tomorrow.
Good luck! :)
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