47 votes
Accepted

Why is there potato in meatballs?

With absolutely no citation or evidence to back up my claim ;-) I'm going to say that the reasoning is two- if not three-fold…. or maybe more... It's cheaper. It adds bulk. It helps the meatball stay ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
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44 votes
Accepted

Can you shred raw potatoes to make mashed potatoes?

Shredding the potatoes raw will release too much calcium and disrupt too many cells, similar to pureeing them. You can definitely give it a try, though the end result will likely have a firmer gelled ...
borkymcfood's user avatar
  • 5,341
32 votes

I want my potatoes to be baked within an hour, but I forgot to preheat the oven. Should I put them in while preheating or not?

In the UK, we call these 'jacket potatoes'1. As already mentioned, putting them in a cold oven as it heats might win you five minutes, but not much more. It's very slightly more efficient overall than ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 29.7k
27 votes

Potato for a purpose

Yes, there are differences. Unfortunately, many potatoes have been bred for crop yield and storage over flavor ... and so the flavor differences that you might see in South America don't tend to be ...
Joe's user avatar
  • 80.7k
25 votes

What is the best way to store potatoes?

Potatoes last best when stored in a cool, dry place between 45°F/7°C and 55°F/13°C, so a basement is often your best shot if you have one. Keeping them dry and giving them airflow is important so they ...
GdD's user avatar
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22 votes
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Technique for peeling boiled potatoes

Remove a potato one at a time from the hot water with tongs, placing it in cold water for shock. Wearing dishwashing gloves, while under the cold water pull on the potato skin removing it. Place the ...
Optionparty's user avatar
22 votes
Accepted

Potato for a purpose

If the potatoes are the same in different packages, it's just marketing. Some potatoes are better for baking, some for frying, some for mashing... It mostly depends on the starch content. See. https://...
Max's user avatar
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19 votes
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Parboiling potatoes to make them softer in a stew

45 minutes of boiling is more than enough time to soften potatoes regardless of altitude. Parboiling potatoes before roasting frees up and gelatinizes starches on the outside of the potatoes that ...
Sobachatina's user avatar
  • 47.5k
19 votes

I want my potatoes to be baked within an hour, but I forgot to preheat the oven. Should I put them in while preheating or not?

You can put the potatoes in the oven while it's heating, and that's not going to make any overall difference in how long it takes the oven to get hot. Opening the door to put the potatoes inside ...
FuzzyChef's user avatar
  • 63.9k
19 votes

How to infuse starch into potato?

You can't infuse starch into a potato. A potato is not a sponge, and even if it were, infused starch wouldn't work. You need not just some amount of starch, you need the proper kind of starch, in the ...
rumtscho's user avatar
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18 votes
Accepted

How can I make pierogi gluten-free?

The main source of gluten in pierogi (the plural is pierogi, the singular is actually pierog) is the flour in the dough. You should be able to substitute regular flour for a gluten free version (eg ...
Cameron's user avatar
  • 420
17 votes

Hash Brown Terminology

There is not. There isn't even agreement on what constitutes "hashed browns". Sometimes it's heaps of shredded potatoes, sometimes sheets or rounds or patties, and sometimes it's fried ...
FuzzyChef's user avatar
  • 63.9k
14 votes

When does parboiling "begin"?

A good recipe should have guidance on the desired end state you are aiming for, and experience with cooking will help you know what to aim for too. In the case of roast potatoes, the aim at the ...
dbmag9's user avatar
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13 votes
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Boiling potatoes with vs. without skin

I almost never peel potatoes. I like the flavor and texture of the skins, even in mashed potatoes, and unpeeled potatoes are less prone to becoming waterlogged. According to Tablespoon.com, the Idaho ...
Jolenealaska's user avatar
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12 votes
Accepted

Frying potatoes in cast iron: sticking!

Preheat the pan for longer than you expect, then preheat the oil as well. Cast iron takes a long time to heat up. With some foods you can get away with not preheating so it may seem silly to just let ...
MeltedPez's user avatar
  • 2,638
12 votes

How to easily minimize waste using a potato smasher?

There is no need to remove potato from the holes on each stroke, which appears to be what you are describing doing. Just pick it up and smash it down on some un-smashed potatoes until there are no ...
Ecnerwal's user avatar
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11 votes
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How are Belgian fries different than the average French fries found in North America?

All of the sources I read say the same thing... what makes them different is that they're fried twice. From Saveur: Frites are the supercharged cousin to paltry American-style fries: made from ...
Catija's user avatar
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11 votes
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Why Did the Duchess Potato Collapse?

Substituting olive oil for butter may have been part of the problem. Olive oil is considerably thinner. "Fresh cream" may also have been problem, since (depending on country) things labeled ...
Sneftel's user avatar
  • 29k
11 votes

I want my potatoes to be baked within an hour, but I forgot to preheat the oven. Should I put them in while preheating or not?

Here's a hack: You can microwave your potato before baking it (like suggested in this great answer). From The Spruce Eats: The only problem is they take an hour to cook, which requires planning ahead....
Anastasia Zendaya's user avatar
11 votes
Accepted

Can German potato salad be served cold?

Actually, what do you expect from „German“ potato salad? There are many potato salad traditions in Germany, including mayonnaise based salads that are usually found in northern Germany. As you mention ...
jmk's user avatar
  • 1,239
10 votes
Accepted

Making crunchy creamy hash browns

The way I have achieved this is by gently simmering the potato cubes until they soften. (You want them pretty much cooked, but not so done that they won't hold together well.) I also lightly salt ...
Cindy's user avatar
  • 18.3k
10 votes

What should I do if I forgot to dry fries before baking?

Bake them anyway and accept that they might not be quite as good as they would otherwise be. A little extra moisture won't be fatal, and there's nothing you can easily do now. You could try patting ...
dbmag9's user avatar
  • 12.1k
10 votes

What is the best way to store potatoes?

You can store root vegetables, such as potatoes in damp sand in a cool, dry area. I have stored them this way in a broken freezer and they have kept fresh for over 3 months. It is important to use ...
D S's user avatar
  • 101
10 votes

Does squeezing out liquid from shredded potatoes significantly reduce cook time?

Squeezing out moisture from grated potatoes doesn't make them cook faster, the reason you do that is because it gives you a crispy result. If you don't wring them out they'll be mushy, and any water ...
GdD's user avatar
  • 76.1k
10 votes

How to infuse starch into potato?

Have you considered just using a different potato? In the UK we don't see russets at all; our crisps [chips] are not made from them ever… though we don't know what type they are made from - it seems ...
Tetsujin's user avatar
  • 29.7k
8 votes

Why add salt to potato water?

First, as a physicist I would argue that: -salt RISES the boiling point of water. Every student knows that. -by osmosis, being the water salty results in a lower content of water in the potato. That ...
jpopp's user avatar
  • 89
8 votes

Is it possible for a potato to catch fire after 10 minutes in the microwave?

I felt this needed a physics answer. tl;dr: It's unlikely but not impossible - we have to make some unrealistic assumptions to make it work for a sensible size of potato Consider a homogeneous ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 44.1k
8 votes

How can I reduce the salt in oversalted potatoes?

Basically dilution is the key, though a rinse and a short soak in fresh water will help a bit. You could freeze them in small quantities and use them up in vegetable soup a little at a time. Don't ...
Chris H's user avatar
  • 44.1k
8 votes

Gnats were in my bag of potatoes; can I still cook and eat the potatoes?

Opinion answer, no authority here, just going by what to me is common practice. Potatoes are grown in the ground with dirt and bugs around all the time. In general, not a big deal. Gnats or small ...
dlb's user avatar
  • 8,613

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