Chinese Recipes | Cooking Tips | Good Eats

Did you think I was joking about my potato peeling post?

Well, I confess that I did think the video was interesting but I had my doubts. I tried the potato peeling trick only recently, and holy canoly, it works!

Here are some summary pointers on how to peel a boiled potato:

1. Scrub the potato clean and cut a slit around the potato.

2. Put the potato in a saucepan of room temperature water with the water level covering the potato.

3. Boil for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. Mine was a medium sized russet potato. You don’t want to plunge the potato in a saucepan of boiling water cos then the cooking will not be even (i.e. the exterior of the potato may get overcooked by the time the interior is cooked properly)

4. Test if the potato is cooked by piercing a fork or long toothpick through it. When cooked, it’s easy to pierce.

5. When potato is cooked, transfer to a bowl of cold water.

6. When cooled (such that you won’t be tossing a hot potato) scoop it out onto a plate and let the fun begin.

7. Slowly but surely, slide the skin off with your fingers. (Refer back to Youtube video for the action)

Dr Miriam Stoppard, a well-known authority on the health of women and children, said: “Potatoes are much maligned and underrated, but they are extremely nutritious, so do include them in your diet. A potato contains about 1oz (3g) of protein, together with calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, plus seven times as much Vitamin C as an apple. If you don’t want to add a lot of calories, don’t fry the potatoes. Try to cook them in their skins, whether you are baking, boiling whole or mashing; peeling the potatoes first means you lose fiber, most of the protein, many of the vitamins and half the iron.”