What is the name of that potato?

granddi · ‎03-16-2010

I was grocery shopping for what I call a russet (or Idaho) potato. Not to be confused with red, yellow, fingerling, purple.

I am at the self check out and can not locate a category for either name. So I asked for help. And the helper was the store manager.

Me: Sorry, I cannot find these listed under Russet or Idaho.

Manager: That is because they are BAKING POTATOES

Me: Well, you can bake them and also fry, grill, mash...ha ha I thought.

Manager: I've been in grocery for 32 years and those are called Baking Potatoes.

Ok--good to know!!

What do you call those elongated brown potatoes?

daisyk · ‎05-20-2011

I call them both-I probably say Russets if they're bagged but baking if they are loose. Maybe it's a regional thing? You are not wrong-

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@granddi - DH and I just did some grocery shopping today and we bought russet potatoes. They were listed on the screen (self-checkout) as...

...wait for it! RUSSET POTATOES!

I guess it depends on where you are. (But the store manager really ought to know the different varieties.)

PhilaLady1 · ‎03-11-2010

I call them Russet or Idaho potatoes. They are my favorite and the only kind I buy. That manager seemed that he just did not want to be bothered answering questions from customers. Anyone knows that you can stick any type of potato in the oven and bake them. Or maybe I am wrong and just don't know that people also refer to them specifically as Baking Potatoes.

drizzellla · ‎03-14-2010

I call them Idaho potatoes.

I think russet are not oblong. They are smaller and round.

But I have not been in the grocery business for 32 years. So the Manager might correct me.

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

i generally call them baking potatoes.

very brown, oblong, usually quite large.

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mizree · ‎04-04-2016

@granddi Russet potato. I checked my receipt and Kroger identifies them this way also.

NYwoman · ‎03-09-2010

I call them Russets, too, and they are my favorite also. I am used to the Idaho variety. They are also grown in Maine. So, in NY, we can get either kind. Having lived in Washington state and NY, I have seen many different varieties of potatoes.

loriqvc · ‎11-06-2011

If they're loose and large, I've almost always seen them labeled as baking potatoes. If there are a bunch in a bag, it depends on the source, but they're typically labeled as russet or Idaho potatoes.