FOOD NEWS
Why You Should Always Boil Starchier Potatoes Whole Rather Than Cubed
BY JULIA HOLLAND
While baking, frying, and roasting are most often used to cook starchy potatoes like russets and yams, boiling them also yields delicious results, so long as you boil them whole.
Starchy potatoes are low in moisture and contain lots of amylose starch. When cooked with dry heat, such as in an oven, this starch creates a fluffy, pillowy consistency.
However, if you chop up these potatoes and boil them, their dry, starchy flesh absorbs too much water and becomes oversaturated, becoming gummy, soggy, or disintegrated.
Instead, boil starchy potatoes whole and unpeeled. The skin prevents oversaturation and sogginess, and the flesh also doesn't lose any flavor or nutrients to the water.