# Potatoes - what's up?



## Audrey (5 Jan 2006)

For a year or more now we (hubby and I) have been unable to get really nice potatoes.  Anybody any suggestions?  We've tried all the shopping centres, and all the 'normal' types of potato.  They either break up during boiling (mush), or there are hard centres left in some while others are well cooked, or they won't mash properly.  All we want is a potato that doesn't mush when it's boiled, and makes a nice (lumpless) mash if so required.  Help?


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## ClubMan (5 Jan 2006)

[broken link removed] might be of interest to you. Choose the potato type to match the cooking method.


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## Audrey (5 Jan 2006)

Will do - many thanks.


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## blackditch (5 Jan 2006)

For some years now I have been steaming potatoes instead of boiling them in water. It works much better and certainly no mushy bits. Especially great with "floury" new potatoes - my favourite!


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## Audrey (5 Jan 2006)

blackditch said:
			
		

> For some years now I have been steaming potatoes instead of boiling them in water. It works much better and certainly no mushy bits. Especially great with "floury" new potatoes - my favourite!


 
Good idea - how long do you let them steam for approx?  We steam everything else (broccoli, carrots, leeks, etc etc) but never thought of potatoes.


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## Sue Ellen (5 Jan 2006)

I generally find Roosters are the only OK potatoes around and I'm sick and tired of finding green potatoes in the bag - yach!

Slightly off topic but if you are into steaming then this  is great (BTW I'm sick and tired of that useless  site which will not produce the goods as compared to the UK one). The steamer will do rice to perfection. You can do a full dinner in it like salmon, potatoes and broccoli. Because of the timer you can go off and leave it to work away on its own preferably under the extractor as it does create a lot of steam. Its definitely the healthy option tho.


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## blackditch (5 Jan 2006)

About 20 mins. Depends on the size, I suppose. Then toss them from steamer section into bottom part, having 1st thrown out the water, knob of butter, salt, even chopped onion, scallion, maybe a few herbs....and mash away!


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## z102 (6 Jan 2006)

A pressurised cooking pot might be the answer. Since the pressure is applied evenly to the entire content and very little water is needed (1/4 mug-1/2 cup full)  a very fast cooking time is achieved as well. Around 8 minutes for the spuds with my cooker from Lidl.


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## Vanilla (6 Jan 2006)

Or the old fashioned way- bring spuds to the boil in an ordinary saucepan ( one you don't care too much about as it will blacken, remove excess water, turn down heat, put a bit of newspaper between saucepan and lid and it will steam and become nice and fluffy in about 30 to 40 mins, depending on size.


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## Audrey (6 Jan 2006)

Some great ideas there - thanks all.


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## ClubMan (6 Jan 2006)

Vanilla said:
			
		

> Or the old fashioned way- bring spuds to the boil in an ordinary saucepan ( one you don't care too much about as it will blacken,


Rubbing a lemon inside the pot when cleaning it should remove the blackening.


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## Henny Penny (6 Jan 2006)

It's a good time to plant now if you want to grow your own.


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## Gordanus (6 Jan 2006)

heinbloed said:
			
		

> A pressurised cooking pot might be the answer. Since the pressure is applied evenly to the entire content and very little water is needed (1/4 mug-1/2 cup full)  a very fast cooking time is achieved as well. Around 8 minutes for the spuds with my cooker from Lidl.



My potatoes take 3 minutes in the pressure cooker - cut into quarters. I never cook them any other way as this is so fast.


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## ClubMan (6 Jan 2006)

Surely it takes more than 3 minutes for the pressure to build?


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## ajapale (6 Jan 2006)

BBC radio 4 had a whole 30 min programme devoted to the humble spud today Friday 6th January at 15:00 called [broken link removed]. In addition they mentioned two reference books Potatoe and The Potatoe. Ill add links if i can find them.

My favourite is the Kerr Pink and I detest the recent trend started by tescos of selling so called White Potatoes.

aj


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## ClubMan (6 Jan 2006)

ajapale said:
			
		

> In addition they mentioned two reference books Potatoe and The Potatoe.


Is that a book by Dan Quayle?


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## Audrey (6 Jan 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Is that a book by Dan Quayle?


Or should that be Dan Quayl ??!!!


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## ajapale (6 Jan 2006)

[broken link removed]  is the name of the programme. Ill listen to it again to get the correct references to the books. Thats the great thing about radio - you dont have to be able to spell!

aj


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## Alba Longa (7 Jan 2006)

Do you people check the origin of the potatoes before buying them or control they are the traditional type potatoes and not those genetically modified?


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## ClubMan (7 Jan 2006)

Why? What's wrong with _GM _spuds or other foodstuffs?


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## Alba Longa (12 Jan 2006)

The molecules of genetically modified food do not exist in nature.  When our body comes in contact with them it tries to reject them.  The fight for rejection causes such  the immune system to overwork, producing a depletion of energy and in some cases immune system failure.  
This is my opinion and the opinion of many world scientists that are not publicised too much.


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## ajapale (13 Jan 2006)

hi alba,

can you provide any evidence or cite any research which backs up your opinion?

aj


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## annR (13 Jan 2006)

You can also microwave potatoes, I think it takes about 7 mins but not sure.  Consistent results everytime.


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## Alba Longa (13 Jan 2006)

ajapale,
A hungarian,Professor Arpad Pusztai researched potatoes in 1999, but was forced to resign bucause of his views. 
GM food was a common point for discussion a couple of years back, but you don't hear much nowadays. See [broken link removed]

!


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## ajapale (13 Jan 2006)

Thanks alba!


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## blueshoes (13 Jan 2006)

i too am so fed up of this problem with potatoes i have tried them all but if u get potatoes that are grown without artificial fertiliser they wont boil into mush. these are the only ones recently that i have bought which cook properly. and all the green potatoes i am finding its unreal i dunno wot the crack is with them!


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## ClubMan (13 Jan 2006)

Alba Longa said:
			
		

> The molecules of genetically modified food do not exist in nature. When our body comes in contact with them it tries to reject them. The fight for rejection causes such the immune system to overwork, producing a depletion of energy and in some cases immune system failure.
> This is my opinion and the opinion of many world scientists that are not publicised too much.


 It may be the opinion of many people but is it backed up by any recognised and verified scientific research?

The [broken link removed] doesn't seem to consider currently available _GM _foods dangerous for example:


> *Q8. Are GM foods safe?*
> 
> Different GM organisms include different genes inserted in different ways. This means that individual GM foods and their safety should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and that it is not possible to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods.
> 
> GM foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. In addition, no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved. Continuous use of risk assessments based on the Codex principles and, where appropriate, including post market monitoring, should form the basis for evaluating the safety of GM foods.


Note also that _Doctor _(I don't think that he's actually a _Professor_) _Pusztai's _research/methodology has been criticised by a _Royal Society_ committee:


> It [The Lancet] has also been criticised for publishing research by Arpad Pusztai that claimed to show that GM potatoes produced worrying biological changes in rats. A Royal Society committee found it was based on poorly conducted experiments.





			
				Alba Longa said:
			
		

> ajapale,
> A hungarian,Professor Arpad Pusztai researched potatoes in 1999, but was forced to resign bucause of his views.
> GM food was a common point for discussion a couple of years back, but you don't hear much nowadays. See [broken link removed]
> 
> !


That _Independent _article is very interesting and points out many of the flaws in the research identified by other experts in this area.


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## fobs (13 Jan 2006)

I wonder has the fact that so many potatoes are rotten so quickly be anything to do with the plastic bags they are stored in as always years ago we had potatoes in the paper bags and if I store mine in a dark press in a paper bag then they do last longer. I have complained and returned a bag of spuds recently to my local supermarket as the majority of the bag were rotten once cut open (you could not see this when buying) and they refunded me. I guess if more people returned bad produce there would be more quality control checks put in place in supermarkets.


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## Audrey (13 Jan 2006)

blueshoes said:
			
		

> i too am so fed up of this problem with potatoes i have tried them all but if u get potatoes that are grown without artificial fertiliser they wont boil into mush. these are the only ones recently that i have bought which cook properly. and all the green potatoes i am finding its unreal i dunno wot the crack is with them!


 
Thanks - and where can you get potatoes that are grown without fertiliser?  Presumably at the veg/farmers markets?


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## ClubMan (13 Jan 2006)

Andrewa said:
			
		

> Thanks - and where can you get potatoes that are grown without fertiliser?


I doubt that potatoes can be grown without any fertiliser at all. Or maybe just very small ones? Or do you mean without "artificial" fertiliser?


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## Audrey (13 Jan 2006)

ClubMan said:
			
		

> I doubt that potatoes can be grown without any fertiliser at all. Or maybe just very small ones? Or do you mean without "artificial" fertiliser?


 
Oh yes, without artificial fertiliser please.


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## ClubMan (13 Jan 2006)

Why? 

By the way _blueshoes_, do you know of any research showing that the mushing of spuds the cooking process is actually caused by artificial fertilisation of the crops?


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## Sue Ellen (14 Jan 2006)

The nicest spuds I've tasted to-date were grown in sand in Donegal - yummy but the butter might have helped.


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## RainyDay (14 Jan 2006)

It seems that I'm in the minority with my strong preference for soapy spuds rather than those oul balls of flour. See [broken link removed]. If only you shower would see the light and switch to soapy, all our spuds would be cheaper....



> National tastes also affect prices across the eurozone. For example, Irish consumers prefer “floury” potatoes. However, these varieties of potatoes tend to achieve a lower crop yield, sometimes up to 20 percent less than that of waxy/soapy potatoes preferred by other countries, thus making the potatoes we eat relatively more expensive;


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## ClubMan (14 Jan 2006)

You're not alone - while I can take or leave spuds at the best of times, when I do go for them I much prefer soapy ones to floury ones too.


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## Sue Ellen (14 Jan 2006)

"I much prefer soapy ones to floury ones" 

Pardon my ignorance but what are soapy potatoes? All sorts of strange things spring to mind including throwing in a bar of Lux instead of butter/milk for mashing


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## RainyDay (14 Jan 2006)

Soapy is basically the opposite of floury - it is the almost waxy solid potato that doesn't break up on the plate or on the fork and retains its structure until it hits your mouth.


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## Cahir (15 Jan 2006)

RainyDay said:
			
		

> Soapy is basically the opposite of floury - it is the almost waxy solid potato that doesn't break up on the plate or on the fork and retains its structure until it hits your mouth.



My favourite too - especially in currys.


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## RainyDay (15 Jan 2006)

Cahir said:
			
		

> My favourite too - especially in currys.


I rarely eat spuds in electrical shops, but everyone to their own, I guess....


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## ClubMan (15 Jan 2006)

Yeah - I meant waxy just in case that's different to soapy.


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## Gunnerbar (16 Jan 2006)

Vanilla said:
			
		

> Or the old fashioned way- bring spuds to the boil in an ordinary saucepan ( one you don't care too much about as it will blacken, remove excess water, turn down heat, put a bit of newspaper between saucepan and lid and it will steam and become nice and fluffy in about 30 to 40 mins, depending on size.






			
				Blackditch said:
			
		

> About 20 mins. Depends on the size, I suppose. Then toss them from steamer section into bottom part, having 1st thrown out the water, knob of butter, salt, even chopped onion, scallion, maybe a few herbs....and mash away.



[broken link removed]


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