On Thu 15 Jan 2009 06:57:15p, Janet Wilder told us...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Thu 15 Jan 2009 05:25:22p, told us...
>>
>>> I boiled two potatoes of the same size and from the same bag in the
>>> same pan. Only one was peeled.
>>>
>>> I put each one thru the ricer and delivered the results in separate
>>> dishes to my SO. The comment was "I can't taste the difference but
>>> the texture is so much fluffier on this one" and it was the spud which
>>> had been boiled with skin on. The one which had been peeled was
>>> wetter and not as white.
>>>
>>> I guess from now on, I don't peel before boiling for mashed potatoes,
>>> unless I'm in a terrific rush.
>>>
>>
>> If you're using a ricer to "mash" the potatoes and separate the skin, I
>> doubt it would take much longer, in fact perhaps take less time than it
>> would to peel them first.
>>
>> Thanks for the comparison. That does sound logical, since the skin is
>> somewhat of a barrier to the cooking liquid.
>>
> Right, Wayne. That's thy I never peel the potatoes for potato salad
> before I cook them. I cool them and peel them after they have been
> cooked (unless they are the tiny red ones. Then I leave some peel on
> them) I learned long ago that potatoes cooked in their jackets are much
> firmer for potato salad.
>
> When I cooked for the family, I didn't peel the potatoes and just pushed
> them through a ricer. They were the family favorite.

I've always peeled and cubed potatoes for virtually every purpose, but I
know that moisture needs to be minimized in the finished potatoes. For
mashed potatoes I return them to the pan and shake it back and forth over
heat until they dry. For potato salad, I turn the cubes out onto a non-
stick baking sheet and dry them a bit in the oven. I don't have a very
high tolerance for handling hot things, so try to avoid holding potatoes to
peel them after cooking.

--
Wayne Boatwright
(correct the spelling of "geemail" to reply)
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Date: Thursday, 01(I)/15(XV)/09(MMIX)
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Countdown till Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
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