mushy spuds

[futrot]

Have others had probs with spuds boiling away this year. even good looking K.E. boiling away

[Nature's Babe]

Hi Futrot, its usually the floury potatoes that do that, I choose waxy ones if I want them to stay whole, the floury ones bake well though. I had no problem personally, but have heard others say its not been a good year for potatoes.

[glallotments]

I read somewhere on the internet when looking up this problem - sorry can't remember where - that although some types of potatoes are more prone to boil in the water that dryness during the growing season can mean potatoes don't absorb enough moisture. The potatoes then lack moisture content and as a result when boiled they quickly take up moisture and burst.

This is supposed to be worse when cooking soon after the potatoes have been dug and is supposed to improve after storage but must admit ours are still breaking up.

By the way most of ours are waxy salad varieties but we still have had this problem this year. It was very dry in spring and when it did rain digging seemed to show that the moisture hadn't gone far into the ground. The amount of rain needed to combat evaporation in the summer months is quite surprising.

[peter]

Try steaming them rather than boiling. They will split but as not in contact with moving (bubbling) water they won't dissolve.

[Nature's Babe]

That's interesting Gallotments, a very feasable explanation. I grew mine mulched with newspaper between the rows, and a good mulch of straw on top, they grew through the straw mulch quite happily and I think it helped to slow evaporation, the other plus was that any that grew near the soil surface didn't go green.

[John]

Hello FT
My kitchen lady (aka DW) recommends starting the cooking process with boiling water from the kettle (not heating from cold in the pan) and then boil gently. This isn't a cure for the problem but seems to reduces the disintegration. I agree with the others that steaming helps.

John

[Johnboy]

I steam almost everything, Spuds, Carrots, Parsnips, Broccoli, Sprouts, Cabbage, Peas and Beans and the only thing I cook differently is Beetroot and that is cooked in a Pressure Cooker. (where would I be without it!)
I am so tight that I can cook at least three things using one gas!
It also saves on washing up. I even boiled two hard boiled eggs in the water container of the steamer at lunch time for cold in that evening when I cooked the Sunday Lunch vegetables.
JB.

[Monika]

I do the same, Johnboy. Everything is steamed, including the beetroot (wrapped in kitchen foil). I also lightly steam things like potatoes, parsnips, celeriac etc prior to roasting them. When I occasionally look after my grandchildren, a household without steamer, it feels just wrong to me to boil things in water and then throwing the water away!

Steaming certainly stops potatoes disintegrating.

[John]

Monika - vegetable water when added to the juices from your roast makes superb gravy (plus a little cornflour for thickening) but I guess you already know this.

John

[glallotments]

We steam too but have had disintegrated potatoes even when cooking that way - not as bad but they have burst.

[realfood]

Try microwaving which is what I do with all of mine.

[glallotments]

I'm afraid that ours is one of the few households without a microwave!

[Colin_M]

We steam too but have had disintegrated potatoes even when cooking that way - not as bad but they have burst.

Yes, after advice from others, I tried steaming this year. Whilst it improved things slightly it didn't prevent mushing.

In addition to the suggestions made above, one problem we've had is that some potatoes in the pan seem to cook faster than others (even when the same size). Thus, unless you remove the "ready" ones, they then disintegrate whilst you wait for the others to catch up.

[futrot]

thanks all, lets hope better next year . spuds chip beautifully