To Boil Potatoes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Wash the potatoes thoroughly with a hard brush.
Arrange the potatoes compactly in a saucepan.
Cover the potatoes with cold water.
Boil
Bring the water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt for every quart of water.
Simmer the potatoes until nearly done, then boil rapidly for the last 2-3 minutes.
Check for tenderness by probing with a fork.
Dry and serve
Drain the water immediately and lift the lid to let steam escape.
Place the potatoes on a trivet or by the side of the fire until completely dry.
Peel and serve quickly, either in a hot napkin or in a dish that allows steam to escape.
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 structure cooks through to a tender, fluffy interior when simmered gently.
- Coarse sea salt
- Seasons the cooking water so the potatoes take up flavour as they boil.
The step that matters
Drain and dry the potatoes thoroughly. Surface water left on boiled potatoes dilutes flavour and makes them soggy. Letting steam escape and drying them fully keeps the surface dry and the texture firm.
“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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