Cooking Potatoes Recipes Food Cooking International Guide
Cooking Potatoes Creates A Delicious Meal
By Frank Russelton
Cooking potatoes are a popular option with many families around
the world. Potatoes are versatile as they can be oven baked, fried,
steamed and boiled. In my family, we always like to add a side
dish of baked potatoes, next to the cooked meat. Eating roasted
potato with roast meat is another popular option.
Potato wedges have become popular with fast food outlets. You
can buy frozen wedges, or frozen chips and cook them rather quickly.
I prefer peeling potatoes and creating my own wedges, as the potatoes
taste much better, when they have been freshly peeled.
May Need To Compromise
If you have the time to sit down and peel potatoes, then this
may be a better option. If you are restricted for time and the
family need some food on the table, then take out the frozen wedges.
These are the times when you have to review your options and make
compromises.
Lets get down to the nitty gritty of cooking potatoes.
Cooking The Most Versatile Vegetable
Potatoes are a staple food in many parts of the world. This is
not a surprise when you consider that it is one of the most versatile
vegetable to exist. There are hundreds of ways of cooking potatoes
and when combined with other ingredients, it is possible to produce
some of the best foods known to man.
Whether plain boiled, baked, mashed, chipped, stewed or fried,
cooking potatoes is as diverse it can get. In order to get the
best results however, it is important that you choose your potatoes
based on how you will be using them.
Choosing Potatoes For Your Style Of Cooking
For example, if you are going to fry or bake them, then it is
advisable that you use either the Idaho or the Russet variety.
If you are going to boil, then the round red or white variety
produces the best results since they have less starch and a lot
of moisture.
Cooking potatoes by baking them is best done using an aluminum
baking pin. For crispier skins, baking time should be between
45 to 60 minutes if you will not be using a microwave oven.
Rubbing Butter Or Oil On Potatoes
To produce the crispier skins, you can rub a little butter or
oil on the potatoes. Bacon drippings also do a fine job at that.
For leftover potatoes, cut them into half an inch pieces and brush
them with olive oil or seasonings.
Bake them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes until they turn
crispy. They can then be served on soups or salads. Baked potatoes
can also be used to top chili, sour cream, vegetables, spaghetti
sauce, pizza toppings and cheese sauce among others.
A Delicious Serving Of French Fries
Cooking potatoes by frying will produce French fries. Cut the
potatoes and soak them for 30 minutes. After this, ensure that
you dry them thoroughly before frying.
After frying, drain them and keep them warm at a temperature
of about 250 degrees while you fry the rest. For crispier fries,
ensure that you fry them twice first until they are golden and
then just before serving, fry them again until they are golden
brown.
Time For Mashed Potatoes
For extra richness, mashed potatoes are cooked in milk. For mashed
potatoes, do not use boiled potatoes but instead use baked potatoes
for best results. Add evaporated skim milk instead of using whole
milk while leaving out the butter. Do not over-beat which can
result in sticky potatoes.
They can be used to thicken soups and sauces or dipped in beaten
eggs and crumbs. Cooking potatoes using the above ways may open
up more ways to come up with other recipes.
Buying Washed Potatoes
When buying potatoes, I always buy the washed potatoes as I do
not want muddy fingers when I am peeling potatoes. I do not like
the ready cut frozen chips and I would rather peel my own potatoes
as they taste much better.
There are many ways to cook potatoes. You can make them part
of the main meal, adding other vegetables and herbs in a slow
cooker. You can make a potato
salad with herbs and mayonnaise. If you are on a diet, then
you can avoid the calories, by replacing the mayonnaise with olive
oil. Another option for a side dish, is French fries.
Baked Potato As A Side Dish
My favourite potato dish, is the baked potato. I like to add
baked potato as a side dish, when cooking anything with meat,
including roast lamb, roast turkey or roast chicken. Adding herbs
to the potatoes, especially oregano, make them so much more delicious.
These are some of the many ideas you can use when cooking potatoes.
About the Author:
Frank Russelton has written a number of articles on cooking and food including
Cooking Tips,
Cooking Recipes,
New Recipes,
Steak House,
Cook Books.
Keep a lookout for more articles on this website.
Did You Know?
What is the difference in cookware?
All cookware has one great similarity and
function in common: to cook your food. It is the conditions surrounding
the cooking that separate the bad cookware from the good. A lot
is based on personal preference.
A more experienced cook wants versatility in their cookware and
is looking for quality. Far too often the novice cook buys a set
of cookware only to find that the product is inferior.
Do a simple search on the internet for cookware that suits your
cooking needs. It is also important to make sure that the cookware
is durable and can last for longer than a few months.
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