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Floury potato problem - solved

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  • Floury potato problem - solved

    I picked my first International Kidney potatoes on 22nd June, since then we have had little rain.

    I think this is why the rest of the potatoes I have harvested have been quite floury, something I didn't expect from International Kidney which are meant to be waxy.

    So today I did a little research and came across this webpage: Heston Blumenthal Potato Recipes

    it's about chips, roast potatoes and mashed potatoes . . . but this caught my eye . . .

    Creating a perfect, velvety texture requires a little more work, but it's worth it. The end result will be a real taste of luxury.

    The success of pommes purees is largely dependent on managing the starch. Cooking has to break down the cell walls of potato without damaging the starch granules. If they're overcooked, the granules leak starch, turning the mash into a sticky, wallpaper-paste-like mass.

    The key to preventing this is an initial 30-minute simmer at precisely 72C, which alters a potato's structure so it responds well to the subsequent boiling and mashing. Cooking the potatoes at this temperature starts a process called ''gelatinisation'', in which the starch granules absorb water and swell to become a gel. (The process starts at 45C and stops at about 75C, hence the need for precision.) It also strengthens the potato's cell walls, so they're less likely to disintegrate.
    . . . and got me wondering if it would help with my floury potatoes.

    So I tried it, on the cooker on the lowest setting, a handful of potatoes that have been in the fridge for a week in a pan of water at around 70C (checked with a digital meat thermometer) for 30 mins. Then into some iced water for 5 mins to cool . . . then cooked as usual in boiling water for approx. 20mins . . .

    No floury spuds falling apart, they tasted great too now I can enjoy them as they were meant to be and make some nice potato salad too
    My allotment in pictures

  • #2
    Nice, interesting into, however I like floury potatoes!!

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    • #3
      That's a useful bit of info Raptor...my Charlotte were a bit floury a couple of weeks ago- probably due to lack of rain- the ones we dug up yesterday were better, but not as they should be.
      The haulms were chopped off yesterday because of blight so I doubt they'll absorb more water now it's started raining!

      Will certainly bear the cooking temperature in mind cos we've about 120 plants worth of spuds to get through!
      "Nicos, Queen of Gooooogle" and... GYO's own Miss Marple

      Location....Normandy France

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      • #4
        Originally posted by esbo View Post
        Nice, interesting into, however I like floury potatoes!!
        Have you tried to make Potato salad with floury spuds mash yes or roasties, but for decent boiled you need a waxy potato.
        My allotment in pictures

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Nicos View Post
          Will certainly bear the cooking temperature in mind cos we've about 120 plants worth of spuds to get through!
          I only planted 4 rows, 36 plants . . . I've only harvested 3 so far
          My allotment in pictures

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          • #6
            Originally posted by RaptorUK View Post
            Have you tried to make Potato salad with floury spuds mash yes or roasties, but for decent boiled you need a waxy potato.
            I am not too keen on waxy, for a start they don't soak up the gravy

            I guess they are better for salads though, I have just harvested some spuds, not tried them yet
            though, it was a rather poor crop, I think something hit them some disease turned the leaves yellow.
            I had planted in the same spot 3 years in a row, not a good idea really, however the ones I have
            look OK albeit few and mainly small.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by RaptorUK View Post
              I only planted 4 rows, 36 plants . . . I've only harvested 3 so far
              ...and with good storage you won't need to buy any until after Xmas. Remember to save a few next years planting too

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              • #8
                I couldn't get past the phrase "pomme purée", yuck, yuck and double yuck. Not eaten puréed food since I was a baby and don't intend to again while I still have my teeth

                Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.

                Which one are you and is it how you want to be?

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                • #9
                  My potatoes have all been floury, 'something' express were also tasteless, international kidney are hit and miss and I have just furtled Maris piper for a couple of roast dinners. Our potatoes are watered to within an inch of their lives and fed every Friday, so I don't know what else to do. Been eating them for six weeks now and love the deed of picking a few out if the bag for dinner, floury or not
                  Nannys make memories

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                  • #10
                    The problem I've had with spuds in the two years I've been growing, is that they are very unforgiving when boiled - a couple of minutes too long and the skins separate from the body of the spud and float about in the boiling water looking very unappetising and making them useless for salads. With my Nicola that I've just harvested I'm leaving them out in a sunny cold frame for a few days to see if 'curing' them helps at all.
                    He-Pep!

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by bario1 View Post
                      The problem I've had with spuds in the two years I've been growing, is that they are very unforgiving when boiled - a couple of minutes too long and the skins separate from the body of the spud and float about in the boiling water looking very unappetising and making them useless for salads. With my Nicola that I've just harvested I'm leaving them out in a sunny cold frame for a few days to see if 'curing' them helps at all.
                      Let us know please, that happens to me as well
                      Nannys make memories

                      Comment

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