topher@cyb-eng.UUCP (Topher Eliot) (03/24/84)
The following is stolen shamelessly from the 3/22/84 Austin American Statesman. It's in a story about Home Economics at UT: . . . Gumminess is another story. If the potatoes cooked for mashing come out gummy and sticky, not fluffy and pretty, you've used the wrong variety, [Dr. Margaret] Briley said. Mealy potatoes like Russet and Idaho are dense and best for mashed potatoes. Also, their low sugar content makes them great for frying because they don't brown too quickly. Waxy potatoes like Red Pontiac, New Roundwhite and California Long White make the best potato salad, scalloped potatoes and boiled potatoes because they are less dense and the potato cells will cling together after cooking. To determine which kind of potatoes you have, Briley suggests this little experiment. Fill a bowl with a brine of 1 cup salt to 11 cups water. Place the whole potato in the brine. The lighter waxy potatoes will float. The denser mealy potatoes will sink. Then plan your menus accordingly: french fries for sinkers, potato salad for floaters.