Boiled Potatoes with Jackets

Ingredients

• medium-sized potatoes
• a small pinch of soda
• salt to taste

Method

1. 1

   Wash and brush potatoes, cut off ends and bad specks.

2. 2

   Let stand in cold water for an hour or two.

3. 3

   Cook in soft filtered water, adding a pinch of soda if using hard water.

4. 4

   Do not drown them in water.

5. 5

   Test with a fork for tenderness, drain, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The new practical housekeeping (1890) by Estelle Woods Wilcox, page 445. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Boiled Pototoes With Jackets, — ^Wash, brush (keep a small flat brush just for this purpose), cut offends and any bad specks and if quite old, let stand in cold water an hour or two. Cook in soft fil- tered water if possible, but if hard water is used, nut in a small pinch of soda. The water should be freshly drawn if used cold, and should only be put over fire in time to reach the boiling point be* fore the hour for putting in potatoes, as standing and long boiling frees the gases and renders tne water insipid. As regards the tem- 5)erature in which to cook them,have water either cold or boiling never ukewarm and the kind of potato will govern that ; those potatoes that crack very soon in boiling water, presenting a mealy appear- ance on the outside while the heart is uncooked, should be put on in cold water, and for those that do not cook very quickly use hoiling. Do not drown them in water, using only enough iojttst cover and some use even less. Do not let the water stop boiling as they will then be watery, but it must not boil too hard as tnat breaks them. Some place napkin under the lid to keep in all the steam. As regards salting the water or potatoes, there is a great clifference of opinion, but the best housekeepers do not use any salt till after potatoes are done, or some add it ten minutes before. Test with a fonc and when tender, not longer, drain off all the t/oater ; if left on after they are done they become watery and waxy, sprinkle with salt, shake saucepan lightly, leave uncovered a few minutes, that all steam may evaporate ; then place on back of ranee or stove, leaving cover onl^ partly on, or better, covering with a clean foldea towel, as the moisture condenses on the inside of lid when they are tightly covered and falls upon potatoes, spoiling them. Potatoes thus prepared will keep good, quite awhUe ; but are better served at once in an open dish vnth a napkin over them, for the same reason as ^ven above, the moisture making them soft and watery. This is L POTATOES. 519 the great secret of having nice mealy potatoes. A pretty way is to have a Potato Doily made as the Fritter Doily, page 291 ; lay in dish, put in potatoes then bring the ends up over them ; of course two ordinary napkins may be used instead. Potatoes can be peeled before serving if wished. Always select same size, if possible, that they may be done at same time, as too much cooking s{)oils a po- tato. If using different sizes, put in largest first, then in a little while the rest, and one can plan to use the smaller potatoes for mashing or ia any of the dishes where small potatoes are used. Some claim that after draining off water, taking them to the open air and shaking them makes them more mealy. Never place them on a hot fire after draining, but on bricks on stove, or on back of range. The best potato for boiling is a medium-sized one and not too old or sunburnt Medium-sized potatoes

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.