Potatoes

Potatoes

 Native to North and South America

Select potatoes that are…

– Firm
– Smooth

Avoid…
– Green areas
– Mold
– Dark Spots
– Large cuts
Potatoes

Storage
– Cool in dry places
– 30 days for Russet or all-purpose
– No longer than 1 week for New Potatoes
– Ventilated containers
Solanine is…
– Natural toxin, harmful bitter tasting substance
– Developed by exposure to light
Potatoes

Safety tips – preparing potatoes

– Wash potatoes thoroughly
– Cut away sprouts and green spots
– If in doubt about freshness or safety, discard potatoes
Cooking Potatoes
Potato Types

 Most popular vegetable because it is inexpensive and versatile.

 Varieties differ in starch and moisture content, shape, and skin color
 Those suitable for baking, pureeing and frying (sweet potatoes, yams,
and russet) are high in starch and low in moisture
 Sweet potatoes and yams can be used interchangeably
 Sweet Potatoes- thick skin ranges in color from light tan to brownish
red, orange mealy flesh that is high in sugar
 Yams- similar to sweet potatoes but range in color from creamy white
to deep red, less sweet than sweet potatoes
 Tubers are fat underground stems capable of growing a new plant
Potato Differences

 Russet/Idaho – Standard white baking potato. Skin is brownish red,

flesh in mealy white, any sized, excellent for baking and frying
 Chefs/All-purpose – Drier, less starchy, less expensive, irregularly
shaped, most suited to preparation in which final stage not visually
important
 New – Small, immature red potatoes, less than 2 in. in diameter, high
in moisture and sugar low in starch, use where potato must keep
shape
Cooking Potatoes

 Single stage technique – Directly from raw state to finished state by

using one cooking method
– Boiled and baked potatoes
 Multiple stage technique – Prepared by using more than one cooking
method before they are a finished dish
– Lyonnaise technique – potatoes are precooked, sliced, then fried
 Easiest method and often 1st step is boiling
Tips – Boiling
– Start potatoes in cold water with enough liquid to cover
– Test for doneness by piercing with a fork
– Can be served immediately or held up to an hour.
Cooking Potatoes

 Steaming is the best way to cook new potatoes because of their high
moisture content
Tips – Steaming
– Steam until very tender
– Serve right away or held and served with another dish
 Baked potatoes are always served in their skins. Idaho or Russets are
the best baking potatoes
Cooking Potatoes

Ways to bake Potatoes

– Wrap in foil – soft skin, less fluffy
– Rubbed with oil – soft skin, fluffy inside
– No foil or oil – skin crisp

Tips – Baking
– Scrubbed clean
– Pierced with fork – allow heat and steam to escape
– Cook directly on rack or sheet pan
– Serve immediately
Cooking Potatoes

 En casserole potato dishes combine peeled and sliced raw potatoes

with heavy cream, sauce, or uncooked custard and slowly baked in a
buttered pan
 Sautéed potatoes should have crisp, evenly browned exterior with
tender interior, never greasy or soggy
 Russet potatoes are best for deep frying
 Blanching is done by cooking briefly in a lower temperature frying fat
(325) and refrigerate
 Another name for potato pancakes is Latkes
 Pureed potatoes are important as the basis of many popular dishes,
such as mashed potatoes
 Potatoes should be cooked in their own skin to retain nutrients
 Ct and peeled potatoes should be in liquid to prevent discoloring