To Boil Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the potatoes thoroughly.
Place them in a saucepan and cover with cold water.
Add a little salt to the water.
Boil and dry
Boil slowly until the skins begin to break.
Quickly pour off all the water.
Cover the potatoes with a clean towel.
Return to low heat until dry.
Serve
Serve hot.
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
- Are the main starchy food; their texture sets as they cook and dry.
The step that matters
Quickly pour off all the water. Leaving potatoes in hot water keeps them soaking and waterlogged, making them soggy and likely to split. Draining promptly lets the surface steam dry, so the cooked potatoes stay firm and fluffy.
“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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