Boiled Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pare the potatoes.
If they are old, soak them in water for 1-2 hours to freshen them.
Boil
Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes.
Add the salt and boil for an additional 15 minutes.
Drain all the water from the saucepan.
Dry and hold
Shake the potatoes in a current of cold air (by an open door or window).
Place the saucepan at the back of the stove and cover until serving.
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
- Their starch cooks into a soft, tender interior that holds its shape when boiled.
The step that matters
Shake the potatoes in a current of cold air. Draining leaves water on the surface, and shaking in cool air helps it evaporate. Dry potatoes stay floury and fluffy, while wet ones turn soggy and waterlogged.
“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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