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"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
Hi Folks,
Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Rachel Aitch |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 20:54:55 +0000, Rachel Aitch wrote:
Hi Folks, Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Rachel Aitch It's probably to do with the water content - if, say, the pots got heavily frosted in the ground, or even frozen, they will cook up really soft and mushy.... |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
In message , Rachel Aitch
writes Hi Folks, Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Perhaps they had been frozen? -- June Hughes |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"June Hughes" wrote in message ... In message , Rachel Aitch writes Hi Folks, Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Perhaps they had been frozen? I've had potatoes which turned mushy after a few minutes of boiling, I reagard that as good (saves energy). But I've never had a potato which turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. Perhaps it was an exaggeration? There again, I start potatoes in cold water, as I was taught. Has the questioner tried steaming? Mary -- June Hughes |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:43:14 -0000, "Mary Fisher"
wrote and included this (or some of this): Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Perhaps they had been frozen? I've had potatoes which turned mushy after a few minutes of boiling, I reagard that as good (saves energy). But I've never had a potato which turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. Perhaps it was an exaggeration? Perhaps someone has developed a new "Smash" potato cultivar. -- ®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³ |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:47:44 +0000, jane wrote:
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 03:07:42 GMT, bigjon wrote: ~On Thu, 9 Nov 2006 20:54:55 +0000, Rachel Aitch wrote: ~ ~ Hi Folks, ~ ~ Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but ~ don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of ~ various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling ~ water. ~ ~ I have no idea!! ~ ~ Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with ~ hands out, pleading) for suggestion... ~ ~ Rachel Aitch ~ ~It's probably to do with the water content - if, say, the pots got heavily ~frosted in the ground, or even frozen, they will cook up really soft and ~mushy.... Yes, it is water content. In years when we don't get much rain, the potatoes have a higher percentage of dry matter, which makes even well-known 'waxy' potatoes go 'floury'. And the flourys are even drier. This means nearly all spuds will fall on boiling. Did your client have a very dry veg plot this year? I suggest steaming - it does help a bit. Or chips. Or roast potatoes. (Both do best with floury potatoes). Or resolve yourself to having gloopy mash. :-) jane Chiltern Hills, 140m above sea level. Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks! i don't have a problem - my pots are from tescos.... -- (\__/) (='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your (")_(") signature to help him gain world domination. |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 12:11:09 +0000, ®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³ wrote:
On Fri, 10 Nov 2006 11:43:14 -0000, "Mary Fisher" wrote and included this (or some of this): Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Perhaps they had been frozen? I've had potatoes which turned mushy after a few minutes of boiling, I reagard that as good (saves energy). But I've never had a potato which turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. Perhaps it was an exaggeration? Perhaps someone has developed a new "Smash" potato cultivar. those aliens might have returned to take our potatoes over... |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³" wrote in message ... Perhaps someone has developed a new "Smash" potato cultivar. I wish I'd thought of that! Mary |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
|
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Neil Jones" wrote in message ... Mary Fisher wrote: "®óñ© © ² * ¹°°³" wrote in message ... Perhaps someone has developed a new "Smash" potato cultivar. I wish I'd thought of that! Mary You will! :-) Sadly, I shan't. It will be forgotten :-( Mary |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
Rachel Aitch wrote:
Hi Folks, Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Rachel Aitch If this a genuine 'Quick' question and not a 'Trick' question the answer is obvious. Your client cannot cook ! You do not put potatoes into boiling water ,you put them into cold water and bring up to the boil. I'm a bloke and even I know that. I suggest you ask him to bring a few round then peel and boil them yourself. |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"sam" wrote in message ... If this a genuine 'Quick' question and not a 'Trick' question the answer is obvious. Your client cannot cook ! You do not put potatoes into boiling water ,you put them into cold water and bring up to the boil. I'm a bloke and even I know that. I suggest you ask him to bring a few round then peel and boil them yourself. Or don't peel - I don't. Mary |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Rachel Aitch" wrote via GB, not direct... Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... Grown in too dry conditions. And/or Wrong variety. You don't say which variety but floury ones will do as you say especially if they have been subject to drought conditions. Try some waxy ones and/or drought tolerant ones next year. Kestral (SE), Spey (MC) and Romano (MC) seem Ok for us. -- Regards Bob H 17mls W. of London.UK |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
... "Rachel Aitch" wrote : one of my clients asked me why his entire potato crop, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. Grown in too dry conditions. And/or Wrong variety. You don't say which variety but floury ones will do as you say especially if they have been subject to drought conditions. Try some waxy ones and/or drought tolerant ones next year. Kestral (SE), Spey (MC) and Romano (MC) seem Ok for us. For once I judged the weather right this year and started watering the spuds regularly as soon as the weather turned dry. Most of what we have at home this year is Desiree (I've grown some Desiree every year for over 30 years now), and these are some of the best I've had so I'm convinced it's down to growing conditions. I judge by how they turn out at home with my wife's cooking because we've had some cooks in the 'big house' over the years who seem to be capable of destroying any spud you give them. -- Rod My real address is rodthegardeneratmyisp |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Rod" wrote after "Bob Hobden" replied to "Rachel Aitch" wrote : one of my clients asked me why his entire potato crop, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. Grown in too dry conditions. And/or Wrong variety. You don't say which variety but floury ones will do as you say especially if they have been subject to drought conditions. Try some waxy ones and/or drought tolerant ones next year. Kestral (SE), Spey (MC) and Romano (MC) seem Ok for us. For once I judged the weather right this year and started watering the spuds regularly as soon as the weather turned dry. Most of what we have at home this year is Desiree (I've grown some Desiree every year for over 30 years now), and these are some of the best I've had so I'm convinced it's down to growing conditions. I judge by how they turn out at home with my wife's cooking because we've had some cooks in the 'big house' over the years who seem to be capable of destroying any spud you give them. Hello Rod. Our problem was that this year we had a hosepipe ban from early on (it's still in place!!!) so all watering was by hand with watering cans. (our Council also say hosepipes are banned permanently anyway) Rather difficult to consistently water the spuds that way as well as everything else so mainly they had to take their chance. We tried Desiree a couple of times years ago but found them rather prone to slug damage, obviously not a problem with you. Regards Bob. |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
Rachel Aitch wrote: Quick question: one of my clients (I'm a professional gardener, but don't hold that against me) asked me why his entire potato crop, of various types, turned to mush as soon as they were put into boiling water. I have no idea!! Desperate to preserve my reputation, I turn to you (picture me with hands out, pleading) for suggestion... I've asked around because I never heard of this before. We all came to the same conclusion - your client had cut his potatoes in very small chunks and they cooked faster. I do this when I want a very nutritious soup in 20 minutes. Also it depends on variety. Do you know which one he grows? Having said that, I've found that baked potatoes are superbe for roasting in small chunks like chips, with skin on. My experts here are unamimous, they are 16 and 11 years old :o) |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
Martin wrote: Bintjes make good chips, but fall apart when boiled Aaaahh, frites de Belgique! ;o) |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
... Grown in too dry conditions. And/or Wrong variety. You don't say which variety but floury ones will do as you say especially if they have been subject to drought conditions. Try some waxy ones and/or drought tolerant ones next year. Kestral (SE), Spey (MC) and Romano (MC) seem Ok for us .. Hello Bob, I'm replying to your later post about watering and slugs. I saw that on Google but my news server hasn't picked it up. Yes, I know we're in a very fortunate position with our private water supply and it's been a godsend this year. Funny this thing with slugs though, it seems to be almost impossible to make reliable predictions about what will or won't be damaged by slugs anywhere except for one's own garden. Desiree has always been one of the least bad ones for slug damage here. Almost all white maincrop spuds are bad, anything floury is bad. The only white maincrop we've had much success with is Valor, some of the whites with red eyes are not too bad, Picasso and Kestrel haven't been too bad. -- Rod My real address is rodthegardeneratmyisp |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Rod" wrote after "Bob wrote Grown in too dry conditions. And/or Wrong variety. You don't say which variety but floury ones will do as you say especially if they have been subject to drought conditions. Try some waxy ones and/or drought tolerant ones next year. Kestral (SE), Spey (MC) and Romano (MC) seem Ok for us . Yes, I know we're in a very fortunate position with our private water supply and it's been a godsend this year. Funny this thing with slugs though, it seems to be almost impossible to make reliable predictions about what will or won't be damaged by slugs anywhere except for one's own garden. Desiree has always been one of the least bad ones for slug damage here. Almost all white maincrop spuds are bad, anything floury is bad. The only white maincrop we've had much success with is Valor, some of the whites with red eyes are not too bad, Picasso and Kestrel haven't been too bad. We must try Picasso, someone else said it was good. May I suggest you try Spey (red eyes) which is a MC unlike Kestral which is a SE. I understand Spey was bred from Kestral and on our allotment it's proved as good at avoiding the slugs if not better than it's parent (only a few slugged per row), nice spud too and coped with the heat/drought well. May be difficult to find though, I had to plant some of our own this year as we couldn't find any seed, didn't seem to affect the crop thankfully. -- Regards Bob H 17mls W. of London.UK |
Thank you so much everyone, you have saved my reputation!
BigJon and June: well, I didn't know that's why we were taught not to leave spuds in the ground until it got frosty. Now I do, so thank you for that. I don't think that's the problem with this client, as they would have been lifting them through late summer. Mary Fisher: yes, I agree that "turns to mush as soon as they hit the water" is probably exageration, I interpreted that to mean "quite quickly" ! Jane - yes, I think that's it: their veg plot (which I don't tend for them, they do that themselves) looked like a dust bowl, and I got the strong impression that they have not had much time to do any garden work this summer just gone, which is why they took me on. I suspect they haven't watered at all...... Sam: yes, it is a genuine question, and I have to admit that I don't start spuds off in cold water - and I've been cooking all my life! (Thinks, in indignant tone: "I'm a GOOD cook! How can I not have heard about this??") Bob Hobden: thank you very much for the variety suggestions, just what I need to offer to the client. Thanks to all of you, my reputation is safe! Best Regards one and all, Rachel |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"Rachel Aitch" wrote in message ... Mary Fisher: yes, I agree that "turns to mush as soon as they hit the water" is probably exageration, I interpreted that to mean "quite quickly" ! Well that's good, saves fuel. Sam: yes, it is a genuine question, and I have to admit that I don't start spuds off in cold water - and I've been cooking all my life! (Thinks, in indignant tone: "I'm a GOOD cook! How can I not have heard about this??") You're not Yorkshire or Scottish, it's another way of saving fuel! Try it! I boil potatoes for not more than ten minutes but I do use black pans which I swear cook faster than ss ones. Yes, I've done comparative tests! Mary |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
Martin wrote: Bintjes make good chips, but fall apart when boiled Aaaahh, frites de Belgique! ;o) met/zonder sauce Hollandaise? :o) shock horror Moutarde ... MOUTARDE!!! |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
In message , Mary Fisher
writes "Rachel Aitch" wrote in message ... Mary Fisher: yes, I agree that "turns to mush as soon as they hit the water" is probably exageration, I interpreted that to mean "quite quickly" ! Well that's good, saves fuel. Sam: yes, it is a genuine question, and I have to admit that I don't start spuds off in cold water - and I've been cooking all my life! (Thinks, in indignant tone: "I'm a GOOD cook! How can I not have heard about this??") You're not Yorkshire or Scottish, it's another way of saving fuel! Try it! I boil potatoes for not more than ten minutes but I do use black pans which I swear cook faster than ss ones. Yes, I've done comparative tests! How does it do that? -- June Hughes |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"June Hughes" wrote in message ... In message , Mary Fisher writes "Rachel Aitch" wrote in message ... Mary Fisher: yes, I agree that "turns to mush as soon as they hit the water" is probably exageration, I interpreted that to mean "quite quickly" ! Well that's good, saves fuel. Sam: yes, it is a genuine question, and I have to admit that I don't start spuds off in cold water - and I've been cooking all my life! (Thinks, in indignant tone: "I'm a GOOD cook! How can I not have heard about this??") You're not Yorkshire or Scottish, it's another way of saving fuel! Try it! I boil potatoes for not more than ten minutes but I do use black pans which I swear cook faster than ss ones. Yes, I've done comparative tests! How does it do that? -- June Hughes It all boils down to the specific heat of the metal and the bulk of metal on the base.. Copper is best, followed by aluminium and then cast iron/steel. Copper and Aluminium are expensive so tend to be have fairly thin bases whereas iron pans can be made thick. |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
"June Hughes" wrote in message ... In message , Mary Fisher writes "Rachel Aitch" wrote in message ... Mary Fisher: yes, I agree that "turns to mush as soon as they hit the water" is probably exageration, I interpreted that to mean "quite quickly" ! Well that's good, saves fuel. Sam: yes, it is a genuine question, and I have to admit that I don't start spuds off in cold water - and I've been cooking all my life! (Thinks, in indignant tone: "I'm a GOOD cook! How can I not have heard about this??") You're not Yorkshire or Scottish, it's another way of saving fuel! Try it! I boil potatoes for not more than ten minutes but I do use black pans which I swear cook faster than ss ones. Yes, I've done comparative tests! How does it do that? I don't know. I suspect it absorbs more heat, being black, rather than reflecting some as the ss ones do. Mary -- June Hughes |
"Mushy Potatoes" - anyone know why?
In message , "Rupert (W.Yorkshire)"
writes It all boils down to the specific heat of the metal and the bulk of metal on the base.. Copper is best, followed by aluminium and then cast iron/steel. Copper and Aluminium are expensive so tend to be have fairly thin bases whereas iron pans can be made thick. I have copper lined with stainless steel (v heavy) which are not used much because of their weight. For everyday, I have stainless steel with a copper core. I haven't noticed much difference in time when boiling potatoes but shall be more observant in future and report back. I don't use my cast iron pans for boiling vegetables. Perhaps I shall give it a go. -- June Hughes |
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