When boiling some kinds of potatoes, you want them soft through and through, even starting to come apart a bit — down that road lies mashed potatoes and pommes aligot, two luxuriantly creamy preparations. Other occasions, however, require a firmer potato. The whole world of potato salads, for instance: You want a tuber with structural integrity, whether it's going into an American-style or German-style potato salad, or even a Nicoise-type situation — there are a .
But even if you're making something simpler — boiled new potatoes with good butter and herbs — only a potato with some bite to it will do. This is a slightly taller order than just boiling potatoes until they fall apart and can be mashed. For one, there's no set amount of time for boiling your potatoes al dente, because it depends on a variety of factors — the type of potato, the size of potato, whether you're cooking them whole or cut into pieces.
Generally, though, you should be able to boil them start to finish in 15 to 30 minutes. And with a little attention and a few tricks — like starting with cold water — the fully cooked but still firm and toothsome potato is eminently doable. Here's what you need to know.
Use the right potatoes and start with cold water For a potato that'll maintain its bite after being boiled, stick to the waxy end of the spectrum: So, as opposed to the starchier varieties that — russets, Idahos — look for smaller red potatoes, new potatoes, or fingerlings. Yukon gold, an.
