My Method of Boiling Potatoes Turned My Potato-Skeptic Wife Into a Lifelong Spud Lover

 

In a Nutshell

It may seem like there's nothing to know about boiling potatoes, but with a few key techniques—starting in cold water, seasoning generously, simmering gently, and testing for perfect doneness—you can get significantly better results. This guide walks you through the small steps that turn ordinary boiled potatoes into something spectacular.

Early on in my relationship with my wife, she declared she didn't care much for potatoes. I, in turn, declared I would make it my life's work to change her mind. I started with all the obvious recipes, frying them, roasting them, baking them into a creamy gratin. She'd say they were good, but also that they hadn't really changed her mind. Then I boiled some, and—I swear I'm not kidding you—she became a full-fledged potato convert.

It's an unlikely story, and even typing it up now it hardly makes sense to me, but I will admit: I can boil a mean potato. Much like properly cooking dried beans, there's an art to boiling potatoes. Most people don't know that art, and their boiled potatoes are...regular old boiled potatoes. But if you can perfect the technique (and I'll let you know right now that you can—it's not hard), your boiled potatoes will become a revelation, inexplicably smooth and creamy and moist and infused with layers of flavor. So good, you'll want to eat them straight from the pot like a warm, mushy apple.

Of course, the best boiling method depends on the potato’s type, size, and intended use. I’ll walk you through the most important techniques that apply to all boiled potatoes, and then explain how you might want to vary your approach depending on the recipe.

Choosing Potatoes for Boiling

There are thousands of varieties of potatoes, but they can all be divided into two basic types: starchy (or mealy) and waxy. Starchy potatoes include baking potatoes like russets, which have a fluffier, drier flesh when cooked, while waxy potatoes like red potatoes are much more moist, with a denser, silkier texture. Really, though, these are just extremes on a spectrum of starchiness, and different potato types fall at different points along it.