Cooking potatoes: guaranteed to succeed

Boil potatoes
So they are guaranteed to succeed

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How long do potatoes have to cook and which variety is suitable for which dish? We clarify the most important questions about the tuber.

Cooking potatoes: step by step

  1. First, you should cut away the sprouting areas and dark or green areas on the potato. Also need the tubers getting washed. If you want to cook boiled potatoes, you need to peel the potatoes beforehand. It is best to use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Jacket potatoes have the advantage that the peel holds more vitamins in the tuber and therefore they are a little healthier. You can also eat the skin of jacket potatoes without any problems.
  2. In order for the potatoes to cook evenly, they should use the same size to have. You can simply cut boiled potatoes in half or quarter so that they are the same size.
  3. Now you put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover about three quarters of them with cold water. The top potatoes will then cooked by steam cooking. You don't have to be sparing with salting because the potatoes absorb the salt quickly. One tablespoon is a guideline.
  4. Then turn the stove to the highest setting and wait until the water starts to boil. As soon as this is the case, turn the temperature down a bit and leave it Boil the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes. The lid should be closed when doing this, as this will use less energy and the potatoes will cook faster.
  5. The exact cooking time depends on the size and type of potatoes. With the cooking sample you can check whether the potatoes are already soft: pierce the tuber with a knife: If you don't feel any resistance, the potato is ready.
  6. At the end you pour off the water deter the potatoes and let them evaporate. Then you can use them to make potato salad or potato casserole, for example, or serve as a side dish.

Which type of potato is suitable for which dish?

The choice of potato type depends on what you want to do with the potatoes afterwards. Firm-boiling or predominantly firm-boiling potato varieties are especially suitable for jacket potatoes, fried potatoes or potato gratin. Soft or floury varieties should be used if you want to make mashed potatoes or potato dumplings.

The difference between the varieties lies in their strength share: While waxy potatoes contain the least starch, floury potatoes have A high proportion of starch at around 16 percent up, their cells therefore dissolve faster.

Cook potatoes in the microwave

If you want to save some time, you can also use the microwave Boil potatoes. Indeed the portion must not be too big, otherwise the tubers will not be cooked. Wash the potatoes and place them wet in a microwave-safe container. Cover the potatoes and cook them for about ten minutes at 600 watts. With this method the potatoes do not lose any nutrients to the water, however, they cannot absorb any salt, they have to be re-salted.

Boil potatoes in a pressure cooker

The advantage of a pressure cooker is that you can save energy and water, and so do the potatoes are cooked faster. For 500 grams: Add 300 milliliters of water and a little salt to the tubers and turn the pot on the highest setting. As soon as the water boils, turn the heat down and cook the potatoes for seven to eight minutes. After the stove is off, you have to wait until the pressure in the pressure cooker has reduced. Then you pour off the water and frighten the potatoes.

You can find more recipes with potatoes on our Pinterest pin board. We also explain whether you can eat potatoes raw and how you can grill potatoes, cook sweet potatoes, cook lentils and cook Brussels sprouts.

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