If the Potatoes are to be served
in a covered vegetable dish, they should not be put into
it till the very last moment, for the steam which they emit
cannot escape, and has to be absorbed by the Potatoes them-
selves. Potatoes, whether boiled or steamed, ought never
to be peeled. If they are very old the eyes and the outer
skin must be removed, but as a rule the knife should never
touch an uncooked Potato. If required, the skins can be
removed in the kitchen, but the Potatoes are much better
served “ in their jackets,” and sent up on a hot napkin in a
wooden bowl.
In boiling Potatoes choose those which are as nearly as
possible of one size, so that they may cook evenly. Wash them
in cold water and brush them. Put them in a saucepan on the fire
with enough cold water to cover them, and salt in the propor-
tion of half an ounce to a gallon of water. After half an hour’s
steady cooking, take the Potatoes out, drain all the water out of
the pan, and put the Potatoes back into it. Cover the hot
saucepan with a wet cloth, put it at the side of the fire, and let
the Potatoes evaporate under the cloth for about ten minutes.
POTATOES
3°3
In this way they will keep hot and dry. Some cooks drain off
half the water and replace it with more cold water when the
Potatoes are about half done ; others check the boiling by
a dash of cold water every now and then. The Potatoes should
be taken out of the water as soon as the skins begin to crack.
When Potatoes are likely to be watery it is a good plan to
score the tough skins lengthwise and all round, as this lets
out the moisture.
In steaming Potatoes (and steaming is by far the best
method of cooking most vegetables), they should first lie in cold
water for five minutes. Then brush them and wipe them dry. Put
the Potatoes in the steamer over really boiling water, and let
them steam till done. The time will vary from twenty to forty
minutes according to the size of the Potatoes, but they should
be tried with a skewer. If the skewer goes through them quite
easily they are done.
New Potatoes should be cooked as soon as possible after
they are dug up. Brush them, rub them with a coarse cloth,
and either boil or steam them. New Potatoes, unlike old ones,
should, if boiled, be put on in boiling water, and boiled for
fifteen minutes. Then drain off the water and proceed as for
old Potatoes. It is both barbarous and wasteful to peel New
Potatoes before they are cooked, and even if the skins are
removed after cooking the Potatoes cool and spoil before they
can be served.
Page 209
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
If the Potatoes are to be served in a covered vegetable dish, they should not be put into it till the very last moment, for the steam which they emit cannot escape, and has to be absorbed by the Potatoes themselves. Potatoes, whether boiled or steamed, ought never to be peeled. If they are very old the eyes and the outer skin must be removed, but as a rule the knife should never touch an uncooked Potato. If required, the skins can be removed in the kitchen, but the Potatoes are much better served “ in their jackets,” and sent up on a hot napkin in a wooden bowl.
In boiling Potatoes choose those which are as nearly as possible of one size, so that they may cook evenly. Wash them in cold water and brush them. Put them in a saucepan on the fire with enough cold water to cover them, and salt in the proportion of half an ounce to a gallon of water. After half an hour’s steady cooking, take the Potatoes out, drain all the water out of the pan, and put the Potatoes back into it. Cover the hot saucepan with a wet cloth, put it at the side of the fire, and let the Potatoes evaporate under the cloth for about ten minutes.
3°3
In this way they will keep hot and dry. Some cooks drain off half the water and replace it with more cold water when the Potatoes are about half done ; others check the boiling by a dash of cold water every now and then. The Potatoes should be taken out of the water as soon as the skins begin to crack. When Potatoes are likely to be watery it is a good plan to score the tough skins lengthwise and all round, as this lets out the moisture.
In steaming Potatoes (and steaming is by far the best method of cooking most vegetables), they should first lie in cold water for five minutes. Then brush them and wipe them dry. Put the Potatoes in the steamer over really boiling water, and let them steam till done. The time will vary from twenty to forty minutes according to the size of the Potatoes, but they should be tried with a skewer. If the skewer goes through them quite easily they are done.
New Potatoes should be cooked as soon as possible after they are dug up. Brush them, rub them with a coarse cloth, and either boil or steam them. New Potatoes, unlike old ones, should, if boiled, be put on in boiling water, and boiled for fifteen minutes. Then drain off the water and proceed as for old Potatoes. It is both barbarous and wasteful to peel New Potatoes before they are cooked, and even if the skins are removed after cooking the Potatoes cool and spoil before they can be served.