Kitchen Garden Forum

I've grown these for the first time this year after reading recommendations on this forum. I find it very difficult boiling them now they have grown bigger and are too big to cook whole. However gently I boil them the skin breaks away from the potato taking a thin layer of potato with it, and they seem to go from not quite ready to overcooked in seconds! I've been boiling potatoes for a good number of years now and have never had this problem before. Any tips on how to get better results?
Talk about teaching your grandmother to suck eggs!
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Granny

You could try steaming them.

Hi Granny,
I agree with Chantal about steaming. I no longer boil Spuds, cabbage including Broccoli, Parsnip or Carrots. I also steamed Asparagus this year and I swear the taste is enhanced and certainly much easier to handle.
JB.

Thanks Chantal and JB, I've never steamed potatoes but will start now.
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Granny

I found the skins still came off when I steamed them last year which is why I decided against growing them this year. Hope you have better luck

i grew them last year & had the same problem when cooking them even when steaming

Hi Biggerplant,
I think that you have tried to steam your spuds too rapidly and steaming should be a slow process.
When I steam I get the water to boiling then turn the heat down until it is just producing steam and let it get on with it. I will not try to say that I have never had things go wrong but when it has it has been because I have had the heat too high.
JB.

I love Duke of York potatoes. Whether i boil or steam them, or roast in the oven in olive oil, the skins only part company if I cut them in halves/quarters. Leave them whole and they're no trouble.

Hello Granny
I see in Alan Romans' book that larger RDoY are sold as summer bakers by Waitrose. So perhaps that's the answer, larger ones don't boil well and are best used as bakers.

When we have had this sort of problem with other varieties, I have stored them for a few weeks after digging and then the disintegration on cooking problem hasn't been so bad.

John

Thanks for all replies. It seems like I'll boil/steam small ones and bake the large ones.
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Granny