Mashed, in a uniform and whole: how to cook potatoes correctly, says Yevhen Klopotenko

Potatoes are a healthy and budget-friendly product that seems to be easy to prepare, but even ordinary mashed potatoes can turn out to be tasteless, runny, and lumpy. To prevent this from happening, you need to know just a few simple rules: what kind of potatoes to use, what to cook, and what to season.

Culinary expert Yevhen Klopotenko explains on his website how to cook mashed potatoes, as well as whole and jacketed potatoes, successfully and deliciously.

1. How to cook potatoes in their skins

The chef advises using potato varieties with a minimum starch content for this method of cooking, as they will not burst or boil.

"Choose potatoes of the same size so that they cook at the same time. Wash them well with a kitchen sponge or brush, put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cook over medium heat for about 15-30 minutes. The time will depend on the size of the potatoes. Check the readiness of the potatoes, add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil to keep the potatoes in shape, and reduce the heat to low," Klopotenko recommends.

2. How to make mashed potatoes correctly

"For mashed potatoes, it is better to choose varieties of tubers that contain a lot of starch," the chef advises.

It's worth noting that mashed potatoes quickly absorb water and boil, and the consistency of the dish is homogeneous.

Klopotenko recommends first peeling and cutting the potatoes into pieces, putting them in a saucepan, pouring boiling water over them to preserve the maximum starch content, and cooking until they are tender. In the process, add salt and mash the potatoes.

"To get a more intense flavor of potatoes, you can add a clove of peeled garlic, one bay leaf, and 2-3 allspice peas per 1 kg of potatoes," the cook explained.

3. How to cook whole potatoes

"If you are cooking whole potatoes, choose tubers of the same size so that they cook at the same time. Peel and cut them into pieces - the smaller they are, the faster they will cook, then immediately put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, put on high heat and cook for 15-20 minutes," the chef summarized.