Cooking Potatoes

There are many types of potatoes, all with very different qualities and suitable for particular cooking methods. For example, there are floury or mealy potatoes - ideal for baking and mashing, but as they tend to fall apart in the water, less useful for boiling. In contrast, waxy potatoes are very firm-fleshed and excellent for potato salads, boiled potatoes and gratins, but not at all good for mashing. There are also all-purpose potatoes that can be used for almost anything; however, these do not always have the best flavour.

In this section, we examine the different methods of cooking potatoes, from baking to sautéing, along with advice on the right variety of potato to use for each method.