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Potatoes
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About potatoes
Potatoes can be prepared in almost an infinite number of ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without, shallow or deep-fried, and baked. The only requirement involves that they are cooked in order to break down the starch contained within. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.
- Remove potatoes from the plastic bags they are packaged in to prevent them sweating
- Add lemon juice during boiling to prevent after-cooking blackening
- Treat potatoes carefully as they are easily bruised
- Peel potatoes thinly, or not at all - this will preserve the nutrients just under the skin
- Cut potatoes into evenly-sized pieces to ensure even cooking
- Boil potatoes slowly to avoid them breaking up
- Store potatoes in the dark - light turns them green
- Save the water used for cooking potatoes for stocks and stews
Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes. Unlike many foods, potatoes can also be easily cooked in a microwave oven and still retain nearly all of their nutritional value, provided that they are covered in ventilated plastic wrap to prevent moisture from escaping—this method produces a meal very similar to a steamed potato while retaining the appearance of a conventionally baked potato. Potato chunks also commonly appear as a stew ingredient.
See a slide-show video of some potato varieties on YouTube
What are the best potatoes for:
BAKED POTATOES
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BOILED POTATOES
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CHIPPED POTATOES
DAUPHINOISE POTATOES
GENERAL ALL-ROUND USE
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MASHED POTATOES
NEW POTATOES
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ROAST POTATOES
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SALAD POTATOES
SCALLOPED POTATOES
POTATO WEDGES
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Thanks to the Potato Council for helping with this list.
Pictures of varieties of potatoes
Amorosa
Annabelle
Anya
Arran Victory
Baby Rose
Bambino
Belle de Fontenay
Blue Belle
Casablanca
Charlotte
Cherie
Corolle
Cultra
Elfe
Estima
Exquisa
Forty Fold
Highland Burgundy Red
Kerrs Pink
- Kestrel potatoes.jpg
Kestrel
King Edward
Lady Balfour
Marfona
Maris Peer
Mayan Gold
Melody
Mozart
Perline
Pink fir apple
Pioneer
Purple Majesty
Red King Edward
Rocket
Rooster
Roseval
Saphire
Shetland Black
Vales Sovereign
Valor
Vivaldi
Wilja
How much does one cup of potatoes weigh?
Estimated US cup to weight equivalents:
| Ingredient | US Cups | Grams | Ounces | |
| Potatoes | raw - sliced or diced | 1 |
175 grams | 6 ounces |
| Potatoes | cooked - diced/mashed | 1 |
225 grams | 8 ounces |
Conversion notes:
Every ingredient has a cups to ounces or grams conversion table. Search for the ingredient, cup to weight conversions are at the end of each ingredient page.
We also have a generic conversion table and a portions per person lookup.
