1. Chapter 18
Potatoes

2. Chapter Objectives
1. Classify potatoes into two types, describe the general properties of each type, and identify the most suitable cooking method for each type.
2. Identify characteristics of high-quality potatoes and describe how to store them.
3. Cook potatoes by boiling and steaming.
4. Prepare potato purée.
5. Cook potatoes by baking, sautéing, pan-frying, and deep-frying.

3. Potatoes
The potato is one of the most popular foods, and, for the most part, most neglected.
It has always been a staple food.
It is sometimes the second consideration after the protein item.
The skill of the chef can make the lowly potato, a prized offering to the dining public.

4. Understanding Potatoes
Waxy or new potatoes
High moisture, high sugar, low starch content
Holds shape well when cooked
Used for salads, soups, hashed browns
Mature or starchy potatoes, Russets or Idahos and All-Purpose
High starch content, low sugar and moisture
Light, dry, and mealy when cooked
Ideal for baking, french fries
All purpose potatoes, not as dry and starchy as russets. Irregularly shaped, less expensive than russets.

5. Varieties
Picking the right potatoes for the right cooking procedure is very important.
New potatoes - harvested before full maturity, lower starch content, and thin skins.
Russets
All-purpose potatoes
Yellow fleshed potatoes – includes Yukon gold potatoes
Red-skinned potatoes
Blue-skinned potatoes
Fingerling potatoes

6. Checking for Quality High-quality potatoes have these qualities:
Firm and smooth
Dry skin
Shallow eyes
No sprouts
No green color
Absence of cracks, blemishes, and rotten spots

7. Storing Keep in a cool, dry place, ideally at 55o - 60oF.
Do not refrigerate below 45oF because the starch will convert to sugar.
New potatoes do not keep well. Purchase one week at a time.

8. Market Forms Fresh, unprocessed Peeled, treated to prevent browning
Canned, whole, cooked
French fries, blanched, frozen
Other frozen, prepared products
Dehydrated

9. Cooking Potatoes The range of recipes is from simple to complex.
Boiling and steaming
Boiled potatoes are generally started in cold water rather than hot. This allows more even cooking and heat penetration.
Potatoes are never cooled in cold water, because it makes them soggy.

10. Potato Purée
Potato purée is an important product in a commercial kitchen, even though it is not served as such.
It is the basis for many popular preparation, like mashed potatoes, duchesse potatoes, and potato croquettes.

11. Baking
Baking potatoes is a simple process. The end result is a light, white, fluffy, mealy and steamy potato.
Baked – “En Casserole”
Potatoes baked in a pan or casserole, with or without liquid added. Best known is scalloped potatoes.

12. Sautéing and Pan Frying
There are variations in sautéing and pan frying potatoes. Some use raw potatoes, and some use precooked and blanched potatoes.
Potatoes mixed or tossed when cooking. The potatoes are cut into pieces and sautéed in fat and turned in order to brown on all sides, like rissole and parmesan potatoes.
Potatoes are made into cakes and browned on both sides, like hash browns.

13. Deep-Frying Potatoes can be fried raw.
These potatoes are cut into various sizes and deep fried until golden brown.
Deep-Fried Potatoes can be prepared from cooked, puréed potatoes.
Russet and Idaho are the best potatoes to use.

14. Deep-Frying (cont’d) French fries
These are one of the most popular items in America.
The most common method is to wash, eye, cut and blanch them in frying fat at a low temperature, not to brown them. They are drained and refrigerated.
They can be portioned and deep fried in a few minutes.

15. Copyright ©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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