Cooking potatoes for potato salad - Which way is better?

Potato salad is an all time favorite dish. It is simple but delicious and can be done in many different ways.

But what is the best way to cook potatoes for potato salad?

The best way to cook potatoes for potato salad is by boiling them. Boiling cooks the potatoes evenly and allows proper control of the cooking process.

Although there are several methods of cooking potatoes for a salad, the best method is to boil them. This makes sense if you understand the process of making potato salad.

By cooking the potatoes evenly, you have control over the degree of doneness, as you can check the potatoes every minute.

It is important to cut the potatoes into even pieces and cook them to the perfect degree. The potatoes should be delicate but never soft. They should hold their shape but not be hard or undercooked.

How to get perfectly cooked potatoes for potato salad?

To make a delicious potato salad there are two important things. First of all, you need to choose a suitable potato variety. Secondly, you must know the secrets to cook potatoes well.

1. Choosing the right potato variety

Choosing the right potato variety is the key to a delicious potato salad. If you choose the main ingredient well, the rest will be much easier to handle.

Although waxy potatoes are known to be more suitable for boiling than starchy ones, starchy potatoes make better potato salad.

The sides are pureed when you mix the potatoes with the rest of the ingredients and the dressing. This creates the perfect consistency of potato salad that we all know and love.

These are the best varieties of potatoes that can be chosen when making a potato salad:

• russet
• Idaho
• Klondike Goldust
• Yukon Gold

Feel free to use other potato varieties if you like how they behave in a salad. Red and new potatoes, for example, are less starchy but still a popular choice for potato salad.

2. Cook the potatoes well

Aside from choosing the right potato variety, there are a few things you need to know to cook potatoes well.

Should you boil potatoes whole or cut?

You can boil unpeeled and whole potatoes. However, this will take quite a long time. It is better to cut the potatoes in half or quarters.

Remember, however, that the more surface area of the potatoes is exposed to water, the more nutrients they will lose when boiling.

That being said, it is standard practice to boil diced potatoes for potato salad. There are a few reasons why most people prefer to do this.

Firstly, cubed potatoes cook faster. Second, they cook more evenly. And lastly, you don’t need to cut the hot potatoes once they’re done. All you have to do is mix the rest of the ingredients.

To peel or not to peel?

For starchy potato varieties, such as russet, Yukon gold, and Idaho, it’s best to leave the skin on.

Since these potatoes contain a higher amount of starch, they absorb a lot of water when boiling. Leaving the skin on will prevent this and prevent the potatoes from becoming too watery and crumbly.

That being said, leaving the skin on the potatoes is a matter of preference. Some people like to leave the skin on to give it more texture, while others don’t seem to like it.

Whether you prefer the skin on or not, it all comes down to the proper cooking method.

The best way to cook potatoes for a potato salad

Boiling potatoes is the traditional and best way to cook them for a salad.

It may take longer than other methods of cooking potatoes. However, boiling them is what makes the potatoes neither too soft nor too hard. If you do it right, you’ll end up with perfectly cooked potatoes for a salad.

Here’s how to boil potatoes for the best results:

Step 1: Wash and prepare

Scrub the potatoes under the tap if you are going to leave the skin on. Remove stains. Wash and peel the potatoes if you prefer not to leave the skin on.

Step 2: Chop them

Cut the potatoes into similar sized pieces. Half-inch cubes are ideal, but you can also cut up larger pieces if that’s what you like. The point is to get cubes of the same size so that they cook evenly.

Step 3: Preparation

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and fill it with cold water. The water should cover the potatoes.

Do not fill the saucepan with hot water to speed up the cooking process. This can cause the outer parts of the potatoes to cook faster. When the potatoes are fully cooked, the sides will start to crumble.

Step 4: Season

Season with 1/3 tablespoon of kosher salt. Potatoes gain flavor as they cook. Therefore, adding salt to the water will make it taste better.

But don’t forget that your potatoes are already seasoned when you start to assemble the salad. You will need to add less salt when mixing the rest of the salad ingredients. Otherwise, you’ll end up with an overly salty salad.

Step 5: Boil

Turn the heat to high so that the potatoes begin to boil. Keep the pot covered.

Step 6: Simmer

When the potatoes start to boil, lower the heat and let them simmer for 10 to 13 minutes. The cooking time of the potatoes depends on two things: the variety of potato you use and the size of the potato cubes.

Step 7: Monitor the cooking status

Don’t leave potatoes unattended. What’s more, take a fork and check the doneness several times (every minute) while the potatoes simmer.

When you manage to insert the fork or the tip of the knife into the potatoes easily, it is time to turn off the heat. If the potatoes fall apart when you try to check them with your fork, you’ve overcooked them.

The potatoes should not be so hard that they are difficult to pierce, but they should not be so soft that they fall apart.

Step 8: Strain

Strain the potatoes. The potatoes will continue to cook as they cool. Keep this in mind when you decide to put out the fire.

Step 9: Let cool

If you are going to add a mayonnaise-based dressing to the potatoes, let them cool down first and only then proceed to make the salad.

other methods

Although boiling is the best way to cook potatoes for potato salad, it is by no means the only way. There are other methods to cook potatoes to make a salad.

Some are suitable for when you are looking for a faster option. Others, on the other hand, give rise to different “finishes” of the potatoes. This has its impact on the overall consistency of the salad.

Cooking potatoes in the microwave

Microwaving is an easy and relatively quick way to cook potatoes for a salad.

Here’s how to cook potatoes in the microwave:

1. Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into cubes. Make sure all the pieces are a uniform size.
2. Put the potato cubes in a saucepan with a lid and add a pinch of salt.
3. Microwave on “high” setting for 8-9 minutes.
4. Take out the potatoes. Let them rest for a few minutes to finish cooking and cool down.
5. Drain any water that has accumulated in the dish.
6. Let the potatoes cool down and start mixing the rest of the salad ingredients.

Cook the potatoes in the oven

If you want to try something new and spice up your traditional potato salad, you should try baking your potatoes in the oven instead of boiling them. This will give your salad a unique flavor and texture.

Here’s how to bake potatoes in the oven when making potato salad:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Wash the potatoes and cut them into cubes.
3. Put the potatoes on a baking tray, spray them with oil and season them.
4. Bake for about 30 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are soft and cooked enough, remove the tray and allow them to cool.
6. Mix them with your favorite ingredients and dress them.

Cook potatoes in a pressure cooker

The pressure cooker is another way to cook potatoes delicately but in a very short time.

Try using a pressure cooker to cook whole red-skin potatoes by following these steps:

1. Wash a few medium-sized potatoes.
2. Put them in the pressure cooker and add a cup of water.
3. Cook on “high” for 3 minutes.
4. Let the steam out for 3 minutes, then release the pressure.
5. Remove the skin from the potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
6. Add your favorite ingredients and soon the fastest potato salad will be ready.

Can you boil potatoes ahead of time for potato salad?

You can boil the potatoes in advance for the potato salad. If you plan to do so, boil them unpeeled and uncut.

It will take longer than boiling diced potatoes. However, this is the best way to cook potatoes ahead of time for potato salad.

You can store whole cooked potatoes in the fridge for 24 hours.