Boiled Potato
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the potatoes in cold water and remove any bruised or decayed spots.
If peeling, place the peeled potatoes in cold water to prevent darkening.
Cut larger potatoes in half for even cooking.
Boil and rest
Place the potatoes in boiling water and cook until tender, ensuring the water remains boiling but not too vigorously.
Add salt after ten minutes of cooking.
Drain the water.
Remove the lid, gently shake the saucepan over the stove, cover with a cloth, and let sit on the back of the stove.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Potatoes
- Starch that softens into a tender, fluffy interior as it cooks in water.
The step that matters
Keep the water boiling gently, not vigorously. Vigorous boiling knocks potatoes against each other and the pot, causing them to break apart and become mushy, while a steady simmer cooks them evenly until tender.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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