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To Steam Potatoes

A simple method of steaming potatoes with salt until tender.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 2 ingredients
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To Steam Potatoes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Choose potatoes of similar size.

  2. Wash and scrub the potatoes.

  3. Peel them thinly and remove the eyes.

Steam

  1. Place the potatoes in a steamer over boiling water.

  2. Sprinkle with salt.

  3. Cover the steamer with a lid.

  4. Steam for 30 minutes or until tender.

  5. Check tenderness with a skewer.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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 as it cooks, forming the body and texture of the dish.

The step that matters

Check tenderness with a skewer. Potato starch softens only when the pieces are cooked through, and uneven sizes cook at different rates. A skewer test confirms the centre is tender before serving.

“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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