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Cooking Tip of the Day
Cooking potatoes in preparation for a potato salad is easy when just a few simple tips are followed.
Potatoes should be cooked starting by covering them completely with cold water. The potatoes will be evenly cooked through with cold water. Water causes the outside of the potato to cook faster than the center of the potato. After the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat to simmer and do not cover. Covering potatoes will result in mushy potatoes.
When cooking potatoes for a potato salad, potatoes will taste better when cooked in salted water. Add about a teaspoon of salt. By salting the water, the potatoes will absorb the salt while boiling.
To keep the potato cubes from breaking, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the water.
Potatoes should be boiled until they are tender to a fork. Eight to 12 minutes is the average cooking time depending on the size of the chopped cubes.
Always drain boiled potatoes thoroughly before adding a salad dressing.
When making a potato salad, pour a vinaigrette dressing on the potatoes while they are still warm but not hot. If making a dressing with mayonnaise, the potatoes should be cooled for a minimum of 30 minutes.
Boiled potatoes will stay fresh for 3 days. Simply cover and refrigerate.
Author Marilyn Pokorney
Copyright Marilyn Pokorney 2022
