We've all experienced the wrong way of boiling potatoes for potato salad – potatoes often end up mushy and overcooked on the outside, and al dente on the inside – not what you want in a potato salad. But boiling the perfect potatoes for potato salad is easy once you have a few tips to improve your technique.
In potato salad, you want the chunks of potato to be thoroughly cooked all the way through, but not so overcooked that they fall apart when you mix the salad together. Now, you may have heard that you should boil potatoes whole, with the skin on, to prevent the potatoes from becoming waterlogged. However, in the case of potato salad, cutting the potatoes into chunks is best to ensure even, thorough cooking. To achieve perfectly cooked potatoes for your potato salad, follow the steps below:
How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad
- Cut the potatoes into even chunks, so each piece will cook more or less at the same rate. One to 1.5-inch chunks is about right.
- Put the potatoes into a large pot, and cover them with COLD water. You want to start the potatoes in cold water to prevent the outsides of the potatoes from overcooking too quickly. The cold water should cover the top of the potatoes by about 1 inch.
- Season the water with salt and vinegar. Seasoning the potatoes while they cook will help the flavors to penetrate the potatoes more thoroughly. Use salt to taste (about the same amount you would use for pasta) and about 1 tablespoon of vinegar per quart of water. The vinegar also helps prevent the potatoes from overcooking too quickly, a technique demonstrated by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at the Serious Eats Food Lab.
- Bring the water to a boil, and then turn the heat down to a medium boil and cook the potatoes uncovered. You do not want a rolling boil as it will toss the potatoes around and break them up.
- Since the chunks of potato are relatively small, start checking them after they have boiled for 5 minutes. Once the chunks of potato can be easily pierced with a fork, they are ready. Drain them in a colander and season them to taste while they are hot (they absorb the most flavor this way).
- Once potatoes are cool, mix with dressing and other salad ingredients.
Depending on your preferences, you can use any kind of potato for potato salad. However, mealy potatoes such as russets will tend to fall apart more quickly while boiling and mixing, whereas waxier red and yellow potatoes may keep their shape a little better. Just monitor the potatoes carefully and you should have no problem.
Camilla Cheung - Camilla is a Canadian freelance writer currently living on the Central Coast of California. She has a background in teaching and ...
