How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad
By cutting the potatoes into evenly sized, smaller pieces approximately 2 inches in size, 10 to 15 minutes of boiling time will be enough to ensure the potatoes cook all the way through.
Equipment
- Cooking pot
Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Salt
- Water
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the potatoes
- Start by soaking the potatoes in cool water until the dirt on the exterior of the potato is freed. Take the potatoes out of the water and gently scrub them individually with your fingers. Avoid using scrub brushes of any kind as the thin-skinned potatoes will easily rupture under this kind of pressure.
- Once the potatoes are ready, cube them into small sizes approximately 2 inches in size. Large sizes will take a long to cook and are not ideal for potato salads.
- After cleaning and cubing the potatoes, you are ready to boil.
Step 2: Add the potatoes to the cooking pot
- Put the potatoes in a large cooking pot. Ensure the pot is large enough to fit all the potatoes and leave enough space for boiling. Fill the pot with water until it almost covers all the potatoes.
- The most important thing here is to generously salt the water. The water should, quite literally, taste like the ocean.
Step 3: Bring the potatoes to boil
- Allow the potatoes to boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not forget to cover the pot while doing this so the water can maintain a constant heat.
- Simply check them as they boil by piercing them with a fork. If the potatoes slide off the fork with ease, then they are fully cooked.
- Once they are finished, drain the potatoes and allow them to cool to room temperature before starting on the potato salad.