Professional Cooking - Chapter 12 "Potatoes"

Because new potatoes have not matured, they have a lower ________ content and tender, thin skin.

-Starch

Why aren't moderately waxy potatoes usually used for purées?

-The flesh doesn't break apart as easily, however, so they are harder to purée. -Also, they don't absorb as much fat or liquid.

Why are starchy potatoes usually used for purées?

-The flesh of starchy potatoes breaks apart easily and can absorb large quantities of butter, milk, and other enriching ingredients.

Explain the process of potatoes fried raw:

-These are potatoes that are simply cut into shapes and deep-fried until golden and crisp. -They include all the varieties of French fries as well as potato chips. -Russet or Idaho potatoes are most suitable for frying because of their high starch content and their regular shape, which permits less trimming loss.

Why should you avoid excessive mixing of a potato purée?

-Too much whipping or mixing damages cell walls, releasing excess starch that makes the purée gluey in texture.

To many of us today, potatoes are considered an ordinary and humble food. Escoffier, however, treated the potato with great respect. His Guide Culinaire lists more than ___ potato preparations.

-50 -Far more than for any other vegetable or starch.

Solanin

-A poisonous substance found in potatoes that have turned green. -Has a bitter taste.

Waxy Potato

-A young potato high in sugar and low in starch. -Different varieties of waxy potatoes have different moisture content, depending not only on the variety of potato but also on the growing and storage conditions.

Should you peel your potato before boiling or steaming?

-Potatoes are peeled or left unpeeled for boiling and steaming. -For most purposes, they are peeled. -Peel thoroughly with a swivel peeler and remove all eyes. -Place peeled potatoes immediately in a container of cold water to prevent browning.

__________ potatoes are most often used for baked potatoes.

-Russet

Using the pastry bag for Duchesse potatoes:

A. Turn down the top of the pastry bag. -Slip your hand under this collar and hold the top open with your thumb and forefinger while you fill it with duchesse potato mixture. B. Turn the top of the bag up again and gather the loose top together. -Hold the bag shut with your thumb and forefinger. -To force out the potatoes, squeeze the top of the bag in the palm of your hand. -Use your free hand to guide the tip or hold the item being filled or decorated. -You can make potato croquettes quickly by forcing out the potato mixture in long strips, using a large plain tube. -Cut the strips into 2-in. lengths with a knife. C. Duchesse potatoes are often used to decorate platters. -This technique is also used in decorating cakes and desserts with icing, whipped cream, or meringue. D. Single portions of duchesse potatoes are usually piped out into a tall spiral shape. -They are then browned in the oven. E. Dauphine and Lorette potatoes may be bagged out into many shapes, such as these small stars.

Should you cook and serve a Fingerling potato with its skin on?

-Fingerling potatoes are peeled after cooking if the skins are tough, or they may be served with the skins on if tender.

New Potato

-Immature potato with tender, thin skin, harvested while the plant top is still green. -Any potato harvested before it is mature, while leaves and stems are still green, is a new potato.

Botanically, the potato is a tuber, which is:

-An enlarged underground stem with buds (or eyes) that become new shoots.

All-Purpose

-An irregularly shaped potato suitable for most purposes. -Not usually baked due to its shape. -Not as dry, starchy, or expensive as a russet.

The potato was brought to Europe from the New World a few hundred years earlier, before an army pharmacist named _____________________________ began promoting its use.

-Antoine-Auguste Parmentier -To this day, many classical recipes featuring the potato are called Parmentier (par mawn tyay).

If potatoes are cooked with the skins on and peeled after cooking, why is it best to peel while they're still hot?

-Because the skins pull off more easily.

Allumette Potatoes (Shoestring or Matchstick Potatoes)

-Cut the potatoes into thin strips, slightly less than ¼ in. thick. -Because they are so thin, they are usually fried in one step (without blanching) until very crisp.

True or False: Potatoes and other starchy vegetables should be cooked without salt because the salt makes the vegetables firmer and thus delays cooking.

-False -Food scientists say that the cooking water for starchy vegetables should not be salted for exactly the opposite reason. -Salt speeds the softening of plant cell walls because the sodium of salt replaces calcium in the plant fiber.

Why aren't potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil when baked?

-Foil-wrapped potatoes don't bake but rather steam in their own moisture. -The texture of a steamed potato is entirely different from that of a baked potato. (Save yourself the trouble and expense of wrapping in foil and serve a better product.)

Waxy Potatoes are characterized by:

-High moisture content, high sugar content, low starch content. -Usually small and round in shape, but some varieties can be large, and some may be elongated. -Flesh is white, yellow, or even blue or purple. -Skin is white, red, yellow, or blue. -Holds shape well when cooked. -Firm, moist texture. -Use for boiling whole, for salads, soups, hash browns, and any preparation where the potato must hold its shape. -Do not use for deep-frying. (High sugar content will cause dark streaks and poor texture.)

Though you could cook them in one stage, why do we cook French fries made from fresh potatoes in two stages?

-It's possible to cook them in one step, but this is impractical in a volume operation because of the long cooking time. -The more common practice is to blanch them in frying fat. -This is done at a lower temperature so they cook through without browning. -They are then drained and refrigerated until service time. -Portions can then be finished to order in a few minutes.

Storing and Handling Potatoes:

-Keep potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place, ideally at 55°-60°F. (If they will be used quickly, you may keep them at room temperature.) -Do not refrigerate. Temperatures below 45°F convert potato starch to sugar. (Refrigerated potatoes must be stored at 50°F for two weeks to change the sugar back to starch.) -New potatoes do not keep well. (Purchase only one week's supply at a time.) -Potatoes begin to turn brown as soon as they are peeled. (To prevent browning place peeled potatoes in cold water immediately.) -Potatoes may be peeled in advance and stored a short time under water, although some nutrients will be lost. -Remove all green parts when peeling potatoes

Russets or Idahos Potatoes are characterized by:

-Long, regularly shaped potatoes with slightly rough skin. -Ideal choice for the traditional baked potato. -Best potato for French fries because the high starch content produces an even, golden color and good texture. -Also, the regular shape means little trimming loss. -May be mashed, but is generally too expensive for that purpose. -Sizes are indicated by count per 50-pound carton. (For example, 100s average 8 ounces each.)

What are some applications that uses puréed potatoes?

-Mashed or whipped potatoes -Duchesse potatoes -Potato croquettes (Please note that this usage of the term is different from classic European usage, where purée de pommes de terre indicates mashed or whipped potatoes.)

Red Skinned Potatoes:

-May have white, pink, or yellow flesh. Most of them are of the waxy type. 1. Red Bliss- has long been one of the most popular waxy potatoes. 2. All-Red (pink flesh) 3. Early Ohio (white flesh) 4. Early Rose (white flesh) 5. Rose Gold (yellow flesh)

Explain the process of preparations made from cooked, puréed potatoes:

-Most of these products are made from duchesse potato mixture. -They include potato croquette variations, Dauphine potatoes, and Lorette potatoes. -Starchy potatoes are used for these recipes, as they are for duchesse potatoes, because they make a good dry, mealy purée.

What's the difference in shipping and storage for mature vs new potatoes?

-New potatoes are shipped and sold as soon as they are harvested. -By contrast, potatoes that are harvested mature are held at a controlled temperature and humidity for about two weeks in order to toughen their skins further and heal cuts and other damage. (This curing process gives the potatoes greater keeping quality.)

All-purpose Potatoes (or chef potatoes).are characterized by:

-Not as dry and starchy as russets. -Irregularly shaped. -Less expensive than russets. -Suitable for most purposes, but not usually used for baking because of irregular shape. -Especially useful for puréeing or mashing, or any preparation in which the shape of the whole potato is not important. -Note: Very knobby potatoes are wasteful when pared in a mechanical peeler.

Duchesse Potatoes

-Potato purée mixed with butter and egg yolks.

When are mature potatoes normally harvested

-Potatoes aren't harvested until the green, bushy tops turn brown and die back. -At this point, the potatoes are mature. -Their skin has thickened, and their starch content has developed.

Baked "En Casserole"

-Potatoes baked in a baking pan or casserole, with or without liquid added. -The best-known is scalloped potatoes. -A characteristic of most of these preparations is that they are baked uncovered at least part of the time so a brown crust forms on top.

Pont-Neuf Potatoes

-Prepare as in basic recipe, but cut the potatoes in thicker strips, about ½ in. square or slightly larger. -Blanching time will be slightly longer.

What potato is the standard choice for baking and deep-frying?

-Russet Potatoes

Why are Russets often called Idaho Potatoes?

-Russets, often called Idaho potatoes because so many russets are grown in that state, are high-starch potatoes. They have a regular, elongated shape, brown or reddish-brown, rough skin, and white flesh. -These are the standard choice for baking and deep-frying.

Why shouldn't you cook your potatoes in salted water?

-Salt speeds the softening of plant cell walls because the sodium of salt replaces calcium in the plant fiber. -Calcium helps to hold the plant fiber intact, and replacing it with sodium makes the fiber break down more quickly. -Thus, when potatoes are cooked in salted water, the exterior portions can break down and begin to fall apart in the cooking water before the interior is cooked to doneness.

Steakhouse Fries

-Scrub but do not peel potatoes. -Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise into 4-6 wedges, depending on size. -Prepare as in basic recipe.

Fingerling Potatoes:

-Small potatoes, usually firm and waxy, with a long, narrow shape. -Most popular fingerlings are yellow-skinned and yellow-fleshed, but red-skinned, yellow-fleshed fingerlings, red-skinned, pink-fleshed fingerlings, and purple fingerlings are also grown. 1. Austrian Crescent (yellow) 2. French Fingerling (red skin, yellow flesh) 3. Russian Banana (yellow) 4. La Ratte (yellow) 5. Ruby Crescent (pinkish yellow skin, yellow flesh) 6. Red Thumb (red skin, pink flesh)

Traditional main courses in western cooking feature a protein item, one or more vegetables, and a ________.

-Starch -The potato is, of course, a vegetable, but because of its high starch content it usually serves the same function on the menu as grains and other starchy foods.

Russet

-Starchy potato often used for baking and deep-frying.

Potatoes are traditionally classified as either:

-Starchy, low-moisture varieties or -Waxy, high-moisture varieties

Blue- or Purple-Fleshed Potatoes:

-This variety is the novelty item among potatoes. -They may be waxy or somewhat starchy, depending on the variety. -The two most common purple-fleshed potatoes are: 1. Peruvian Blue (Purple Peruvian)- with dark violet flesh that lightens somewhat when cooked 2. All-Blue- with purple or reddish purple flesh that becomes lavender when cooked.

True or False: Boiled potatoes are generally cooked in unsalted water

-True

True or False: Most French fries served are made from blanched, frozen product.

-True

True or False: Not all small potatoes are new potatoes, and not all new potatoes are small.

-True -Although most new potatoes are small, usually less than 1½ inches in diameter, this is not always the case.

Blue-Skinned, White-Fleshed Potatoes:

-Varieties are similar to red-skinned varieties, except their skins range in color from dark reddish blue to purple. -When cooked, the skins may keep their color or turn brown, grayish, or another color, depending on the variety. 1. Blue Pride 2. Caribe 3. Kerry Blue

When may potatoes be cooked with salt?

-When it would be difficult or impossible to season the dish after cooking. -When potatoes are cooked in salted water, the exterior portions break down and begin to fall apart in the cooking water before the interior is cooked to doneness.

All-purpose potatoes are ________ fleshed potatoes.

-White -They have a moderate starch content and moderate moisture, making them suitable for many kinds of preparations. -White-fleshed potatoes may also be harvested young, when they have more moisture, less starch, and a thin skin.

What should you look for when checking a potatoes quality?

1. Firm and smooth, not soft or shriveled. 2. Dry skin. 3. Shallow eyes. 4. No sprouts. -Sprouting potatoes are high in sugar. 5. No green color. -Green areas develop on potatoes stored in light. -These areas contain a substance called solanine, which has a bitter taste and is poisonous in large quantities. -All green parts should be cut off before cooking. 6. Absence of cracks, blemishes, and rotten spots.

Procedure for Baking Potatoes:

1. For standard baked potatoes, select russets or other regularly shaped starchy potatoes. 2. Scrub well and pierce the ends with a fork or skewer so steam can escape. 3. For crisp skins, rub lightly with oil. -For more tender skins, leave dry. 4. Place on sheet pans or on sheet pan racks in a preheated 400°F oven and bake until done, about 1 hour. -To test doneness, squeeze gently. -Done potatoes yield to gentle pressure. (Note: Using sheet pan racks eliminates the hard spot that forms where the potato is in contact with the sheet pan.) 5. Remove from oven. 6. To hold for service, keep warm and uncovered so the potatoes will not be made soggy by trapped steam. -Hold no more than 1 hour, if possible, though they will keep longer with some loss of quality.

What are the 6 forms that you may purchase potatoes from a market?

1. Fresh, unprocessed. 2. Peeled and treated to prevent browning. -Keep refrigerated (below 40°F) for five to seven days. 3. Canned whole, cooked. 4. French fries, blanched in deep fat and frozen. -Available in a wide variety of sizes and cuts. -Cook from the frozen state. -Refrigerated French fries are also available. 5. Other frozen, prepared products. -Available as hash browns, puffs, stuffed baked, and croquettes; in casseroles with a variety of sauces. 6. Dehydrated. -Granules or flakes for mashed potatoes to be reconstituted with hot water or milk and butter or other desired flavorings.

Procedure for making French Fries from Fresh Potatoes:

1. Peel and eye the potatoes. 2. Cut the potatoes into strips ⅜ in. square and about 3 in. long. -Hold the cut potatoes in cold water until needed, to prevent discoloration. 3. Line sheet pans with several layers of brown paper and have them ready by the deep fryer. 4. Drain and dry the potatoes well. -Deep-fry in fat heated to 325°F until they are just beginning to turn a pale golden color. -At this point, they should be cooked through and soft. 5. Remove the potatoes from the fryer and turn them out onto the sheet pans in a single layer to drain. -Refrigerate. 6. At service time, fry the potatoes in small quantities in fat heated to 350°-375°F until brown and crisp. 7. Drain well. -Salt them lightly away from the fryer, or let customers salt their own. -Serve immediately.

Sauteed and Pan-Fried potatoes can be divided into two categories based on production technique:

1. Potatoes mixed or tossed while cooking. -The procedure for sautéing vegetables, is used for these preparations. -The potatoes are cut into pieces or into small shapes and cooked in a small amount of fat. -They are turned or tossed in the pan so they brown on all sides. -This category includes rissolé, parisienne, noisette, château, and American fried or home-fried potatoes. 2. Potatoes cooked and served in compact cakes. -The procedure for pan-frying vegetables is the basic method used for these preparations. -The potatoes are not mixed while cooking but are made into cakes, which are browned on both sides. -This category includes hash browns and variations as well as potato pancakes and macaire potatoes.

Procedure for making Potato Purée:

1. Select starchy or moderately waxy potatoes. 2. Wash, peel, and eye carefully. 3. Cut into uniform sizes for even cooking. 4. Simmer or steam until tender. . -Potatoes for purée must be thoroughly cooked, or the purée will be grainy, but they must not be overcooked, or it will be watery. 5. Drain in a colander (if simmered). -Set the colander on a sheet pan and place in an oven for several minutes to dry out the potatoes. -If potatoes are too moist, they will be too loose or slack when liquid is added later. 6. While the potatoes are still hot, pass them through a food mill or ricer to purée. -A mixer with the paddle attachment may be used to break up the potatoes for whipped potatoes, but there is no guarantee it will remove all lumps. -Equipment used for puréeing should not be cold, or it will cool the potatoes too much. -Heat equipment under hot water before use. 7. Add ingredients to the purée as indicated in the individual recipe. -Avoid excessive mixing in order to prevent glueyness.

Yellow-Fleshed Potatoes:

1. Yukon Gold- a round, medium-size potato that ranges from waxy to somewhat starchy, depending on age and growing conditions. They are used for many purposes, including baking. 2. Yellow Finn-used for baking; it has a smooth, creamy texture when baked, unlike the grainy, starchy texture of baked russets. 3. Bintje (waxy) 4. Butte (fairly starchy) 5. Concord (waxy) 6. Charlotte (waxy) 7. Island Sunshine (medium starch)

Young white potatoes are used mostly for _________.

-Boiling

Boiled potatoes are generally started in cold water

-Cold -This allows for more even cooking and heat penetration from outside to inside during the relatively long cooking time required.

Straw Potatoes

-Cut into very thin strips, about ⅛ in. thick. -Fry in one step in hot fat (375°F).

Potato Chips

-Cut potatoes into very thin slices, less than ⅛ in. thick. -Fry in one step in hot fat (375°F).

The characteristics of poorly baked potatoes are:

-Gray and soggy and have a damp, soft skin.

What are some example of when you might salt the potatoes cooking water?

-In the case of dishes like Hungarian Potatoes, for example, mixing in salt after cooking would break up the potatoes. -Gratin Dauphinoise must not be stirred after cooking and so is salted before cooking. -In preparations like roasted potatoes, a salty crust on the potatoes may be desirable, so salting before cooking can be done.

Should you cook and serve a New potato with its skin on?

-New potatoes are usually cooked and served with the skins on.

Waffle or Gaufrette Potatoes

-Set the fluted blade of a mandoline to cut very thin slices. -Cut potatoes into round slices, turning the potato about 90 degrees between slices so you cut waffle shapes. -Fry like potato chips.

Why aren't boiled potatoes ever cooled in cold water, like most vegetables?

-This would make them soggy.

The characteristics of properly baked potatoes are:

-White, fluffy, mealy, and steamy, and they have a dry skin that crackles slightly when pressed.

What are the two kinds of deep-fried potatoes?

1. Potatoes fried raw. 2. Preparations made from cooked, puréed potatoes.

Mature or Starchy Potatoes fall into two categories:

1. Russets or Idahos 2. All-purpose potatoes (sometimes called chef potatoes). (Mature or Starchy Potatoes have a high starch content, low moisture and sugar. They're light, dry, and mealy when cooked.)