Wait, what: cooking potatoes in the bag?
How we managed for years in the kitchen without TikTok is pretty much a mystery. Because all those handy kitchen hacks we learn from the videos definitely aren’t in cookbooks or anything. But this tip goes a little too far: cooking potatoes in their packaging—is that a good idea?
The TikTok video by @ThreePointTurner shows potatoes being cooked while they’re still in the bag. No, not a plastic bag, but a nylon net, the kind of little bag you can also buy onions and mandarins in, for example. The mysterious Three Point Turner saw on a cooking show that potatoes were dropped into boiling water with the net and all. They tried it too, and guess what: fantastic. But we do have some questions about this.
Melting plastic?
To begin with: what material is that little bag made of? Plastic doesn’t necessarily melt in boiling water, but it really can’t be very healthy. According to cooking magazine Food&Wine, chemicals from the material can leach out and end up in your cooking water. No, that doesn’t sound good.
Wash, check
A second objection to cooking in a little bag: how can you wash your potatoes properly before they go into the pan with their skins on? Answer: you can’t. Not very convenient either. And besides, it’s impossible to check whether your potatoes have any odd spots or eyes that you want to cut out before cooking and eating them. And as for peeling them, we won’t even get started.
What’s the point?
But above all: why? What’s the advantage of cooking potatoes in a little bag like that? Is it easier to lift them out of the water in the bag when they’re done? Do they stay firmer when you cook them in the bag? Honestly, we can’t think of a single reason to toss the potatoes into the pan with the net and all.
Read also:
- These tips will help you make the tastiest baked potatoes
- Recipe: super-quick potato pancakes with cheese
- Budget cooking: potatoes
Source: Food&Wine
