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POTATOES, BOILED (another way) (Boiling of potatoes)
The boiling of potatoes in the best manner, which to some may seem a very simple affair, requires considerable attention, and much of the goodness of the vegetable depends on its being properly cooked. The following directions are given in the Farmer's Magazine. "It is of consequence that the potatoes be as nearly as possible of one size; that they be well washed and cleared of earth or dirt; that they be put, with cold water, into a pan or kettle, well rinsed about, and kept there for an hour or two, which will extract the black liquor with which they are impregnated. They ought then to be put, with their skins on, not into boiling water like greens, but into fresh cold water, with a little salt, and boiled in a kettle or saucepan, closely covered, in the most rapid manner. No more water should be put in than merely to cover them, as they produce themselves a considerable quantity of fluid. When sufficiently done, the water should be instantly poured off, and the vessel containing the cooked potatoes is to be placed on the side of the fire with the cover off until the steam be completely evaporated; the potatoes are thus rendered quite dry and mealy."
A method rather than a formula, and the sequence matters more than any quantity. The essentials — even sizing, a cold-water start, salt, a covered pan, and a dry-off at the end — still hold.
- The hinge: start coldPotatoes dropped into boiling water cook from the outside in, so the exterior collapses before the centre is done. Covering them with cold salted water and bringing the whole pan up together gives an evenly cooked interior.
- The soak is optional nowWhat the Magazine means by "black liquor" is not certain; discolouration of the tubers was evidently more of a nuisance before modern storage and grading. An hour or two of cold soaking does nothing harmful, but with clean modern potatoes a good scrub is enough; a short soak is still useful for cut potatoes, as it rinses off surface starch.
- "Most rapid manner"A hard rolling boil batters the skins and breaks up floury varieties. Bring to the boil, then hold a steady gentle simmer.
- KettleIn period usage a kettle is a large lidded cooking pot for the fire, not a vessel for boiling water for tea; the recipe pairs it with 'pan' and 'saucepan'. Any deep saucepan with a well-fitting lid answers.
- Water levelJust covering is correct and worth keeping. Too much water leaches flavour and makes it harder to drive off moisture at the end.
- Timing the original omitsWhole medium potatoes in their skins take roughly 20–30 minutes at a simmer; test with a skewer at the thickest point rather than by the clock, since size and variety swing this widely.
- The dry-off"On the side of the fire with the cover off" means low residual heat. Drain, return the pan to the lowest burner setting for a minute or two, and shake occasionally until the surfaces go matte — this is what produces the mealy texture the writer is after.
- Variety matters more than methodFloury potatoes (russet, King Edward, Maris Piper) go mealy as described. Waxy ones (Charlotte, new potatoes) never will, however carefully steamed dry, and are better served that way.
This entry is one of several in Cassell's on the same humble subject, and its authority is borrowed: the quoted directions come from the Farmer's Magazine, an agricultural periodical, not a cookery writer. The insistence on drying the potatoes to a mealy crumb reflects what is often said to have been a period preference in Britain and Ireland: a potato that fell apart floury was considered good. The "black liquor" the writer wants soaked out is generally taken to be discolouration from soil, bruising and the enzymatic browning of cut or damaged tubers, a more visible problem before modern storage and grading.