Taste qualities of potatoes: what kind of potato tastes and what it depends on

There are about 5 thousand varieties of potatoes and even more recipes with its participation. The taste of a vegetable depends on the content of sugars, fatty acids, starch, and dry protein. In cooking, table varieties are used: such tubers have tender pulp, they boil well or are suitable for frying, depending on the amount of starch.

What potatoes taste like

Tubers are neutral, watery, dryish... Raw potatoes taste like cabbage stalk, but rougher and less sweet. The taste of boiled vegetables of different varieties differs due to the different amount of linoleic acid: the more there is, the more pleasant the pulp.

Interesting! The ancient Indians not only consumed potatoes for food, but also worshiped him as a deity. Gradually, this vegetable spread throughout the world, appearing in Russia under Peter I. The peasants did not accept the culture for a long time due to frequent poisoning with the "damn apple". In 1758, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences published the first scientific article on the cultivation of potatoes and their use for food.

Smell

There are few volatile substances in the tubers, so the potatoes are practically odorless when raw... During heat treatment, unsaturated fatty linolenic and linoleic acids are oxidized, a pleasant aroma of freshly cooked potatoes arises. With long-term storage of the crop, the same process occurs, but since bacteria take part in it, a rancid smell arises.

What determines the taste of potatoes

Taste is determined by the chemical composition of the product, terms and conditions of storage, methods of heat treatment... There are not many fat in tubers (0.1%), most of all they contain starch - 15 g per 100 g, glucose - 0.6 g, there is a small amount of other sugars. The protein in the tubers contains 2 g, of the minerals, potassium is the most - 568 mg.

Nutrients are evenly distributed in round vegetableswhile in oval starch is concentrated in the middle.

What spoils them

The taste of any potato will deteriorate if cultivation techniques and storage conditions are violated:

1. A sweetish unpleasant aftertaste appears in frozen vegetables due to the conversion of starch into sugar at temperatures no higher than + 1 ° C. To fix the problem, these tubers are kept at room temperature for several days.
2. Green color and bitterness arise from long-term storage in the light: hazardous to health accumulates in potatoes glycoalkaloid solanine... The less it is, the tastier the vegetable is. The highest concentration of this substance is found under the skin, therefore, the potatoes are peeled before cooking.
3. The taste is deteriorating due to a lack or excess of mineral or organic fertilizers.

Taste depending on the variety

The most delicious potato varieties contain 13-18% starch, they are good suitable for cooking... High-starchy varieties belong to fodder, such tubers contain more proteins (up to 2-3%).

Low content varieties starch have an average taste, suitable for fryingadding to soups.

The most delicious varieties

Versatile grades suitable for any heat treatment:

1. Aurora - high-yielding mid-season variety, when planted in early May, ripens by early August. The tubers are oval with a partially red skin and a creamy core. The starch content is 13.5–17.3%.
2. Bellarosa is a high-yielding early maturing crop, when planted in early May, ripens by mid-summer.Tubers are oval with red skin and light yellow pulp. The amount of starch is 12.6-15.7%.
3. Vector - mid-season variety, ripens by early August. Tubers are rounded with a red skin and yellowish pulp, starch contain from 16.7 to 17.5%.
4. Gala - medium early potato, yields in 3 months. Elongated vegetables with yellow skin and flesh. The amount of starch is 10.2-13.2%.
5. Blue - mid-season variety, when planted in early May, ripens by early August. Rounded beige tubers, creamy flesh. Starch contains from 17 to 19%.
6. Zhuravinka - medium late culture, ripens in 4 months. Oval red vegetables, light yellow pulp, starch contains from 14.6 to 19.6%.
7. Impala - early ripening variety, ripens by the middle of summer. The tubers are oval, yellow inside and outside, the amount of starch is small, 10.5-14.6%.
8. Kamensky - early maturing, yields by mid-summer. The peel of the elongated vegetables is red, the pulp is light yellow, the amount of starch is 12.2-16.8%.
9. Gingerbread man - mid-season, ripens by the beginning of August. Tubers are round with yellow skin and pulp, starch content - 11.4-13%.
10. Queen Anne is an early maturing crop, when planted in early May, ripens by mid-summer. Elongated potatoes with yellow skin and flesh contain 13.1-14.4% starch.
11. Labella - an early ripe variety. Elongated tubers with red skin and yellow pulp, starch content - 15.8%.
12. Lyubava - early potatoes. The vegetables are rounded with a red skin and white pulp, the amount of starch is 11.2-16.9%.
13. Rodriga - mid-early variety, ripens from 2 to 2.5 months. Tubers are oval red with yellowish flesh, starch contains 12.5-15.4%.

How to cook delicious potatoes

A side dish, an independent dish, and a pie filling are prepared from the tubers.

Basic culinary secrets:

1. To preserve nutrients, vegetables are immersed in boiling water and boiled without a lid.
2. To get a crispy crust when frying, put the potatoes in heated oil, fried without a lid, and salted at the end of cooking. If the product is immediately salted, it will release juice and no crust will form.
3. To make the tubers cook faster, put a piece of butter in the pan: this will increase the heat capacity of the liquid, the vegetables will cook faster and become even tastier.
4. Appetizing view puree gives hot milk. It is added as soon as the tubers are crushed, after which the puree is thoroughly mixed. It is important not to allow the contrast between the temperatures of puree and milk, otherwise the starch will collapse and the dish will lose its attractive appearance.
5. A pinch of rosemary will give the potatoes a rich flavor and aroma, other herbs and spices are added as desired.

Recipes

Dishes from our top contain a minimal amount of ingredients, but this does not detract from their wonderful taste.

Potatoes baked with cheese and garlic

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 700 g;
• garlic - 2 cloves;
• cheese - 150 g;
• 10% cream - 400 ml;
• salt - 1 tsp. without a slide.

Preparation:

1. The tubers are peeled, cut into 0.5 cm circles, put in boiling salted cream and boiled for 5 minutes.
2. The cheese is chopped on a coarse grater, mixed with peeled, washed and passed through a press garlic.
3. The ingredients are laid out in layers in a heat-resistant form, poured with cream, a handful of cheese is left.
4. The form is covered with foil and placed in an oven preheated to + 180 ° C. After 20 minutes, the foil is removed, the dish is sprinkled with the remaining cheese and placed in the turned off oven for 10 minutes.

Julien in potatoes

An original dish in which potatoes play the role of a cocotte for julienne.

Ingredients:

• large tubers - 4 pcs.;
• champignons - 400 g;
• onions - 1 pc .;
• cheese - 100 g;
• butter - 100 g;
• 10% cream - 250 ml;
• flour - 0.5 tbsp. l .;
• salt, black pepper - 0.5 tsp each.

Preparation:

1. The tubers are thoroughly washed with a brush and left in the peel. Each is cut in half, the middle is cut with a small knife, leaving the walls of 0.5 cm. Spread in cold water.
2. The mushrooms, washed and cut into thin plates, are fried in butter for 5 minutes, finely chopped onions are added and stewed for another 5 minutes over medium heat. Sprinkle with flour, mix, add cream, salt, pepper and stew for 3 minutes until the cream thickens.
3. Potato cocotte makers are placed in a heat-resistant form, a piece of butter is added to each, sprinkled with salt, mushrooms and onions are laid out.
4. Julienne is baked in an oven preheated to + 200 ° C for 15 minutes, then sprinkled with cheese and left for another 15 minutes.
5. Pour melted butter over each potato and serve.

Potato pancakes with cheese

Delicate pancakes with feta cheese will appeal to many.

Ingredients:

• boiled potatoes - 500 g;
• feta cheese - 120 g;
• garlic - 1 clove;
• egg - 1 pc .;
• parsley, green onions - 1 small bunch each;
• milk - 1/4 tbsp.;
• flour - 0.5 tbsp.;
• baking powder - 2/3 tsp;
• salt - 1/2 tsp;
• black pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Boiled potatoes are cooled, chopped on a coarse grater. The washed greens are finely chopped, the peeled garlic is passed through a press. Mix vegetables and herbs.
2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, pepper, egg, milk and cheese, add vegetables, mix again.
3. Put the dough in 1 tbsp of dough in the oil heated in a frying pan. l. at a short distance from each other. Pancakes are fried for 2 minutes on each side, served with sour cream and herbs.

Potato Cooking Tips

We bring to your attention some tips for growing and preparing delicious potatoes.

Veronica, Novosibirsk: "Pink potatoes are larger than yellow ones and cook faster, there are more yellow tubers in the bush, the peel of such vegetables coarsens faster".

Maria, Vladimir: “Before frying, I soak the tubers for an hour, then dry well with a towel. I fry a few cloves of garlic in hot oil, remove them and put the potatoes in the garlic oil. I do not cover the pan, I salt it as the vegetables are browned. It turns out crispy crispy potatoes ".

Conclusion

The taste of potatoes depends on many factors. Not easy enough choose a variety with a high starch content in tubers, it is important to properly grow the crop, store the crop in a dark, cool place.

A wide variety of dishes are prepared from this vegetable, it is combined with dairy products, mushrooms, garlic, and is used as a side dish for meat and fish.