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.