Cooking & EatingDo you often eat potatoes? And how do you prepare them? One does it with boiling water, the other puts them on with cold water. Experts give their advice for preparing the beeper properly.
‘The potato is still popular, especially among families with young children’, reported agricultural news platform The Field Guide last November. 68 percent of families with children aged 5 to 12 say they eat potatoes about six times a week, according to figures from research agency Nielsen. “With a large family, there is nothing cheaper than eating potatoes,” said John Kruythof recently on this site.
How you cook your potatoes is a matter of debate. Experts explain how best to do this. “The proper preparation of a potato starts with the purchase,” says Paul Zonnenberg, owner of restaurant Jacketz, which specializes in jacket potatoes. “The Netherlands is the number one potato country. Not so much because we eat the most potatoes (fun fact: that is Portugal), but because we are especially good at developing and growing potatoes.”
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You only have to peel a green potato, the rest is just edible
It is therefore best to go to the market instead of the supermarket, and ask for the potato of the season, Zonnenberg gives a tip. Chef Jimmy de Leeuw agrees: ,,We all know different types of apples, but we know very little about spuds, while there are so many types. Ask for it, I’d say.”
With or without peel?
Many people still peel their potatoes, according to De Leeuw this should not always be the case. “Potatoes with skins are much tastier. I wouldn’t take it off, especially with a superdoer.” Zonnenberg: ,,Unless I want a very clean dish, I never peel potatoes. You miss out on a lot of flavor and vitamins without that peel.” Not sure if you can eat the peel? “You only have to peel a green potato, the rest is just edible,” says Zonnenberg.
De Leeuw: ,,Brush your potatoes or rinse them and put them under cold water. Not too much, because then taste will be lost.”
Why cold water? ,,If you immediately place potatoes in boiling water, there is a chance that the outside of the potato will cook too quickly, while the core has not yet been heated up. With cold water you prevent the potatoes from being cooked unevenly”, Zonnenberg says.
Duration of cooking differs per potato
In general, it takes 15 to 20 minutes to cook potatoes. De Leeuw recommends keeping a close eye on it. ,,You can just prick the potatoes in between, then you can see if they are cooked.”
How do you know they are cooked? “If you can get through it all the way. The cooking time of a potato changes throughout the year. Potatoes that have been in the pan longer also have to be in the pan longer,” says Zonnenberg.
Besides the old-fashioned cooking, you can do many more things with potatoes. “Try dry-boiled potatoes in the oven, they get so deliciously crispy,” De Leeuw tips. Of course Zonnenberg prefers to roast his potato. “With the skin in the oven and some salt on it, it soaks in wonderfully.”
Want to know more about food and drink? Listen to the podcast series Koken&Weten below. You can also find it at Spotify and apple.
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