"Ophelia" wrote:
> Jen wrote:
> > "Julia Altshuler" wrote:
> >> Jen wrote:
> >>> Usually I would always make a simple scalloped potatoes, by
> >>> layering thin slices of potato in a dish and adding enough milk to
> >>> almost cover, dotting
> >>> with butter and baking at 180 C for about an hour. Lately this
> >>> hasn't been
> >>> working right, I end up with a watery liquid in the dish, and it
> >>> just doesn't taste right. The only difference I can think of is
> >>> that I've got a
> >>> new oven (I think it was around the same time), so maybe it's the
> >>> temperature. So should I Cook it for longer or less time? Or
> >>> should I turn
> >>> the oven up or down? Or what else could I try? Any ideas?
>
> >> I'm going to guess that if you've been using a tried and true recipe
> >> and were happy with the results before, the changed variable is the
> >> potatoes. You've been buying them in a net 5#-10# bag from the same
> >> place in the supermarket, right? (Or similarly been buying them
> >> from the same place.) Now the bag looks the same, but the potatoes
> >> might be different, probably a different starch content. Some
> >> potatoes are better for baking and some better for boiling. I'd
> >> look for Idahos. Or try to figure out what you were getting before,
> >> and get more of them. Even potatoes from the same state, from the
> >> same seed, can give different results from year to year, so my
> >> advice isn't surefire, but I'd look to the potatoes before fiddling
> >> with a recipe I knew I liked.
>
> > You're probably right that it's the potatoes. I've always just bought
> > "potatoes", without really taking much notice of what they were. I'll try
> > some of these ideas though, it might be a good time for a
> > change. It's Spring here, and that's usually a good time for change.
>
> Points for Julia)))))))))))))))

I seriously doubt it's the potatoes, in fact that's the last thing I'd
suspect, in fact I'd never consider it could be the potatoes that
added too much liquid, not unless they were rotten and oozing to begin
with and then anyone with a functioning smeller would know. She
didn't measure the milk, just poured it on to cover the potatoes, not
a method that will ever give consistant results... and in fact if the
potatoes are actually totally covered with liquid they will *always*
and *every time* and *without fail* be soupy because in fact that's an
excellent method for judging the correct proportions to make potato
soup..

Sheldon Starch