What makes a good potato? How do you know which one is going to be waxy for baking or boiling? How do you know which will turn into a mealy, gluey mess, and which will be ideal for frying or mashing?
Turns out, the answer is right on the outside of every one: its skin.
How to Choose Potatoes by Their Skin
All potatoes is treated alike; some just don’t play well together in the kitchen. Each group behave differently. Choose the wrong type and chances are your dinner was doomed before it started; no matter what your skill level as a home cook.
Meet eight skin families that match up with best use, mapped out visually. Skin color show us the chemistry inside, and chemistry tells us how it’ll behave in the kitchen.
Russets is brown with netting on the outside and white inside. These are higher-starch potatoes, meaning that when cooked the cells will rupture easy. Because of this, you fry and bake russets because their exteriors gets crisp while their interiors become airy/fluffy. Firm, waxy varieties such as Pink Fir Apple maintain their structure, which is good for cold salads. If you try using a russet in a salad, it’ll fall apart. This chart lays out the differences between these types nicely so you know what to choose depending on your dish.
• Berries: Antioxidants called anthocyanins give purple and blue potatoes their color (and ours). Russet potatoes contain fewest, whereas purple-fleshed types has the most (see chart). That means more then just good looks: more pigments translate to added health benefits, too. But here’s what you should of know: When cooked, those hues will shift. Blue potatoes goes from dark indigo to a slaty blue-gray; purple ones turn a milder shade of lilac. On average, they’ll lose half to three-quarters of their colors (hence why this is noted on the chart), so plan accordingly for the finished effect at dinner.
In the middle of the spectrum are some good all-arounders: Yellow types (German Butterball, or Yukon Gold). With yellow flesh and gold skin, these get their color from carotenoids, with some waxiness but also some starch. These potatoes is buttery-rich yet versatile. They roast, holding together; they mash beautifuly. That combination of wax and starch pleases most home cook.
So does knowing that if you see golden skin, you can expect yellow flesh, you don’t have to learn each potato’s name. The guide provides examples, like using Kennebec potatoes for frying or Adirondack Blue for chips. The color chart is also a roadmap to texture. Yellow potatoes adds balance; red and blue potatoes add structure; white potatoes add fluff.
To judge the flesh when shopping, you look at the skin. Thick, netted skin indicate softness. Thin, smooth skin indicates firmness. As the tuber matures in the ground, its color will develop. If harvested at prime color time, it will perform best.
Control cooking, and choose the proper potato. It starts with making the right selection. Check color first, before cooking. And it could saved dinner.