Perfectly Steamed Potatoes
How to Boil Potatoes in a Pot: A Recipe for Fluffy, Hot Steamed Potatoes and Optimal Cooking Times
It’s officially the season for fresh potatoes! And when you get a box of fresh potatoes, the very first thing you should make is steamed potatoes! They are just that delicious on their own. 🙂 My second child recently went on a field trip to dig up potatoes at kindergarten. After the potato digging activity, they had a cooking assignment. I asked my child, ‘What should we cook?’ and they replied, ‘I want to boil potatoes and stick toothpicks everywhere to make art!’ That’s how we ended up choosing fluffy steamed potatoes for our post-potato-digging cooking activity. >
Ingredients
- 7 medium potatoes
- 900ml water (enough to cover about 70% of the potatoes)
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the potatoes. Use a vegetable peeler to carefully remove the skin from the potatoes. If there are any sprouted parts or deep ‘eyes’, carefully cut them out. Then, rinse the potatoes thoroughly under running water.
Step 2
Place the prepared potatoes into a pot. Pour in 900ml of water. This amount should cover about 70% of the potatoes. Adjust the water level so the potatoes are mostly submerged but not completely swimming.
Step 3
Now, let’s add the seasoning that will enhance the potato’s flavor. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the water. The sugar helps to subtly bring out the natural sweetness of the potatoes, making them even more delicious.
Step 4
It’s time to start boiling the potatoes! Place the pot on the stove over high heat. Make sure to cover the pot with a lid. Let the water come to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium once boiling. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat. Covering the pot allows the heat to distribute evenly, ensuring the potatoes cook through to the center.
Step 5
After the water has been boiling for about 20 minutes, the potatoes should be perfectly cooked. The best way to check for doneness is to insert a chopstick or fork into a potato. If it slides in smoothly with little resistance, the potatoes are ready. Remove the pot from the heat.
Step 6
Once the potatoes are cooked, carefully drain all the hot water from the pot. It’s important to remove all the water so that the next step of drying the potatoes can be done effectively.
Step 7
This is the final step to achieve that perfect fluffy texture! Place the pot back on the stove over high heat. Gently shake the pot to evaporate any remaining moisture from the potatoes. Be careful not to scorch them, just gently shake the pot back and forth. This process will result in wonderfully fluffy steamed potatoes that are moist inside and delightfully ‘dusty’ (powdery) on the outside, with steam gently rising!
