Taste qualities of potatoes: what kind of potato tastes and what does it depend on?

There are about 5 thousand varieties of potatoes and even more recipes for dishes using them. The taste of a vegetable depends on the content of sugars, fatty acids, starch, and dry protein. Table varieties are used in cooking: these tubers have tender flesh, they boil well or are suitable for frying, depending on the amount of starch.

What do potatoes taste like?

Tubers can be neutral, watery, or dry. Raw potatoes taste like cabbage stalks, but coarser and without sweetness. The taste of boiled vegetables of different varieties differs due to different amounts of linoleic acid: the more it is, the more pleasant the pulp.

Interesting! The ancient Indians not only ate potatoes, but also worshiped them as a deity. Gradually, this vegetable spread throughout the world, appearing in Russia under Peter I. Peasants did not accept the culture for a long time due to frequent poisoning with the “devil’s apple”. In 1758, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences published the first scientific article on growing potatoes and eating them.

Smell

There are few volatile substances in the tubers, so potatoes have virtually no odor when raw.. During heat treatment, unsaturated fatty acids linolenic and linoleic acids are oxidized, resulting in a pleasant aroma of freshly cooked potatoes. When storing crops for a long time, the same process occurs, but since bacteria take part in it, a rancid odor occurs.

What determines the taste of potatoes?

Taste is determined by the chemical composition of the product, storage time and conditions, and methods of heat treatment.. There is little fat in tubers (0.1%), most of all they contain starch - 15 g per 100 g, glucose - 0.6 g, and there is a small amount of other sugars. The tubers contain 2 g of protein, the most mineral is potassium - 568 mg.

Round vegetables distribute nutrients evenly, and in oval ones the starch is concentrated in the middle.

What spoils them

Taste of any potato will deteriorate if agricultural cultivation techniques and storage conditions are violated:

1. A sweetish, unpleasant taste appears in frozen vegetables due to the conversion of starch into sugar at a temperature not exceeding +1°C. To correct the problem, such tubers are kept at room temperature for several days.
2. The green color and bitterness arise due to long-term storage in the light: harmful substances accumulate in potatoes. glycoalkaloid solanine. The less it is, the tastier the vegetable. The highest concentration of this substance is under the skin, so the potatoes are peeled before cooking.
3. The taste deteriorates due to a lack or excess of mineral or organic fertilizers.

Taste depending on variety

The most delicious potato varieties contain 13–18% starch, they are good suitable for cooking. High-starch varieties are considered fodder; such tubers contain more proteins (up to 2-3%).

Low content varieties starch have average taste, suitable for frying, adding to soups.

The most delicious varieties

Universal varieties are suitable for any heat treatment:

1. Aurora - a high-yielding mid-season variety; when planted in early May, it ripens by early August. The tubers are oval with a partially red skin and a creamy core.Starch content - 13.5–17.3%.
2. Bellarosa is a high-yielding, early-ripening crop; when planted in early May, it ripens by mid-summer. The tubers are oval with red skin and light yellow flesh. The amount of starch is 12.6–15.7%.
3. Vector - mid-season variety, ripens by early August. The tubers are round with red skin and yellowish pulp; they contain from 16.7 to 17.5% starch.
4. Gala is a mid-early potato that produces a harvest in 3 months. Vegetables are elongated with yellow skin and pulp. The amount of starch is 10.2–13.2%.
5. Blue - a mid-season variety; when planted in early May, it ripens by early August. The tubers are round, beige, and the flesh is creamy. Starch contains from 17 to 19%.
6. Zhuravinka - medium-late crop, ripens in 4 months. The vegetables are oval red, the flesh is light yellow, and contains from 14.6 to 19.6% starch.
7. Impala - an early ripening variety, ripens by mid-summer. The tubers are oval, yellow inside and outside, the amount of starch is small, 10.5–14.6%.
8. Kamensky is early ripening and produces a harvest by mid-summer. The skin of elongated vegetables is red, the pulp is light yellow, the amount of starch is 12.2–16.8%.
9. Kolobok - mid-season, ripens by early August. The tubers are round with yellow skin and pulp, starch content is 11.4–13%.
10. Queen Anne is an early-ripening crop; when planted in early May, it ripens by mid-summer. Elongated potatoes with yellow skin and flesh contain 13.1–14.4% starch.
11. Labella - early ripening variety. The tubers are elongated with red skin and yellow pulp, starch content - 15.8%.
12. Lyubava - early potatoes. The vegetables are round with red skin and white pulp, the amount of starch is 11.2–16.9%.
13. Rodrigue - mid-early variety, ripens from 2 to 2.5 months.The tubers are oval red with yellowish pulp; they contain 12.5–15.4% starch.

How to cook delicious potatoes

The tubers are used as a side dish, an independent dish, and a filling for pies.

Basic culinary secrets:

1. To preserve nutrients, vegetables are immersed in boiling water and cooked without a lid.
2. To obtain a crispy crust when frying, place the potatoes in heated oil, fry without a lid, and salt at the end of cooking. If the product is salted immediately, it will release juice and a crust will not form.
3. To make the tubers cook faster, put a piece of butter in the pan: this will increase the heat capacity of the liquid, the vegetables will cook faster and become even tastier.
4. Appetizing look puree gives hot milk. It is added as soon as the tubers are crushed, after which the puree is thoroughly mixed. It is important not to allow a contrast in the temperatures of the puree and milk, otherwise the starch will be destroyed and the dish will lose its attractive appearance.
5. A pinch of rosemary will give the potatoes a rich taste and aroma; other herbs and spices can be added as desired.

Recipes

Dishes from our top contain a minimal amount of ingredients, but this does not detract from their wonderful taste.

Potatoes baked with cheese and garlic

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 700 g;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• cheese - 150 g;
• 10% cream - 400 ml;
• salt - 1 tsp. no slide.

Preparation:

1. The tubers are peeled, cut into 0.5 cm circles, placed in boiling salted cream and boiled for 5 minutes.
2. The cheese is crushed on a coarse grater, mixed with peeled, washed and pressed garlic.
3. The ingredients are laid out in layers in a heat-resistant form, poured with cream, and a handful of cheese is left.
4. Cover the mold with foil and place in an oven preheated to +180°C.After 20 minutes, the foil is removed, the dish is sprinkled with the remaining cheese and placed in the turned off oven for 10 minutes.

Julienne in potatoes

An original dish in which potatoes play the role of a julienne cocotte.

Ingredients:

• large tubers - 4 pcs.;
• champignons - 400 g;
• onions - 1 pc.;
• cheese - 100 g;
• butter - 100 g;
• 10% cream - 250 ml;
• flour - 0.5 tbsp. l.;
• salt, black pepper - 0.5 tsp each.

Preparation:

1. The tubers are thoroughly washed with a brush and left in the peel. Each is cut in half, cut out the middle with a small knife, leaving 0.5 cm on the sides. Place in cold water.
2. Fry the washed and thinly sliced ​​champignons in butter for 5 minutes, add finely chopped onion and simmer for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Sprinkle with flour, stir, add cream, salt, pepper and simmer for 3 minutes until the cream thickens.
3. Place potato cocotte bowls in a heat-resistant form, add a piece of butter to each, sprinkle with salt, and add mushrooms and onions.
4. Julienne is baked in an oven preheated to +200°C for 15 minutes, then sprinkled with cheese and left for another 15 minutes.
5. Pour melted butter over each potato and serve.

Potato pancakes with cheese

Delicate pancakes with feta cheese will please many people.

Ingredients:

• boiled potatoes - 500 g;
• feta cheese - 120 g;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• egg - 1 pc.;
• parsley, green onions - 1 small bunch each;
• milk - 1/4 cup;
• flour - 0.5 tbsp;
• baking powder - 2/3 tsp;
• salt - 1/2 tsp;
• black pepper - to taste.

Preparation:

1. The boiled potatoes are cooled and chopped on a coarse grater. The washed greens are finely chopped, the peeled garlic is passed through a press. Vegetables and herbs are mixed.
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, egg, milk and cheese, add vegetables, mix again.
3. Place 1 tbsp of dough into the oil heated in a frying pan. l. at a short distance from each other. Pancakes are fried for 2 minutes on each side, served with sour cream and herbs.

Tips for cooking potatoes

We present to your attention some tips for growing and preparing delicious potatoes.

Veronica, Novosibirsk: “Pink potatoes are larger than yellow ones and cook faster, there are more yellow tubers in the bush, the skin of such vegetables becomes rougher faster.”.

Maria, Vladimir: “Before frying, I soak the tubers for an hour, then dry them well with a towel. I fry a few cloves of garlic in heated oil, remove them and place the potatoes in the garlic oil. I don’t cover the pan, add salt until the vegetables are browned. It turns out crispy, crispy potatoes.".

Conclusion

The taste of potatoes depends on many factors. Not simple enough choose a variety With a high starch content in tubers, it is important to grow the crop correctly and store the crop in a cool, dark place.

A wide variety of dishes are prepared from this vegetable; it is combined with dairy products, mushrooms, garlic, and used as a side dish for meat and fish.