topic Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy in Recipes

Potatoes that stay crunchy

drizzellla — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:26:39 GMT

Has anyone come across potatoes that don't seem to soften?

I made a beef stew a couple weeks ago. The potatoes after cooking for well over an hour were still crunchy. They were cut into bite size pieces. So an hour should have been more than enough time.

So when I cooked a pork tenderloin in the slow cooker, I put the potatoes into the microwave 2 times for 5 minutes each before putting them into the slow cooker. The potatoes were better but some were still crunchy.

Never encountered this before. I never want to buy potatoes like this again. How is it possible?

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

Texas Gray Wolf — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:33:35 GMT

I use the canned sliced or diced potatoes..........

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

fthunt — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:35:33 GMT

Common white potatoes?

Perhaps they got frozen somewhere along their travel. I've had some interesting science projects resulting from fresh veggies being stored in the garage ......when hit with sub-zero temperatures. Just lost a cabbage head a week ago.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

drizzellla — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 21:54:19 GMT

@fthunt wrote:
Common white potatoes?

Perhaps they got frozen somewhere along their travel. I've had some interesting science projects resulting from fresh veggies being stored in the garage ......when hit with sub-zero temperatures. Just lost a cabbage head a week ago.

They were russet potatoes. I looked at the bag and it said "Product of Canada".

Wonder if they did freeze somewhere along the line. Canada can get cold and we have had some cold weather here.

Never encountered this before. Guess I will throw out the rest of the bag. But don't want to encounter it again.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

Kachina624 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:00:08 GMT

My dad, raised in a potato-growing area of Colorado always claimed he could tell when they'd been frozen because they had a sweet taste. He never mentioned crunchy.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

Foxxee — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:03:11 GMT

I always use red potatoes for beef stew and never have had that problem.

Russet are good for baking, mashed potatoes, and french fries.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

rms1954 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:14:03 GMT

Red potatoes and Yukon Gold potatoes hold up better than russet potatoes in a stew. Russet potatoes can get grainy because they are more starchy. Yukon Gold and Red potatoes are also nice because they don't need to be peeled.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

PickyPicky3 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:28:51 GMT

I always use russets and that has never happened. Try and call the distributor in Canada. Or Google "What happens to russet potatoes if they freeze?"

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

BeeChee — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 22:41:13 GMT

Or..."why did my cooked potatoes stay crunchy?"

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

drizzellla — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 23:00:40 GMT

Why won’t my potatoes soften?

A potato’s cell walls contain pectin, and these pectin chains remain stable when they come into contact with acids. This means that potatoes will remain hard if they are in a dish that has a lot of acid (for example, a dish you’ve added wine to). Potatoes cooked in water alone often won’t soften.

OK - I did cook the pork and potatoes with sauerkraut. But I have cooked them many times that way. And the potatoes cooked just fine before.

And the stew I did add Worcestershire sauce but that was about a tablespoon.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

PickyPicky3 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 23:44:59 GMT

@drizzellla I don't think we have the answer yet.

There's a Canadian Potato Council and a United Potato Growers of Canada online.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

OKPrincess — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:19:31 GMT

I mostly use frozen dice potatoes with onions and bell peppers 🫑

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

sabatini — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:37:53 GMT

Hi @drizzellla.

My mom figured it out years ago - don't add raw potatoes (or carrots!) to any broth that contains tomatoes or tomato products.

An odd thing happens; a sort of skin forms on their outsides, and it'll take FOREVER for them to cook, & they might not ever manage to do so.

As a previous poster mentioned, it has something to do with acidity.

So, if I'm making stew or soup that has tomatoes in it, I'll cook the carrots/potatoes separately, then add them to the dish.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

Kachina624 — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:53:19 GMT

My whole life, I've made stew with potatoes, carrots, onions and stewed tomatoes. Never had anything weird happen or a failure of any kind.

Re: Potatoes that stay crunchy

River Song — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:59:33 GMT

If you want potatoes to stay crisp, say for French fries, soak them in water with some vinegar (acid).

If you want potatoes to get soft, say for roasted potatoes, soak the potatoes in water with some baking soda (alkaline).