In terms of rising potatoes, select the potato you develop to match the best way you wish to cook dinner potatoes. Use low-starch potatoes for boiling, roasting, grilling, sautés, stews, salads, and au gratin dishes. Use medium starch potatoes for steaming, baking, roasting, grilling, and au gratin dishes. Use high-starch potatoes for baking, frying, and mashing.
Low- and medium-starch potatoes preserve their form and stay creamy and toothy when boiled. Excessive-starch potatoes will swell and puff up when baked; they are going to be gentle, dry, and delicate. (A high-starch potato submitted to the pains of boiling will explode and switch inside out in boiling water.)
Right here’s what you might want to learn about low, medium, and high-starch potatoes:
Low- and medium-starch potatoes for boiling
Low- and medium-starch potatoes are typically known as salad or boiling potatoes. They’ve excessive moisture content material in order that they don’t take in as a lot water when submerged and boiled. The most typical low-starch potatoes are red-skinned varieties typically known as round-reds; search for the range Pink Bliss. Different boiling potatoes are California lengthy whites, Maine, and Kennebec potatoes. Medium-starch potato varieties embody Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, and German Butterball.
Different low- and medium-starch potatoes embody many dubbed fingerlings (named for his or her form and dimension) and heirlooms (search for rose, pink, gold, and purple potatoes).
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Excessive-starch potatoes for baking
Excessive-starch potatoes, greatest for baking, are russet, russet Burbank, and russet Idaho. They’ve low moisture content material and are typically known as “mealy” potatoes. If you happen to can’t get a russet, Burbank, or Idaho potato for baking, use a medium-starch potato, once more Yukon Gold and Yellow Finn are the perfect recognized. Medium-starch potatoes won’t produce a baked potato as gentle and puffy as a russet or Idaho potato.
Mashing potatoes
If you happen to plan to mash the potatoes you develop, you’ll be able to select both low-, medium, or high-starch potatoes, however preparation differs when making mashed potatoes. Low- and medium-starch potatoes will probably be extra flavorful as mashed potatoes than high-starch potatoes, however one can find they’re stickier, virtually glue-like, in preparation so you could discover it tough to attain a smooth-texture mashed potato serving. Use high-starch potatoes for a {smooth}, fluffy mashed potato, however somewhat than boil the potatoes steam them.
Information to potato varieties and varieties
Listed here are 9 several types of potatoes with selection names. Search for the quantity of starch–low, medium, or excessive–for every kind. Match the kind you develop to how you intend to cook dinner the potatoes.
Russet potatoes
• Russet potatoes—additionally known as previous potatoes, baking potatoes, or Idaho potatoes (in the event that they had been grown in Idaho)—have an rectangular, elliptical form, and tough, netted, brown pores and skin with quite a few eyes and white flesh. Russets develop from 4 to six inches (10-15 cm) lengthy and about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
Russets are low in moisture and excessive in starch in order that they cook dinner up dry and fluffy. Russets are fitted to baking, mashing, and deep frying (French fries). The highest varieties are russet Burbank, russet Norkotahs, russet Arcadia, and russet Butte.
Lengthy white potatoes
• Lengthy white potatoes–additionally known as white rose or California lengthy whites (as a result of they had been developed in California)—have an elliptical form and skinny ivory white to pale gray-brown pores and skin with imperceptible eyes. Lengthy whites develop from 4 to six inches (10-15 cm) lengthy and about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter.
Lengthy whites have a medium to low starch content material and are moister than russets. You should use lengthy whites for boiling, baking, or deep frying. Lengthy whites preserve their form when cooked.
Fingerling potatoes
• Fingerlings—are thumb-sized potatoes that develop to about 3 inches (7.5 cm) lengthy and 1 inch (2.5 cm) huge. Fingerlings are thin-skinned and might be cooked unpeeled—baked, boiled, steamed, fried, and roasted. They’re low in starch with a waxy texture and maintain collectively properly after cooking. They’re yellow-fleshed with a wealthy, buttery texture.
Many fingerlings—small finger sized-potatoes—are additionally low-starch potatoes. Fingerling varieties embody lengthy white fingerling, purple Peruvian fingerlings, French fingerling, German fingerling, Russian banana fingerling, Ozette, and Ruby Crescent fingerlings.
Yellow potatoes
• Yellow potatoes—are often spherical to barely oblong-shaped potatoes with skinny, yellowish gentle brown skins, and buttery yellow to golden waxy flesh. Yellow potatoes are low to medium in starch and have a moist, creamy, succulent texture with a buttery taste. They’re properly fitted to boiling, steaming, mashing, roasting, grilling, and au gratin dishes.
Yellow flesh potato varieties embody Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, German Butterball, Carola, Nicola, and Alby’s Gold.
Spherical white potatoes
• Spherical white potatoes—are medium-sized, spherical with a lightweight tan to freckled brown pores and skin and waxy to creamy textured flesh. Spherical whites are moist with low to medium starch. They’re properly fitted to boiling, roasting, frying, and mashing. Spherical whites maintain their form after cooking.
Spherical whites are grown largely within the Northeastern United States. Spherical white varieties embody Kennebec, Superior, and Atlantic.
Spherical crimson potatoes
• Spherical crimson potatoes— additionally known as new potatoes (as a result of they’re small), crimson bliss potatoes, and boiling potatoes–are medium-sized, spherical, rose to reddish-brown skinned potatoes with dense, crisp white flesh. Spherical reds are low in starch and are sweeter tasting than spherical whites. Select spherical reds for boiling, roasting, grilling, sautés, stews, salads, and au gratin dishes. You may serve spherical reds cooked entire.
Spherical reds are largely grown within the Northwestern United States. Spherical crimson varieties embody Pink Norland and Pink Pontiac.
Purple and blue potatoes
• Purple potatoes or blue potatoes—are heirloom potatoes with grayish-blue to purple skins and often inky blue flesh. They’re delicately flavored. Purple and blue-skinned potatoes are low in starch and might be boiled, steamed, roasted, fried, mashed, or served in stews, salads, and au gratin dishes.
Blue and purple potatoes are in all probability descended from the unique potatoes from Peru which had been the identical coloration. Purple flesh potato varieties embody All Blue, which is dry and good for roasting; Purple Peruvian which is properly fried; and Purple Viking which has good taste and is nice mashed.
• Different heirloom potatoes–embody two red-skinned and red-fleshed potatoes: Huckleberry and Blossom. Each of those potatoes are low in starch and might be boiled, steamed, roasted, fried, mashed, or served in stews, salads, and au gratin dishes.
New potatoes
• New potatoes–is a time period for any number of potato that has been harvested earlier than it has reached maturity. (Nonetheless, mature spherical crimson potatoes are additionally known as new potatoes just because they’re small.) New potatoes are additionally known as child potatoes and typically creamers. They are often as small as marble-sized.
New potatoes are harvested when their leaves are nonetheless inexperienced—most potatoes are harvested after their leaves have turned yellow or brown—and earlier than their sugar has begun to transform to starch. New potatoes are thin-skinned and really moist with a crisp, waxy textured flesh.
New potatoes typically come to market within the spring and early summer time. They’re by no means saved in storage due to their excessive sugar content material. New potatoes are nice for cooking entire, boiling, or pan-roasting. They preserve their form after cooking and are well-used in potato salads.
Storage potatoes
Storing potatoes or storage potatoes–come from mature vegetation whose leafy tops have yellowed and died again. Storing potatoes needs to be dried or cured earlier than they’re saved. Potatoes are often cured for a interval of 4 to five days at about 60-70ºF (16-21°C). Curing permits cuts and floor accidents of the tuber to “heal.” Potatoes low in starch will retailer properly.
Nicely-matured potatoes with out defects are the perfect keepers. Potatoes needs to be saved in a cool, darkish, well-ventilated space. Potatoes might be saved for as much as 6 months.
Good storing potatoes embody Norkotah, Goldrush, Butte, Katahdin, Caribe, and Pink Norland.
Learn how to check an unknown potato selection for starch
If you happen to don’t know the number of the potato you may have in hand, you’ll be able to decide how starchy it’s by slicing it with a knife. If the potato clings to the knife or if the knife is coated with a creamy white substance, the potato is starchy.
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