Looking for the perfect boiled potatoes recipe? You are in the right place; here you will discover how to boil potatoes to perfection. Boiled potatoes can be used for many recipes such as
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 192.50 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 43.73 (g) of which sugars 2.05 (g)
- Proteins 5.13 (g)
- Fat 0.23 (g) of which saturated 0.06 (g)of which unsaturated 0.11 (g)
- Fibers 5.25 (g)
- Sodium 15.20 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 200 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 2 People
- 1.1 lbs potatoes
- 1 qt water
Tools
- 1 Pot 3 qt
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Potato Peeler
Procedure
Here are tips and tricks for perfect boiled potatoes for every recipe
Choosing which type of potato to boil is crucial depending on how you plan to use them once cooked.
Yellow-fleshed potatoes are perfect for compact preparations such as salads.
White-fleshed potatoes are rich in starch and very floury. They’re great for gnocchi, croquettes, purees, or patties.
If you put potatoes in cold water, they stay firmer. If you cook potatoes in boiling water, they remain softer and more watery.
I generally recommend using cold water for potatoes with skin and hot water for diced potatoes.
The water for cooking potatoes should never be salted, as it would soften them, causing them to break down.
For perfectly boiled potatoes, is it better with or without skin? The correct answer is it depends…
Boiled potatoes with skin stay firmer and dryer. Therefore, I recommend boiling potatoes with skin when you have a recipe that requires dry and firm potatoes.
For example, for homemade potato gnocchi, the potatoes should always be cooked with the skin.
Remove the hot potatoes from the water and peel them immediately to prevent them from retaining too much moisture.
Again, the answer depends on the recipe you are going to make. Diced potatoes are softer and more crumbly and cook in less time (10 minutes). Boiled diced potatoes are perfect for making octopus and potato salad or Russian salad, for example.
Whole boiled potatoes can be used to make mashed potatoes or potato croquettes. I also use them to thicken delicious soups.
Diced potatoes (about 0.5-0.8 inches) cook in 10 minutes. Beyond that, they tend to break down or crumble in the water.
For whole potatoes with skin, the time increases significantly. Small potatoes require about 30 minutes, while large ones may need up to 50 minutes.
Boiled potatoes are cooked when a fork pierces them deeply.
For whole potatoes with skin, you should be able to reach the potato’s core without much effort.
The cubes should be able to be pierced without breaking or crumbling. If in doubt, taste them; if they are perfectly cooked, put them under cold water to stop further cooking (as the heat will increase their cooking and they will become more crumbly).
