What varieties of potatoes do you like best?

Are some types of potatoes better for certain dishes than others?

50 responses total.

I was raised on Idaho potatoes, and Russets, which Mom says is basically
the same thing but grown outside the state of Idaho.  Those are still
some of my favorites.  But Yellow Finns are fun too.  They have an
interestingly smooth texture, and their color looks like Nature buttered
them before they were harvested.

I love new red potatos and Yellow Finns -- but if it's a potato, it's ok
by me.  ;)

Regular MI potatoes are great for mashed, baked, and such, but nothing
like a Yukon Gold soup with the rich yellow and smooth flavor.

I tried Yukon Gold once, and didn't like them much.  I usually
prefer the waxier varieties of potato, the basic ones they grow
in Michigan and so forth.  I sometimes use Russets, though they
are a bit mealy for home fries and such.  They are good for
baked potatoes, though.

I like red potatoes, too.

I don't know what they call the MI potato, but I like them better than
the Idahoes. 

Okay, this is something I know very little about and you folks
seem to know quite a bit.  Which potatoes would be best for
simple baking, whole?  Mashing?  Boiled?  Chunked, oiled and
dusted with Parm before baking?  Scalloped?

I tend to use Idaho potatoes for everything except when I need
little boiled potatoes, then I use redskins.  There must be a
better way for a lot of these techniques.

Boiled: little red potatoes with a handful of fresh dill thrown into
th water.    For real heaven, though, fish the original dill out and
keep it warm and through in *another* handful of fresh dill for the last
half of the boiling time!  Serve with a little olive oil or butter
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

re 6: As I read your first paragraph, I answered "Idaho" to all the
questions.  Then i got to the second paragraph and found that so do you.  :)

Yukon Golds are interesting for mashing or putting into stews; their
color is startling and their taste isn't *that* different from any other
potato that the recipe will be damaged.  Matter of fact, those would
probably be OK in any potato recipe.
Hm... yukon gold potato chips...

Well, I tried Yukon Golds again last week.  They are very starchy
and mealy, and did *not* make good home fries.  They were too
dry and crumbly.  I didn't notice a particularly startling color,
either.

Waxy potatoes (various varieties of "white" potato, including
plain Michigan potatoes) make the best boiled potatoes, potato
salad, home fries, hash browns, potatoe pancakes, etc.  
Starchy potatoes (including Idaho, russet, etc.) make the
best baked potatoes.  I don't know which are best mashed, though
I would probably try the waxy potatoes first.  I tend to
prefer Idaho's *only* for baking whole.

I don't think I've ever cooked a white potato.  Thanks for the
info.

Leslie - it sounds to me like you got a bad batch of Yukon Golds.
The ones from the co-op generally seem to be pretty good; haven't
ever had a mealy one; have only had ones with bright yellow flesh.

fav potato is baked.

There is no such thing a a "bad" potato.  I love them all, cooked any way. 
But right now, I could go for a dark red yam with orange marmelade (instead
of butter) spread over it.  Delicious and Beta Carotene, you know!

I've got some potatoes that are sorta mushy and green.  Are they bad?

Yes.  Potatoes form a severely toxic chemical (I'd have to look up which
one at home -- I'm at work now) when they are exposed to the light.
When that occurs, the potatoes turn green.  I'm a bit confused by this
since a lot of people eat a lot of green parts of potatoes regularly
and I've never yet heard of anyone getting potato poisoning.

Anyway, they say that if you scrape off the green parts, the toxin
stays put there, so you're safe eating the rest of the potato.

If you ever run across the book _On Food And Cooking_, it's got a
section with more information about green potatoes.  Excellent book!
Lots of info about food chemistry and the science of what goes
on in the kitchen.

I believe potato greens are poisonous.  Don't know if that applies
to green potatos, but it might.  Potatos are members of the
solanaceae family, which includes innocent stuff like tomatos
and peppers, and not so innocent stuff like deadly nightshade.

The green on my potatoes is fuzzy, does that make a difference?

 Might want to toss it in the trash or in the ol' compost heap.

I'm with Jim on this one, Kent.  Fuzzy potatoes don't taste good.

Fuzzy Navels are a different story.  I don't like 'em, but they
aren't poisonous, unless you consider alcohol a poison.  Some do.

My dad is big on Fuzzy Navels, but not on fuzzy potatoes.

Fuzzy navels cause fuzzy thinking!

Is that related to fuzzy logic?

Just asking ;)

I think so.  Sort of.  I guess.  Um.  Yeah.  Well, no.  Well, um....

Everybody hide!  Valerie is about to type in a wad of stuff outta a
book again.

From page 159 of _On Food And Cooking, The Science and Lore Of The
Kitchen_ by Harold McGee:

Green Potatoes: Alkaloids
Alkaloids are alkaline-behaving, nitrogen-containing complexes that
appeared in evolutionary history about the same time as the mammals, and
which seem to be especially effective against them.  Almost all known
alkaloids are poisonous at high doses, and most disrupt animal metabolism
at lower doses; this is the attraction of caffeine and nicotine for the
sleepy and jumpy.

Among commonly eaten plant foods, only the potato seriously threatens
us with alkaloid poisoning.  The production of alkaloids in the potato
tuber -- especially in small or immature ones -- is stimulated by exporsure
to light and to either very cold or fairly warm storage temperatures.
Small amounts of the alkaloids solanine and chaconine are normally present
in the potato and contribute to its characteristic flavor.  But the higher
levels that result from mishandling can be toxic, and there are several
recorded instances of serious group poisonings caused by bad potatoes.

Fortunately, there are warning signals.  Potatoes also produce chlorophyll
when exposed to light, so green tubers are automatically suspect.  And a
burning, pepperlike sensation on the tongue also indicates high levels of
alkaloids.  These substances are not destroyed by heating, and so must be
physically removed from the vegetable.  Most of the alkaloids are
concentrated within 1/16 inch of the surface, and peeling a slightly green
potato deeply will make it safe to eat.  Potato sprouts are rich in these
alkaloids and should be thoroughly excised before the potato is cooked.

(the book goes on from here to discuss cyanogens in fruit seeds and lima
beans, toxic oils in nutmeg, goitrins in the cabbage family, protease
inhibitors and lectins in beans, and antivitamins -- whatever those are).

Does it mention Fugu, too?

Interesting stuff, popcorn.  (See what happens when you ask a facetious
question on Grex?)

 Ahh Fugu. the only dish you eat after filling out a will, and a 
possible coffin purchase.

Not in THIS country.  The little fish corpses are disected back in Japan,
where no customer is bribing the chef to leave just enough neurotoxin in
the dish to numb the face.  The parts are then shipped frozen to the US.
It's on the menu at a number of restaurants where there are many Japanese
customers with expense accounts.

I knew about light turning potatoes green, and fairly warm temperatures
generally encourage food deterioration, but what's this about "very cold"?
Obviously popcorn didn't write the book, but does anybody know? Is our
45-degree barn not a safe place for potatoes after all, or does that
just mean below-freezing or some such?

I'm not an expert in this, but I don't think you'd want a temperature
below freezing. Frozen and thawed vegetables are not usually real
appealing.  Back in the old days, people had root cellars.  Anyone
know what the temperature in the typical root cellar is?

Wait a second, I'll go downstairs with my thermometer. . .

  This is just a guess, but I would say it's somewhere near 40 or so.

I have the computer in the basement, and when it's really cold outside,
the basement gets a little nippy. ;)

the average temprature of the ground 10 ft. below the surface at this
latitude is something like 55 F.

The book "Putting Food By" (Hertzberg, Vaughn, and Greene, 1975), pages
370-371, says:
   "Root-cellaring...means to hold [vegetables and fruits that have
not been processed]...for several months after their normal harvest in
a cold, rather moist atmosphere that will not allow them to freeze or
to complete their natural cycle to decomposition.
   "The freezing points and warmth ttolerances of produce vary.  The
range to shoot for generally, though, is 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit--
the effective span for refrigeration--with only a couple vegetables
needing warmer storage to keep their texture over the months..."
   Later, on page 385, this book has a table that shows that potatoes
freeze at 30.9 F., are suitably stored in a basement storage room,
root cellar, outdoor pit, or buried barrel.  The ideal storage temp.
for potatoes is given as 35-40 F.  Humidity to be moderately moist
(80-90%); slight air circulation necessary.  Storage life Fall and
Winter.
   On page 390, we find that late potatoes are better keepers than
early varieties.  They should be held in moist air about 2 wks, between
60-75 F. to condition prior to storage.  Says don't leave them in the
sun and wind, and to store them away from light (which the book says
makes them turn green...).  It also says that potatoes held at 35 F
for several months may become sweet (it says to remove them from
storage at 70F. for a week or so before using, in that case).  Potato
sprouts should be removed whenever they appear "especially toward the
end of winter.  Early sprouting indicates poor storage conditions."

I know this is an old item but I just read it [again? I'm sure I've read it
in the past but ddidn't recall it].

Does anyone have any good recipes using potatoes? I do remember an old friend
making baked potatoes [I'm not sure what kind of potatoes she used], though
they were pretty good because before baking, she rubbed some butter on the
outside and added some salt before baking.

And I was wondering [though I'm sure this may be very basic] but what's the
difference between waxy potatoes and starchy ones [mentioned in this item]
?

I always bake my potatoes naked.  Some people bake them wrapped tightly in
aluminum foil.  For me, the semi-steamed consistency is not as nice as the
crisper baked one, especially since I like the skin.  

The difference between waxy (usually red or round gold ones) and starchy (the
long, cylindrical Idaho ones) is the texture after they've been cooked.  

I use the waxy ones for things like potato salad, where you want the potatoes
to hold their shape after cooking.  Lots of people have begun to use Idahos
for a dish called mashed potato salad.  Idahos are pretty self-mashing after
they've been cooked.

Ah, that makes sense [the waxy vs starchy]. Thanks!  

When I was at the store today, I was going to buy a few potatoes but they only
had bags of them [like my old grocery store, we could buy them individually
and just however much we needed].  I don't know if I'd use a whole bag in the
near future, so I didn't get them. I was going to use one or two to put into
some stew I'm going to make but got a small can of them instead. I'm sure that
the canned ones won't be nearly as good but being in stew, I'm hoping it won't
make too big of a difference.

The canned ones tend not to taste very good.  A bag of potatoes will be good
for a long time if you keep it in a dark and if possible a cool place (such
as a basement).  Not a refrigerator, it changes the taste. A brown paper bag
or a closed cardboard box will do.  And if they are in a plastic bag open it
so they don't get too wet and rot.

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