Start potatoes in cold water or put them straight into boiling water: what do you do?
The good old humble potato: with the rise of the low-carb mafia, the spud’s image has taken quite a hit. That’s silly and a shame, because potatoes in all shapes and prepared in every way deserve praise and love as far as we’re concerned. From an unparalleled portion of fries to a couple of those delicious steaming golden boiled beauties on your plate, potatoes really are a perfect ingredient.
And when it comes to boiled potatoes: a well-boiled potato is a great basic side dish for a beginner home cook to master. And yes, that may sound incredibly simple, but opinions vary considerably on something seemingly trivial like ‘do you start the potatoes in cold water or put them in water that’s already boiling?’…
Cold versus boiling
Because each of these two ‘schools’ has its loyal followers. A quick look around the internet shows that both camps have their own beliefs. But of course, the shared goal is a potato that is cooked properly and is therefore an ideal companion to whatever else you want to eat: a classic plate of boeuf bourguignon, some delicious steamed or roasted vegetables, an easy piece of oven-baked salmon?
Team Cold
Those who favor starting potatoes in cold water, placing the potatoes in the pan on the heat in a layer of cold water that just barely covers them and bringing it to a boil, say this: with this method, an enzyme in the cell wall is activated and strengthened, helping the potato retain its shape during the heating process. They also recommend letting the water simmer, but not boil vigorously. Whether a potato becomes ‘mealy’ or not will, incidentally, mainly depend on the variety (waxy versus floury).
Team Boiling
Supporters of the method in which you (carefully) put the potatoes into a pan of already boiling water say that the longer they spend in water, the more nutrients are lost. By putting the spuds (cut into pieces of virtually equal size so one doesn’t need more cooking time than another) straight into boiling water, your meal will naturally be on the table faster.
Ultimately, we want the same thing
What everyone does agree on is this: use enough salt in the cooking water. Should it be as salty as your pasta water? According to chef Molly Baz of Bon Appétit, yes: once cooked, it’s impossible to perk up a tasteless potato (at least from the inside); you’ll throw most of that salt away with the water anyway, and besides: if you know what’s good, hopefully something fatty will be added to those boiled potatoes in the next step: mayonnaise and/or sour cream, for example. And something fresh, such as chopped fresh herbs, or pickled red onion. With these additional flavor elements, you’ll soon balance out the salt in the potato. Hear hear!
Also read:
- An ode to Alison Roman’s potato and leek soup
- Why you should use baking soda for extra-crispy roasted potatoes
- The latest plant-based milk is potato milk
