Soaking potatoes before boiling

Any

The_Thrilla wrote: »

Exactly. I was shown the 'correct' way to boil rice. You boil it up, then you put the rice in a collander and pour a kettle of boiling water through it. It separates the grains wonderfully. All you are doing in either case is pouring vitamins and minerals down the sink.

I was only shown this for pasta.
Not for rice. In our house rice was always finished in the sheets...you par boil it and then you put the pan with the rice into sheets and let it finish (10 mins or so).
It also separates beautifully. I think because it never overcooks this way. Oh, and you have to wash the rice before for it to separate wonderfully.

Funnily enough I've never actually done it as an adult... Sometimes I do rice nearly to the end and then let it stand while doing something else, but I've never done the sheet thing!! My mum and granny always did that..

mrcow

Starch is insoluble in water so won't "leak" out of a potato and wouldn't pass through the cell wall as it's stored in grains within the potato which are too large.

Besides......why would you want to remove starch from a potato? Isn't that the entire point of eating it?

The_Thrilla

Any wrote: »

I was only shown this for pasta.
Not for rice. In our house rice was always finished in the sheets...you par boil it and then you put the pan with the rice into sheets and let it finish (10 mins or so).
It also separates beautifully. I think because it never overcooks this way. Oh, and you have to wash the rice before for it to separate wonderfully.

Funnily enough I've never actually done it as an adult... Sometimes I do rice nearly to the end and then let it stand while doing something else, but I've never done the sheet thing!! My mum and granny always did that..

That's the way my mother used to cook rice. Later in life, someone saw me doing it this way, and pointed out that I was pouring vitamins down the sink. After due deliberation, I decided she was right, and have never done it my mother's way since. The idea, after all, is to get the maximum nutrition from a meal. Especially these days - that meal might be your last!!:)

Pasta I have never seen cooked this way, but the same arguments would apply, I should think.

THIRZAH

Some recipes for potato pancakes say to soak the grated potato and my actifry suggests rinsing and drying chips before cooking.

torbrex

It doesn't hurt so I'm just going to continue with soaking them the same as mum did, she did it for over 60 years so she must have had her reasons

GreyQueen

I just give my spuds a very brief scrub then chuck them, halved if necessary, into the steamer saucepan.

Most veggies have most of their goodness just under the skin. Besides, it's fast and easy, and I'm all for an easy life in the kitchen.

cheeswright

Soaking them in cold water does make a difference
your mum was no fool
iced water is even better than cold ..
if you've ever tried making hash browns you can really ..really see the difference between soaked and un-soaked potatoes in the uneven cooking and lack of sweetness in the finished product when you dont soak them

Its the same with other ways to cook potatoes - just not as screamingly obvious...

tyllwyd

Any wrote: »

I was only shown this for pasta.
Not for rice. In our house rice was always finished in the sheets...you par boil it and then you put the pan with the rice into sheets and let it finish (10 mins or so).
...

Sorry if I'm being stupid, but this has completely puzzled me. At first I thought you were talking about the kind of sheets you put on your bed, but that can't be right. And rice paper sheets doesn't seem to make sense either. Can you explain??

rosalie-lavender

tyllwyd wrote: »

Sorry if I'm being stupid, but this has completely puzzled me. At first I thought you were talking about the kind of sheets you put on your bed, but that can't be right. And rice paper sheets doesn't seem to make sense either. Can you explain??

I'm glad I am not the only one a bit puzzled by this.

Linda32

Do you know I seem to remember my Mum soaking potatoes as well. I've no idea why. I do it on Christmas Eve (for Christmas Day) but that's so as they are ready to cook on Christmas day and I don't have to peel them.