To Boil Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Scrub the potatoes clean with a hard brush without breaking the skin.
Select potatoes of similar size for even cooking.
Boil
Place the potatoes in an iron pan and cover with cold water, adding salt.
Bring to a boil over moderate heat.
Pour off the water and replace it with more cold water.
Cook for 30 to 60 minutes, checking tenderness with a fork.
Serve
Once tender, pour off the water and serve.
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
- Starchy base that softens into a tender, fluffy interior as it cooks.
The step that matters
Start in cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Starting cold and heating gradually lets heat reach the centre of each potato at a similar pace. This helps the outside stay intact while the inside becomes fully tender, rather than the skin splitting before the middle is cooked.
“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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