About Potato Texture
Food scientists group potatoes by their texture. Potato texture can be explained by two prominent characteristics:
- The Solids Content which is measured by specific gravity readings that compare a particular variety’s density to the density of water. A low solids potato will be moist, a high solids potato will be dry.
- The Ratio of Two Starch types
- a. A potato high in the straight starch, Amylose, will be mealy or floury when cooked.
- b. Conversely, a potato which is high in the branched starch, Amylopectin, will hold firmly together in cooking (think of “pectin” which makes strawberry jam jell).
Potato Textures: Classic Uses & Examples
| Soft Moist | Creamy Mid-Dry | Mealy Dry |
|---|---|---|
| Steamed Au Gratin Sauteed Adirondack Red All-Blue | Baked Steamed Creamy Soups Carola Rose Gold Huckleberry Gold Baltic Rose | Baked Mashed Fried Yukon Gold Butte Russet Caribou Russet |
| Waxy Moist | Waxy Mid-Dry | Firm Dry |
| Boiled Soups & Stews Salads French Charlotte Reddale Dark Red Norland Adirondack Blue | All Purpose Baked Boiled Salads Keuka Gold Caribé Prairie Blush Rose Finn Apple Russian Banana King Harry Elba | Baked Boiled Fried Red Cloud Island Sunshine |
| Moist… | Solids Content | …Dry |
The above uses ought to be considered guidelines only; for an adventurous cook they are rules made to be bent through experimenting with the qualities of the different varieties. For example, every one of our varieties is good baked; the dry ones, like Butte, will be fluffier; the waxy and moist, like Reddale will be firmer. And the small baby tubers are every bit as good baked as are the large, only they cook quicker. Additionally, you’ll find all of our potatoes can be boiled, though dry selections, like Swedish Peanut, are more likely to fall apart when overcooked than a moist or waxy variety like Caribé.
Our Customers Say…
Your potatoes are wonderful!
– FD
Drums, PA
These are better than any potatoes we’ve ever tried!
– VK
Puyallup, WA
