How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or roasting?
I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine to
prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they absord
too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:13:10 -0500, wrote:

> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or roasting?
> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine to
> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they absord
> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.

How far advance do you plan to do peel them? I don't see why it would
matter, you're going to boil them in water anyway (I use a little
boiling water when whipping/mashing to cut back on fat and calories).

When they're fork tender, drain well, cover and let them dry out for a
minute or two. If you don't overdo the liquid when mashing, you'll
end up with really fluffy mashed potatoes. Don't over think this.
You're making something easy into something hard.

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:13:10 -0500, wrote:

>How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or roasting?
>I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine to
>prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they absord
>too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.

24 hours in water in the fridge will hurt nothing, even 48 hours.

> wrote in message
...
> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
> roasting?
> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine
> to
> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
> absord
> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.

You can do them a day in advance, but... You must put them in the
refrigerator in some cold, salted water. If you don't, they will go brown
on you.

If you want to do them a few hours in advance, just keep them in cold,
salted water. Change the water to fresh if it's going to be more than two
hours. They need to be kept cold.

On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:13:10 -0500, wrote:

>How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or roasting?
>I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine to
>prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they absord
>too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.

Thanks. This was for roasted potatoes which was why I was concerned. I
understand that if I was boiling them then sitting in water wouldn't be an
issue. Don't even know why I mentioned mashed in my original post.

> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:13:10 -0500, wrote:
>
>>How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
>>roasting?
>>I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine
>>to
>>prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
>>absord
>>too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> Thanks. This was for roasted potatoes which was why I was concerned. I
> understand that if I was boiling them then sitting in water wouldn't be
> an
> issue. Don't even know why I mentioned mashed in my original post.

> wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 12 Dec 2010 15:13:10 -0500, wrote:
>
>>How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
>>roasting?
>>I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine
>>to
>>prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
>>absord
>>too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> Thanks. This was for roasted potatoes which was why I was concerned. I
> understand that if I was boiling them then sitting in water wouldn't be
> an
> issue. Don't even know why I mentioned mashed in my original post.

Oops! Sorry for the blank post. In that case, you'll want to dry them off
well with paper towels or a clean dish towel. You don't want water on
roasted potatoes.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> wrote:
>
>> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
>> roasting?
>> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I
>> imagine to
>> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
>> absord
>> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> Why?
>
> I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>
> I use mostly reds or yukon golds.

I peel russets if using for mashed. The bits of skin on them seem like dirt
to me. I never peel the other kinds. And I never peel for roasting.
Unless for some reason I am cooking for my dad. He has some strange food
phobias and potato skin is one such. He considers the skin to be poison.

On Dec 12, 11:24*pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> "Omelet" > wrote in message
>
> news >
>
>
> > In article >,
> > wrote:
>
> >> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
> >> roasting?
> >> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I
> >> imagine to
> >> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
> >> absord
> >> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> > Why?
>
> > I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>
> > I use mostly reds or yukon golds.
>
> I peel russets if using for mashed. *The bits of skin on them seem like dirt
> to me. *I never peel the other kinds. *And I never peel for roasting.
> Unless for some reason I am cooking for my dad. *He has some strange food
> phobias and potato skin is one such. *He considers the skin to be poison.

"spamtrap1888" > wrote in message
...
On Dec 12, 11:24 pm, "Julie Bove" > wrote:
> "Omelet" > wrote in message
>
> news >
>
>
> > In article >,
> > wrote:
>
> >> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
> >> roasting?
> >> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I
> >> imagine to
> >> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will
> >> they
> >> absord
> >> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> > Why?
>
> > I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>
> > I use mostly reds or yukon golds.
>
> I peel russets if using for mashed. The bits of skin on them seem like
> dirt
> to me. I never peel the other kinds. And I never peel for roasting.
> Unless for some reason I am cooking for my dad. He has some strange food
> phobias and potato skin is one such. He considers the skin to be poison.

Your dad's right. Nightshades are poisonous, and the poison in
potatoes is concentrated in and next to the skin. Potatoes whose skin
has turned greenish must particularly be peeled.

---

I know that. I also know now never to eat a sprouted potato. I happily ate
them for years, having bought huge bags of potatoes that always sprouted
before I could eat them all. But maybe last year (can't remember exactly)
daughter and I got very bad stomach pains from eating sprouted potatoes. I
didn't see any green on them so the sprouts must have been the cause.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> "Omelet" > wrote in message
>> news
>> > In article >,
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
>> >> roasting?
>> >> I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I
>> >> imagine to
>> >> prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will
>> >> they
>> >> absord
>> >> too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>> >
>> > Why?
>> >
>> > I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>> >
>> > I use mostly reds or yukon golds.
>>
>> I peel russets if using for mashed. The bits of skin on them seem like
>> dirt
>> to me. I never peel the other kinds. And I never peel for roasting.
>> Unless for some reason I am cooking for my dad. He has some strange food
>> phobias and potato skin is one such. He considers the skin to be poison.
>
> I never purchase Russets. Dad has an aversion to them and the peels do
> indeed taste like dirt to me!
>
> I eat so few spuds, I can afford the better ones. Russets have no use in
> my world, but to each their own!
>
> Russets suck.

I had quit using russet with the exception of baked potatoes which we don't
have often. But I discovered that they make the best filling for pierogies
of which I just posted my faux version.

For mashed, I prefer Yukon Gold but daughter has decided she likes instant
potatoes the best. I don't, but they are very quick to make.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> >> > I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>> >> >
>> >> > I use mostly reds or yukon golds.
>> >>
>> >> I peel russets if using for mashed. The bits of skin on them seem
>> >> like
>> >> dirt
>> >> to me. I never peel the other kinds. And I never peel for roasting.
>> >> Unless for some reason I am cooking for my dad. He has some strange
>> >> food
>> >> phobias and potato skin is one such. He considers the skin to be
>> >> poison.
>> >
>> > I never purchase Russets. Dad has an aversion to them and the peels do
>> > indeed taste like dirt to me!
>> >
>> > I eat so few spuds, I can afford the better ones. Russets have no use
>> > in
>> > my world, but to each their own!
>> >
>> > Russets suck.
>>
>> I had quit using russet with the exception of baked potatoes which we
>> don't
>> have often. But I discovered that they make the best filling for
>> pierogies
>> of which I just posted my faux version.
>>
>> For mashed, I prefer Yukon Gold but daughter has decided she likes
>> instant
>> potatoes the best. I don't, but they are very quick to make.
>
> I know that others may not agree, but there is nothing wrong with
> powdered potatoes for mashed. They are real potatoes, just dehydrated
> flakes. No more sin in using those imho than in using rehydrated dried
> mushrooms and such!
>
> I like to use Yukon Golds to make hash for dad, or just serve them
> steamed and sliced with the peel.
>
> I've not yet tried making fries out of them!
>
> Instant potatoes are a great food for camping. That is where I developed
> a fondness for them. I used some on sale over Thanksgiving to mix with
> some baked Turban squash.

I don't do fries as in deep fried. But I have used them for oven fries and
they are great!

At one point in my life, a frequent snack was instant mashed potatoes made
with cheddar cheese, onions and real bacon bits. I have tried it again
recently and apparently no longer care for it. Daughter didn't like it made
that way either.

At one point in my life, my mom switched to using instant mashed potatoes.
So I became used to them. I guess I figured it must be terribly hard to
make real mashed potatoes! My mom didn't like to cook. She also used
powdered milk. I too keep powdered milk. Not for drinking. We did drink
it as children and had to use it on our cereal. Oh ick! I use it in
cooking on the rare occasions when I need some milk.

When I discovered that I could in fact mash Yukon Golds and didn't need to
peel them, I realized that it was very easy and pretty quick to make them
from scratch. It was the danged peeling that took so long.

On Dec 13, 1:52*am, "Julie Bove" > wrote:

>
> At one point in my life, my mom switched to using instant mashed potatoes..
> So I became used to them. *I guess I figured it must be terribly hard to
> make real mashed potatoes! *My mom didn't like to cook. *She also used
> powdered milk. *I too keep powdered milk. *Not for drinking. *We did drink
> it as children and had to use it on our cereal. *Oh ick! *I use it in
> cooking on the rare occasions when I need some milk.

Instant mashed potatoes will not rot. Nor will they grow two foot
sprouts.

>
> When I discovered that I could in fact mash Yukon Golds and didn't need to
> peel them, I realized that it was very easy and pretty quick to make them
> from scratch. *It was the danged peeling that took so long.

Potatoes are perishable. I only buy the amount I'm planning to use.
Five pound sacks are tempting, but I will never use them up while
they're still good.

On Dec 13, 11:35*am, Omelet > wrote:

Unless it's really 'formal' dinner, I never peel potatoes (russets)
if I'm going to mash them. I like the peeling in there.

I rarely peel potatoes for ANY dish I put them in, now that I think
about it.

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
> In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> > Instant potatoes are a great food for camping. That is where I
>> > developed
>> > a fondness for them. I used some on sale over Thanksgiving to mix with
>> > some baked Turban squash.
>>
>> I don't do fries as in deep fried. But I have used them for oven fries
>> and
>> they are great!
>
> Yes they are. :-) Good for scalloped potatoes too.
>
>>
>> At one point in my life, a frequent snack was instant mashed potatoes
>> made
>> with cheddar cheese, onions and real bacon bits. I have tried it again
>> recently and apparently no longer care for it. Daughter didn't like it
>> made
>> that way either.
>>
>> At one point in my life, my mom switched to using instant mashed
>> potatoes.
>> So I became used to them. I guess I figured it must be terribly hard to
>> make real mashed potatoes! My mom didn't like to cook. She also used
>> powdered milk. I too keep powdered milk. Not for drinking. We did
>> drink
>> it as children and had to use it on our cereal. Oh ick! I use it in
>> cooking on the rare occasions when I need some milk.
>
> I keep it handy for cooking as well. It's certainly not good to drink!
>
>>
>> When I discovered that I could in fact mash Yukon Golds and didn't need
>> to
>> peel them, I realized that it was very easy and pretty quick to make them
>> from scratch. It was the danged peeling that took so long.
>
> Indeed. :-)
> The other option with russets is to peel them after cooking them. Easier
> and faster, but I'll just stick with the yukon golds or those thin
> skinned white potatoes. I don't peel reds either.

I forgot about that. I had some recipe for a potato salad that called for
peeling the potatoes after cooking. But of course they had to be hot so the
dressing would soak in. That was no fun!

On Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:03:10 -0600, Omelet >
wrote:

>In article >,
> "Julie Bove" > wrote:
>
>> > The other option with russets is to peel them after cooking them. Easier
>> > and faster, but I'll just stick with the yukon golds or those thin
>> > skinned white potatoes. I don't peel reds either.
>>
>> I forgot about that. I had some recipe for a potato salad that called for
>> peeling the potatoes after cooking. But of course they had to be hot so the
>> dressing would soak in. That was no fun!
>
>Heh! Just run them under cold water while peeling! They still stay hot
>enough when you are done. Peeling cooked spuds generally goes pretty
>fast.

Slice lengthwise. Then lay half spud cut side up and slice but not
all the way through, flicking the blade slightly with each cut... most
of the peel will remain attached at the 'spine' and easily picked off
in one piece. Naturally regardless peeling prior to or after cooking
the larger the spuds the easier the task. With hot potato salads I
don't worry about removing every speck of peel.

On Dec 12, 8:45*pm, Omelet > wrote:
> In article >,
>
> wrote:
> > How far in advance is it alright to peel potatoes for say, mashing or
> > roasting?
> > I'm talking the same day, but if they sit, will they be alright? I imagine to
> > prevent them from discoloring, keep them in a pot of water? But will they
> > absord
> > too much water and mess up their cooking? Thanks.
>
> Why?
>
> I never peel potatoes. No reason to.
>
> I use mostly reds or yukon golds.
> --
> Peace! Om
>
> Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
> "One man's theology is another man's belly laugh."
> --Robert Heinelien

Same here. No peeling even if I'm going to mash them. the peels help
keep the taters from becoming too watery.