Archive for the ‘Cooking Potatoes’ Category


Baking Potatoes for a Large Group

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Q. We are having an event where we will be serving baked potatoes.  I will be cooking 30-40 medium to large Idaho potatoes in our oven.  We have two ovens – one with two racks, the other with one.  I typically wash the potatoes, poke them a few times, and place them right on the rack at about 400°F for 60 minutes.  Considering the number of potatoes and their size I have a few questions below:  (Answers are in red)

  1. What temperature do you suggest I use to cook them?  400°F (potatoes are done when internal temp reaches 210°F).
  2. Will it help cooking times to use both ovens – 3 racks?  Spacing of potatoes? Yes, use both ovens.  Poke the potatoes a few times and then place them directly on the rack.
  3. What should I expect as far as cooking time? 1 hour for the larger sizes, I would plan on 1 hour 15 minutes max.
  4. We will be in the mountains. Will the higher altitude affect the cooking time? The altitude should not affect the baking time of potatoes.

Here are a few additional links that may be helpful in baking a large amount of potatoes at once:

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Getting moisture out of mashed potatoes

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Q. How do I get the moisture out of my mashed potatoes?

A. CooksCountry.com just had an excellent article on making whipped mashed potatoes with several tips. The article walks you thru several options that were discarded or modified.

I always like to start with the right variety of potato, and russets seem to consistently outperform reds or Yukon Golds… primarily because most russets on average have a little more starch to water ratio. I firmly believe in using the Russet Burbank variety from Idaho, although others will work too.  First, don’t waterlog the potatoes when you cook them, usually by boiling or steaming whole. Try cutting the potato into chunks and start with cold water, boil and then remove and drain when fork tender (it will give when you press the potato with the fork tines). Try draining the cooked water off in a sieve or colander and then placing back on the stove to cook out some of the extra moisture, just a couple of minutes. Mash with a masher (or a ricer which makes great non lumpy spuds). Always add melted butter or the liquid when it is warm and do this a little at a time.

It is really not that hard, give it a try.

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Keeping breakfast potatoes from becoming soggy

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Q: I was wondering how to keep fried potatoes from getting soggy.  My church has a potluck on Wednesdays, and now and then, we have breakfast for dinner.  Fried potatoes are always on the sign-up sheet, but no one knows how to fry them at home and transport them without the potatoes getting greasy and soggy.

A: Holding breakfast potatoes after they are sautéed or fried is pretty hard to do. I have had the best luck with cutting potatoes into cubes with the skin on, tossing in vegetable oil and dried spices and then oven roasting them. That way you can limit the amount of oil used. Potato pancakes can also work, form and fry till partially done, then oven bake. If making hash browns, be sure to check out the dehydrated hash browns that come in milk cartons. They rehydrate in a few minutes in water. Because they are already cooked, they don’t take much oil or time in oil to crisp up. There are several existing breakfast potato recipes on our web site. Here is the link.

If frying hash browns on a griddle, put the oil on first and allow it to heat up, then add the potatoes. Pouring cool or room temp oil over the potatoes is a sure fire way to end up with soggy spuds.

Here are few more links on hash browns potato prep:
fresh prep
frozen or dehy prep

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Freezing Idaho® Potatoes

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Q: How do I freeze potatoes without them turning brown?

A: They will darken due to an enzyme reaction to the air. The only way to prevent this is to blanch in water or cook in oil before freezing. Some people have success with baking potatoes till nearly done, cooling and the refrigerating them and shredding later. The following links contain more information on freezing potatoes:

Freezing Idaho® Potatoes Ahead of Time

Can I Freeze Potato Salad?

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, Q & A

Soaking Potatoes in Milk

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Q. Why soak potatoes in milk?

A. I assume you are doing mashed potatoes, and since people often boil corn in a mixture of water and milk to give it a sweet flavor or unique taste you wondered if it works for potatoes. My recommendation, unless it is an ethnic recipe or one passed down from grandmother to mother and now to you, is to not waste the milk. Instead, boil the potatoes in water, drain and mash, and then slowly add softened butter or warm milk. This is the only recipe I would suggest you try if you want the milk to marinate into the spuds:

Buttermilk Idaho French Fingerlings

Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Scalloped Potato Recipes for a Large Group

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Q. I am looking for a good scalloped potato recipe that has cheese in it but I need the quantity for 65 people. Can you help?

A. While we don’t have any scalloped potato recipes in large quantities, I recommend the recipe below (which I found online) for Au gratin potatoes because it clearly shows the steps visually. It gives some options such as cutting the potatoes with skin on into slices and then quartering (saves time, adds flavor) and adds garlic for flavor and a liquid to help simmer the potatoes, then finishes off with shredded cheese which could be done at the last minute and then melted. It’s from a wonderful blog, The Pioneer Woman. The quantity is much smaller, but you get a sense of home the dish should look at various stages.

Perfect Potatoes au Gratin

All these recipes are for fifty portions and can be scaled up easiest to 75 by multiplying the recipe ingredients 1 ½ times.

http://forums.chef2chef.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=550966 scalloped (no cheese) from a very reliable book that’s been around forever, Food For Fifty http://www.sangotn.com/cookbook/cookcrowd/agp.html

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/64/Au_Gratin_Potatoes_for_5020533.shtml Au Gratin (with cheese and a cheese sauce)

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Foodservice, Q & A

Disappearing Potatoes

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Q: As I was preparing to make a large pot of homemade vegetable soup, I cut up a 5# bag of Idaho potatoes. Much to my dismay as I was stirring my soup, my potatoes had disappeared. I have never had this to happen. Could you please explain what happened to my potatoes???

A: It’s hard to tell, but I am guessing that the potatoes were boiled whole then the outside was done before the inside, or they might have been  cut too small and cooked too long and broke up into smaller pieces. Often a cook or chef likes this as the potatoes become a thickener in the soup or sauce. Try cooking only till fork tender to the touch.

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Preparing Mashed Potatoes ahead of time

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Q: What is the best way to insure mashed potatoes are creamy & taste “just mashed” when prepared a day ahead of serving?

A: First of all, select a Russet Burbank variety. The bags have the variety designation on a quick lock holding the bag shut. Make sure the potatoes have the “Grown in Idaho” seal on the bag or carton. Loose potatoes are harder to determine by source, but the produce person in the store can tell you or you can see that they look similar, just larger, than the Idaho bagged potatoes.

Don’t over mix the potatoes. The starch cells break down easily and the potatoes will become gummy.

Be sure to add in the liquids hot (cream and butter) and again, just fold in. Cool to room temp and refrigerate for next day service. Cover with a clear wrap (make sure they are not warm when you do this step or the potatoes will turn out soggy) or a clean kitchen towel so no excess air is exposed to the mixture. Reheat and if necessary, add more hot liquid once fully cooked.

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Peeling Potatoes in Advance

Friday, December 16th, 2011

Q: How far in advance of cooking can i peel my potatoes?

A: One day. Peel and place into a water solution of 1 gallon of water to one tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar, then refrigerate till you need them. Drain and cut into chunks, heat (or warm up) then add hot liquids (cream or softened or liquid butter or buttermilk or sour cream) and fold into gently, do not over mix or the potatoes will turn out gummy.

Try this video for some excellent tips. [click here]

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

Lumpy Mashed Potatoes

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Q: How do I fix lumpy mashed potatoes?

A: I love my mashed potatoes without lumps too, so I always use a potato ricer. You can find these at department stores; I bought an inexpensive one at Target, less than $20.

Here are a couple from amazon.com. [click here]

Here is a fun link on making mashed potatoes:  [click here]

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Posted in Consumer, Cooking Potatoes, Q & A

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