All you need to know about cooking and storing potatoes

June 30, 2015

Everything you need to know about potatoes is right here: tips on choosing them, storing them, preparing and cooking them — right down to ideas for how to use leftovers.

All you need to know about cooking and storing potatoes

Perfect potato tips

  • Choose the right kind of potato for the purpose you have in mind. Russets, golds and long whites are good for baking, frying or mashing, while the slightly waxy new potatoes taste great boiled, steamed or roasted.
  • Store potatoes in a dry, dark place. Do not keep them in the refrigerator.
  • If potatoes that turn green after a week or so it's an indication that they're getting too much light. Move them to a heavy brown paper bag.
  • Since potato peels are rich in nutrients, organic potatoes should be peeled sparingly or not at all.
  • You can store peeled, raw potatoes in the refrigerator for two to three days. Just add a couple of drops of vinegar to a bowl of water, put your potatoes in, cover and refrigerate.
  • Add a little oil or butter to potatoes' cooking water to prevent boiling over.
  • After boiling potatoes, drain and cover with a cloth to absorb the steam and keep potatoes warm.
  • Try mashed potatoes with buttermilk or chicken broth instead of milk or cream. They impart an interesting flavour and contain less fat and fewer calories.
  • Parsley and marjoram are particularly tasty herbs to use with potatoes.
  • Avoid wrapping baking potatoes in tinfoil. It will hold in the moisture, in effect steaming your potato.
  • To bake potatoes in the microwave, wash, but don't dry them, pierce them with a fork wrap them in paper towels and cook them on a microwave rack.
  • Leftover creamy soups, stews, chili or veggies au gratin make wonderful toppers, turning a baked potato into a full-on meal.
  • Potatoes are low in fat and calories. To keep them that way, opt for low-fat toppers such as plain yogurt, low-fat sour cream and chives and salsa.
  • Leftover mashed potatoes make a terrific thickener for soups, stews or sauces. Combined with leftover meat and gravy; they can be recycled as a shepherd's pie or pot pie.
  • Leftover potatoes can be stored in a freezer bag or an airtight container and frozen for up to 10 months.

--------------------

Discover the smarter way to save time and money

Ready to start saving more on your groceries and pharmacy purchases? Download the FREE YP Grocery app today! It lets you create shareable shopping lists, automatically finds all the best deals and coupons, then delivers them right to you. No more manually scrolling through hundreds of flyers to find what you’re looking for!

Download the YP Grocery app now!

The material on this website is provided for entertainment, informational and educational purposes only and should never act as a substitute to the advice of an applicable professional. Use of this website is subject to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Close menu