How to Cook Potatoes

Learn Different Ways to Cook Potatoes

There are a number of different ways to prepare potatoes, among them  Au Gratin, Baked, Mashed, Roasted and Scalloped.  Find instructions below on a few of the most popular ways to cook a potato.

How to Cook Potatoes Fast

The simplest way to cook potatoes fast is to cut-them into smaller pieces.  For fast mashed potatoes, for example, rather than boiling the whole potato, cut potatoes into quarters.  Want your potatoes to cook even faster? Use even smaller potato pieces and you can use the microwave to cook potatoes faster than the stove (you avoid waiting for the water to boil).

Au Gratin- Learn How to Cook Au Gratin Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Peel your potatoes and slice very thin slices either with a knife or mandolin. You can also use a food processor to do this.
3. Grease your baking dish with butter.
4. Now start laying the potatoes into the dish. After each layer, season with salt and black pepper.
5. Pour the Half & Half mixture over the layered potatoes, push down to immerse all the potatoes in the cream.
6. Bake at 425°F for 50-60 minutes covered with foil, until potatoes are cooked (test with the tip of sharp knife).
7. Then take foil off and bake for 10-20 minutes until golden on top.

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Baked Potatoes- Learn How to Bake a Potato

The perfect baked potato is crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.  Baking potatoes is simple.  To make a baked potato, simply wash your favorite type of potato, we recommend the russet potato because of its flavor and texture. Then follow the steps below for baking them in the oven, crockpot or microwave.

In an oven:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F.
2. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until fork tender.
3. Slice open each potato. Place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of each potato.
4. Add additional toppings if desired.

Click for the full recipe, the video and for more Baked Potato recipes.

In a crockpot:

1. Prick the potatoes with a fork several times
2. Rub the potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and wrap tightly in foil.
3. Place the potatoes into a crockpot, cover, and cook on High for 4 ½ to 5 hours, or on Low for 7 ½ to 8 hours until tender.
4. Remove the potatoes from the crockpot and slice open each potato.
5. Place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of each potato.
6. Add additional toppings if desired.

In the microwave:

1. Prick the potatoes with a fork several times. Place on a plate.
2. Cook on full power in the microwave for 5 minutes. Turn over and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
3. When the potato is soft, remove from the microwave, and cut in half lengthwise. Place 1 Tablespoon of butter in the center of each potato.
4. Add additional toppings if desired.

Mashed Potatoes- Learn How to Make Mashed Potatoes

1. Peel potatoes and then cut them up into about equal sizes.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your potatoes. Keep boiling and cook these for 30 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the potatoes. Drain the potatoes.
3. Put your potatoes that you drained back into the pot and put back on the burner, low heat. You are now going to just mash them with a spoon or potato masher.
4. Add your butter, cream cheese, milk, black pepper and salt and whip until creamy.

Click for the full recipe, the video and for more Mashed Potato recipes.

Roasted Potatoes – Learn How to Make Roasted Potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prep a large pan with parchment paper
2. Scrub potatoes and cut into bite-size wedges. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread the potatoes into one layer on your baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Serve while hot.

Click here for the full recipe, the video and for more Roasted Potato recipes.

Scalloped Potatoes- Learn How to Make Scalloped Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes in thin slices. Use a mandoline or food processor, if you have them, to make sure the slices are all about the same thickness.
3. In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter with half cup of milk.
4. Once melted, mix in the flour and whisk until smooth. Cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Stir in the rest of the milk (preferably warm) some at the time while whisking. Make it smooth. Cook the white sauce until bubbly and thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Season with salt (about 1 teaspoon) and nutmeg (half teaspoon).
7. Grease a round 10.5-inch quiche pan (or 2 quarts baking dish).
8. Spread a layer of the potatoes slices on the bottom of the baking dish.
9. Season with salt and pepper, and top with some of the besciamella sauce.
10. Make two more layers of potato and white sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top.
11. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 400°F for 30 minutes covered.
12. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
13. If you need, broil on high for one minutes until nicely browned.
14. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving, so the sauce will set a little when cooling down. Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley and serve.

Click here for the full recipe, the video and for more Scalloped Potato recipes.

Things to note for preparing potatoes for cooking:

Sometimes potatoes that are cut and uncooked take on a pinkish or brownish discoloration. It’s due to the carbohydrate in the food reacting with oxygen in the air. Potatoes that become discolored are safe to eat and do not need to be thrown out. The color usually disappears with cooking.

Preserve the color of cut potatoes by storing them in cold water, and add lemon juice or a little vinegar. Limit water soaking to two hours to retain water-soluble vitamins.