How To Boil Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the products that are most often present on the Bulgarian table. The list of dishes prepared by them is long, and as for the heat treatment - all known options are suitable and the results are always delicious.

We will pay attention to the boiling of the root. In this regard, there are two ways to approach - to boil the potatoes to the point that they are suitable for consumption or to boil them with a thought, with an idea of ​​what to do next, because ... it matters.

We offer you to see different moments of cooking, which are determined depending on what dish we want to get.

Mashed potatoes

For mashed potatoes, a variety of potatoes with a high starch content is recommended. The final product is tender and fluffy, of course, and very high in calories.

Tip: put the potatoes in boiling water.

Soup or salad

A suitable variety for making soups and salads are the so-called wax potatoes. They are best for cooking, retaining their shape as much as possible, thanks to the low starch content in them (about 16%), and the cooked inside has a soft texture. These potatoes are usually not very large, about the size of a woman's fist, they are thin-skinned. They can be golden, red or purple.

Boil the potatoes whole or cut them into cubes

The common denominator in both cases is that the potatoes (or cubes) must be as close in size as possible in order to be cooked at the same time.

Tip: if you are cooking potatoes for soup, you can cut them into cubes, just rinse them under running water to wash away the starch from them.

Peeled or unpeeled

It is better not to peel the potatoes, especially if they are fresh. First, it turns out tastier because the shell protects the inside from the unnecessary effects of water. The best taste qualities, as well as the most useful substances of potatoes, are together with the peel.

The second point is that the dishes from tubers, which are cooked unpeeled, are "more homemade" and third, so the specific aroma of boiled potatoes is preserved. In case you do not have much time, cut the vegetables into 2-3 parts.

Before you start cooking the potatoes, remove all the green parts on them, which may be formed under the influence of light (with excessive exposure to such). These areas are not consumed because they are harmful.

What is used to season the water in which the potatoes are boiled?

Potatoes perfectly absorb the taste of the products they are cooked with, so add salt to the water when you decide to make soup or salad from them. However, if your ultimate goal is mashed potatoes, salt should not be added to the liquid, because the spice will prevent you from achieving the perfect consistency of mashed potatoes.

For a better taste of potatoes during cooking, you can add spicy herbs and spices (or mixtures of such).

Some cooks cook the tubers in vegetable or chicken broth, others add vegetable oil or butter, garlic cloves, onions or celery, others - black peppercorns, parsley, and rosemary. And let's not forget dill - it goes perfectly with your favorite potatoes.

In the next part of the article we will find out how long we need to cook the potatoes, how to determine their readiness and we will consider the alternative of cooking them.