Potatoes - To Peel or Not to Peel

[BBQGuy]

I'm having a raging debate with my lovely wife about whether to peel russet potatoes before making home made potato chips, french fries, and mashed potatoes. I prefer to keep the skins on as I have been told the skin includes most of the vitamins and fiber. I also like the color and texture, even in the mashed potatoes.

What do you think?

Tom

 

[Uncle Bob]

Yo Tom..

Welcome to DC come and visit often....

Lose the debate!

 

[SurvivorGirl]

keep em on when roasting lose em when mashing and frying...

 

[Katie H]

Yes, the peels do contain everything you say. Personally, I LOVE the skin on russets and never peel mine when I make potato salad, fries, etc. However, I do peel them most of the time for mashed because Buck prefers traditional mashed potatoes.

Has your wife said why she wants the potatoes peeled? And, has she ever tried eating dishes prepared with potatoes with their skins on? Maybe it's just a reluctance on her part to try something unfamiliar and expecting it to taste bad.

How about a compromise? 50 percent of the time make your potato dishes with the skins on. The other half of the time, peel them.

 

[BigDog]

Here's my $0.02 . . . . . . .

For home made chips and french fries, I'd say scrub 'em good and leave 'em on. Upon completion of cooking, salt 'em with sea salt (I'm on a sea salt kick). For a different twist, cook the chips in olive oil. Not sure what the temp would be, but SuperTarget makes a bagged chip that is nothing more then Russets, olive oil, and sea salt. I love 'em!

As for mashed spuds, I'm not a fan of leaving all of the russet skin on. I've had roughly peeled, with some skin on, and it was good. I'm just not a fan of leaving the skin all on when using russets. When using reds/news I do leave the skins on. That's my preference, anyways.

As long as they're scrubbed well, I don't think there is a particularly wrong way. I'd eat 'em pretty much however they were placed in front of me, preferences aside.

 

[love2"Q"]

i love the skin on .. my DW does not ..
so .. we take the skin off ...

 

[bethzaring]

I leave the skin on all potatoes, no matter what way they are prepared, because "the skin includes most of the vitamins and fiber. I also like the color and texture, even in the mashed potatoes."

I leave them on reds and russets and yukon golds in salad, oven fries, mashed and whatever . Fortunately DH wants them included also. (for the fiber and vitamins and minerals too)

 

[pacanis]

The only thing I take the skin off for is for mashed potatos, but then I don't like lumps in my mashed potatos either.

 

[Robo410]

really depends on the recipe and the meal. I like the skins on for most cooking .

 

[pdswife]

I love the skins.. Paul doesn't....so I take them off if he's home.

 

[QSis]

I keep the skins on for everything, but I use thin-skinned Yukon Golds for everything but baked, where I use russetts.

Lee

 

[kadesma]

There is never any debate here, skins on, skins off, mashed smooth, or bumpy...The only thing my DH asks is, are they ready yet?
We really don't care the whole family loves potatoes and eat them happily.

kadesma

 

[sattie]

It's a personal choice... as many have reported, I love the skins, hubby does not. Stewed or roasted, I leave skins on. Mashed, I remove them. Making chips, (fried) I would leave em on, I can't see what difference it would make one way or the other.

 

[skilletlicker]

I have heard that most of the fiber in a potato is in the skin. I have also heard that the skins are vitamin dense but I don't know if most of the vitamins are there. I don't buy organic potatoes and most of the pesticides are in or on the skin so if not peeled I brush them pretty hard. I usually peel russets only if they're going to be boiled but almost never peel red or gold.

To my way of thinking, the cook gets to decide, but if your lovely wife cares enough to engage in raging debate I'd let her win and bank the brownie points. You only have so many of those in you and, for me, this wouldn't be worth using one up.

 

[YT2095]

stewed, roasted, chips, wedges, baked leave them on, just scrub well.
for Mash I would remove it, esp if I was going to pipe it afterwards.
although with Champ mash you can leave them on.

it`s all according to the person and aesthetics really, the Vit side is not really an issue if you deep fry them anyway as most are destroyed at those temps, but the extra Fiber is still good

 

[CharlieD]

I think it is very personal. I would leave the sckin on for the chips, or fries, but not for mashed potato. To me if mashed potato has sckin it's only good for pigs. As the matter of fact I walked out of the restaurant more than ones after seeing the sckin on mashed potato. Brrrrrrrrrrr

 

[BreezyCooking]

I rarely, if ever, peel off the skins. Just scrub the potatoes well & use - regardless of what the recipe says - lol!!!

 

[Barb L.]

Iam not a skin fan , unless it it crispy, or little reds, not on russets. Never in mashed.

 

[Katie H]

I think it is very personal. I would leave the sckin on for the chips, or fries, but not for mashed potato. To me if mashed potato has sckin it's only good for pigs. As the matter of fact I walked out of the restaurant more than ones after seeing the sckin on mashed potato. Brrrrrrrrrrr

No, no...Charlie. Don't feed the skins to the pigs. Make vodka!

 

[Constance]

We like the potato skins, and when we run across the "smashed" potatoes with the skin in restaurants, we enjoy them for a change. But we prefer our mashed potatoes creamy and fluffy...no skins included.