How to Boil Potatoes
- Half or quarter your favorite baby potatoes.
2. Soak potatoes in cold water for about 15 minutes.
3. Rinse potatoes under cold water in colander and place into a large pot.
4. Cover potatoes with cold water, salt, sugar and vinegar.
5. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.
6. Cook for 15 minutes or until fork-tender.
Cooking Tips
- Add potatoes to cold water and allow them to come up to temperature gently.
- For the best texture possible, bring the water to a simmer and gently cook.
Excess starch can make potatoes gummy or gluey.
- Rinsing potatoes with cold water prior to boiling helps remove excess starch. Rinsing with hot water immediately after boiling can remove even more starch.
- Cutting potatoes before boiling does remove excess starch. A good rule of thumb is 2 inch die size.
You can steam potatoes to speed up cook time.
- Steam gets hotter than boiling in water, allowing the potatoes to cook faster. With the heat on medium-high, steam until the potatoes are fork-tender.
How long to boil potatoes for mashed potatoes
- Boiling potatoes for mashed potatoes takes 15 minutes. Potatoes can be prepped and cut into water up to 2 days before boiling for mash.
Peeling not necessary
- Potato skins have great flavor, nutrition and provide added texture to mashed potatoes.
How long to boil potatoes for potato salad
- Boil potatoes for 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain potatoes well and allow steam to escape before mixing to prevent salad from getting watery. See more tips on the perfect potato salad in this article.
