Boiling Potatoes Differently

[moltenice]

Hey, I'm new here and glad to be part of a new community

I recently got into university and am looking for quicker ways to boil potatoes.

At the moment I know 3 ways, one is the usual where you put it in a cooking pot and let it boil submerged in water. The downfall of this method is we need to keep checking if it's done or not which takes up my already little free time.

The second is using the rice cooker I brought along from home, if I fill it up fully with water and put the potatoes (usually cut in half) inside and turn it on, after a few hours the cooker will automatically stop and the potatoes are ALWAYS perfectly boiled! The biggest downfall for this method is that it takes 2 (sometimes 3?) hours to cook just two big potatoes!

The third method which I sort of figured out myself was microwave cooking. I have bought a microwave friendly container and usually fill it up with water and put the potatoes in it. Then I just turn on the microwave for half an hour (just to be on the safe side, 20 minutes usually works too!) and I get beautifully soft potatoes which also aren't ever raw in the centre like they sometimes can be in the first method!

My main question is this: Is the third method (microwave) REALLY boiling the potato? I ask this because the water doesn't actually 'bubble' like it does otherwise, it just converts to steam! And somehow I have a feeling the potatoes taste a bit different. So is this method really boiling the potatoes or am I doing something wrong? I obviously prefer the third way as it takes 30 minutes and doesn't require ANY attention from me

Also, any other quicker and easier method also welcome

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[Claire]

Does it matter if you call it boiling? If the tater comes out the way you want it to, in the time that you have, go for it.

I learned to use the microwave on potatoes a LOT when I was on the road, living out of a camper/trailer. I'd almost always microwave potatoes before doing other preparations because our energy use had to be rationed (that is to say, all the appliances had to be balanced or we'd blow a fuse or run out of propane, and the stove/oven heated the trailer so badly that the A/C couldn't keep up). So I learned to microwave potatoes just to the point where they wouldn't take quite so much time to fry, grill, bake. Then I finish them using whatever method.

 

[moltenice]

Haha you've got a point! I just wanted to know if the taste is ACTUALLY different or not: using normal methods vs. microwave methods. Anyone have any clue on this?

And yeah I think I'll stick with microwaving anyways, it's just that if I sometimes get more time then I'd much rather have a tastier meal and if it tastes better when boiled normally I'm going for that

Thanks a lot ^_^

 

[DaveSoMD]

Are you boiling them to make mashed potatoe or potato salad or are you boiling them to eat as boiled potatoes? If you are going to mash them, dice them into about 1/2 cubes and boil. They cook much faster that way.

 

[moltenice]

Nahh it's actually boiled potatoes, ain't mashing them. I'm actually following an Indian recipe I learnt from home! I do notice difference in the taste between the meal here in university and at home. Maybe the potatoes in UK taste differently or it might be because I used to boil them the usual way back at home and in UK I microwave-boil them. Which one might be it?

 

[Andy M.]

In the microwave, you are steaming them. that shouldn't effect the taste.

Try cutting the potatoes into serving size pieces and cooking them. Smaller pieces will cook faster.

 

[moltenice]

Is steaming the same as boiling then if the taste shouldn't change and the potatoes ARE soft (and yummy?) after being boiled or steamed?

 

[Andy M.]

It's not the same but the results are similar. Boiling has the food submerged in the water, steaming does not.

 

[moltenice]

Ahh of course! Well as you said they're similar and surely taste the same as well, I'll prolly stick to Microwaving. In fact, all this food talk is making me hungry and I'm gonna go make myself some boiled potatoes :P

Thanks a lot for your help guys!

 

[BigAL]

Look on a bag of red potato's, has directions for microwave.

I did one med red potato to try it in MW. Poked holes w/fork all over, wrapped in paper towel, mw for 3 min, then take out of towel and into foil for 5min or so. Done. It was good, dang easy too.

 

[MoodyBlueFoodie]

Yeah, what he said

But I use a moistened/wet squeezed out paper towel on top, and I let it set in the micro about 3-5 min before eating, this works great for me.

 

[babetoo]

i just cut in bite size pieces , use about 2 tablespoons water in a covered container. pop in micro. time will vary according to amount of potatoes. to bake in micro, poke a hole in baker pot. put folded paper towel under it (them) to absorb the moisture. time will vary, i check at five min. if only doing one. i probably use my micro more than most. pretty much only fry food on stove top

 

[bigdaddy3k]

I use a pressure cooker to boil my potatoes. You don't have to submerge them in water to get the same effect. The less water (to a point) the faster it comes up to pressure. After its up the pressure, turn the burner down to half and let them cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Tender everytime. I do this to make mashed potatoes and as the first step to crash potatoes as well.

 

[CharlieD]

Since you have "very little free time" I say just bake in microwave. No water just oput th epotato in M and cook for 7 minutes or so, depending on size time will change. Potaato is done, you can pretty much do anything with it as if you would do with boil potato.

 

[travOtaku]

When I want to make fast "baked" potatoes, I just stab the potato several times in different places with a fork, and then wrap the potato in a paper towel and then microwave it for about 5-10 minutes. Then I take it out and let it sit. It's important to stab the holes, so that the steam created by the potato can be captured by the towel and be used to cook it.

I've never had any trouble using this method, and I tend to prefer it because the potatoes have a kind of difficult to describe like creamy texture as opposed to a flaky texture after they are baked in an oven.

 

[velochic]

I do notice difference in the taste between the meal here in university and at home. Maybe the potatoes in UK taste differently or it might be because I used to boil them the usual way back at home and in UK I microwave-boil them. Which one might be it?

Potatoes *are* different in the UK. In the UK, they grow/import different varieties than in the US. Even a simple jacket potato in the UK is not usually made from the same russet variety that is typical in the US. It makes a world of difference. A potato samosa in the US tastes vastly different than one anywhere else in the world. The taste difference can be subtle, though... like the difference between a spanish onion and a shallot.

I don't think it's your technique, although, I do think that microwaving does give an "off" flavor to foods and I rarely use one (only heating option at work).

 

[moltenice]

Potatoes *are* different in the UK. In the UK, they grow/import different varieties than in the US. Even a simple jacket potato in the UK is not usually made from the same russet variety that is typical in the US. It makes a world of difference. A potato samosa in the US tastes vastly different than one anywhere else in the world. The taste difference can be subtle, though... like the difference between a spanish onion and a shallot.

I don't think it's your technique, although, I do think that microwaving does give an "off" flavor to foods and I rarely use one (only heating option at work).

Actually I was comparing it to Omani Potatoes but yeah they do taste different!

And i agree with the slight difference in taste between microwaving and normal boiling but I think it's almost unnoticeable! As most replies here say that microwaving isn't a bad idea I'm going to stick with that as it's quicker and easier!

One thing I did notice is that after microwaving, when i'm actually cooking them later on they REALLY absorb a lot of water

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

The fastes way I know to cook a potato is in the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens have a potato setting. Simply wash the potatoes, lightly pierse the skin in multiple places with a fork, place in the microwave, and press the potato button one time for each potato in the appliance. The potato will have a stronger flavor than if it's boiled as the water leaches away some of the potato flavor. Also, if you want that milder potato flavor, as was mentioned in a previous post, skin, then dice the potatoes into a small dice. Then they cook in a matter of minutes, once the water begins to boil. When they are done, simply strain them and serve as you like.

Tip, if you cut your potatoes into french fries, and par boil them until they are almost done through (takes about five minutes or so in the boiling water) then carefully remove them from water onto a paper towel to remove the excess water, then place in hot oil until lightly browned, you will have magnificent french fries. Also, if you skin your potatoes, then grate them, and fry in a medium-high pan with a couple tbs. of cooking oil, you will get very good hash browns in a few minutes of cooking time.

Hope that helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[moltenice]

The fastes way I know to cook a potato is in the microwave. Most modern microwave ovens have a potato setting. Simply wash the potatoes, lightly pierse the skin in multiple places with a fork, place in the microwave, and press the potato button one time for each potato in the appliance. The potato will have a stronger flavor than if it's boiled as the water leaches away some of the potato flavor. Also, if you want that milder potato flavor, as was mentioned in a previous post, skin, then dice the potatoes into a small dice. Then they cook in a matter of minutes, once the water begins to boil. When they are done, simply strain them and serve as you like.

Tip, if you cut your potatoes into french fries, and par boil them until they are almost done through (takes about five minutes or so in the boiling water) then carefully remove them from water onto a paper towel to remove the excess water, then place in hot oil until lightly browned, you will have magnificent french fries. Also, if you skin your potatoes, then grate them, and fry in a medium-high pan with a couple tbs. of cooking oil, you will get very good hash browns in a few minutes of cooking time.

Hope that helps.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Haha tried that... it actually made the potatoes wither and they looked VERY dry

So now I have just bought a microwave storage container and submerge the potatoes in water filled in these containers and then just microwave them for about 20 mins for 1 potato (30 for 2). Works perfectly... though I did mention before the taste is SLIGHTLY different from conventional boiling ways (though not necessarily worse).

 

[2day2eat]

mmmmmmmmmmmm!