There's nothing exciting about boiling potatoes. But it is an essential cooking technique that's the first step to so many dishes, including mashed potatoes, potato salads, and just plain ol' boiled potatoes.
Master this basic cooking skill, and you'll be set up to make all your favorite potato dishes. Here's how to boil potatoes step-by-step, in four different ways: on the stove, in the microwave, in the slow cooker, and in the Instant Pot.
Best Potatoes for Boiling
Your best bet for boiling is going to be waxy potatoes like Yukon Gold or red potatoes. They will hold their shape better when boiled (which is important for potato salad), cook more quickly, and be tender and creamy once cooked.
You can also boil Russet potatoes; however, starchier types of potatoes like Russets tend to absorb a ton of water. If you do choose to boil them for say, mashed potatoes, keep them whole while boiling to prevent them from becoming waterlogged.
The cooking time is going to come down to size — whether your potatoes are small or large, and cubed or whole. In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one. If it slides in without much effort, you're good to go!
How to Boil Potatoes 4 Easy Ways
Here are the step-by-step details for four common methods of boiling spuds: on the stove, in the microwave, in the slow cooker, and in the Instant Pot. Follow along and you'll have perfectly cooked boiled potatoes in no time.
This stove-top method is the most traditional and straightforward method for boiling potatoes.
Prep potatoes. Scrub potatoes clean using a vegetable scrubber. You can also cut your potatoes into smaller pieces depending on what you're making. You can leave the skin on or peel it depending on personal preference. Some argue that leaving the skin on helps the potatoes hold their shape while boiling.
Transfer and cover. Transfer potatoes to a saucepan. Cover with an inch of cold water or broth and add ½ teaspoon of salt.
Simmer potatoes. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot with a lid and let simmer until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes for small and/or cubed potatoes or 20 to 25 minutes for large potatoes.
Drain and cool. Drain potatoes in a colander. To rapidly cool potatoes for recipes that call for cooled potatoes, you can submerge them in an ice bath.
How to Boil Potatoes in the Microwave
This quick-cooking method is best saved for small batches of potatoes.
Prep potatoes. Scrub potatoes clean using a vegetable scrubber. You can also cut your potatoes into smaller pieces depending on what you're making. You can leave the skin on or peel it depending on personal preference. Some argue that leaving the skin on helps the potatoes hold their shape while boiling.
Transfer and cover. Transfer potatoes to a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with an inch of water and add a pinch of salt. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke holes to vent.
Microwave. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes, or until done.
Drain and cool. Drain potatoes in a colander. To rapidly cool potatoes for recipes that call for cooled potatoes, you can submerge them in an ice bath.
How to Boil Potatoes in the Slow Cooker
While the potatoes aren't technically boiled, this hands-off method will give you the same tender results.
Prep potatoes. Scrub potatoes clean using a vegetable scrubber. You can also cut your potatoes into smaller pieces depending on what you're making. You can leave the skin on or peel it depending on personal preference. Some argue that leaving the skin on helps the potatoes hold their shape while boiling.
Transfer and cover. Place potatoes in your slow cooker. Cover with an inch of water or broth.
Cook on Low. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or until fork-tender.
Drain and cool. Drain potatoes in a colander. To rapidly cool potatoes for recipes that call for cooled potatoes, you can submerge them in an ice bath.
How to Boil Potatoes in the Instant Pot
The Instant Pot gives you the hands-off approach of a slow cooker but with the cooking time of the stove-top method.
Prep potatoes. Scrub potatoes clean using a vegetable scrubber. You can also cut your potatoes into smaller pieces depending on what you're making. You can leave the skin on or peel it depending on personal preference. Some argue that leaving the skin on helps the potatoes hold their shape while boiling.
Place on the trivet and add liquid. Place the trivet in the inner pot. Arrange potatoes on top. Add 1 cup of water or broth.
Pressure cook. Close the lid and switch the Instant Pot valve to the sealing position. Use the steam function to cook the potatoes until tender, about 5 minutes for small potatoes and 10 minutes for larger ones.
Release pressure and cool. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Open the lid and remove the potatoes. To rapidly cool potatoes for recipes that call for cooled potatoes, you can submerge them in an ice bath.
How to Use Boiled Potatoes
Now that your potatoes are creamy and fork-tender, it's time to put them to use! Simply toss them with a little butter, salt, pepper, and chives to make this easy Boiled Potatoes with Chives recipe.
Or mash them with a little butter and milk like in this Basic Mashed Potatoes recipe. Stir cubed, red potatoes with mayonnaise and other ingredients to make potato salad. For more recipe inspiration browse our entire collection of potato recipes.
Related:
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How to Bake Potatoes 5 Easy Ways From Super Fast to Super Slow
In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered until potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced by a knife, about 10 to 15 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for larger potatoes).
In a large pot, add potatoes, 1 tablespoon salt, and cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered until potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced by a knife, about 10 to 15 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for larger potatoes).
Here's the golden rule of potato boiling: Instead of dropping them into a pot of already boiling water, cover the potatoes in cold water, then bring to a boil.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Do not cover. (Covering changes the environment in the pot and can make the potatoes turn mushy.)
Dense potatoes don't absorb seasonings easily, so you'll need to salt the water liberally so that the water the potatoes do drink up also carries in seasoning. And because potatoes are so timid in flavor, they need that salt to bring them out of their shells. Pour some salt in, then keep going.
Rinsing potatoes with cold water prior to boiling helps remove excess starch. Rinsing with hot water immediately after boiling can remove even more starch.
Cut the potatoes into quarters or cubes to speed up cooking time. Leave small new potatoes whole, halving larger ones. No matter the size you cut the potatoes, keep pieces similar in size so they finish cooking at the same time.
For most potato dishes it's important to add the potatoes to cold water and allow the water to come to a boil with the potatoes in the water. The potato starch can react as soon as it comes in contact with hot water, which will promote uneven cooking and mealy potatoes.
Cubed spuds will take around 15 minutes where larger chunks or whole new potatoes will be 20-25 minutes. To check when they are done, pierce the potatoes with the tip of a knife to see how much resistance there is.If it goes in easily, you're done!
The starch in potatoes is held together by pectin. When that pectin breaks down too quickly in the boiling process, mushy potatoes result. Adding vinegar to the water fixes that problem because, as López-Alt explains, “pectin breaks down much more slowly in acidic environments.”
In general small or cubed potatoes will take about 10 to 15 minutes to boil, while larger, whole potatoes will take between 20 to 25 minutes. To check potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into one.
Some potatoes are naturally firmer than others. It's possible that the variety of potatoes you used may have a firmer texture, even when fully cooked. For soups, it's generally recommended to use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, as they tend to break down and become softer when cooked.
If you overcook them they disintegrate and your potatoes will be soupy. The specific cooking time depends on the size of your potato: a perfectly cooked piece of potato should give no resistance when cut with a knife, but shouldn't crumble into a million pieces.
Peeled, cubed potatoes cut into small, one-inch pieces should cook in 10 to 12 minutes, once the water reaches a boil. Larger pieces (about 2 inches across) may need longer, around 15 minutes. Medium whole potatoes should boil 20 minutes before they'll be tender.
Rinsing potatoes helps remove excess starch, so it is recommended to rinse the potatoes before cooking. To ensure even more starch is out of the way, it's recommended that they even be quickly rinsed after boiling. We recommend using hot water for rinsing after boiling and cold water prior to boiling.
Thickening sauces and stock. The starch in potatoes, which is released when cooked, makes their water a powerful natural thickener, perfect for sauces and stock, therefore giving them a thicker texture. ...
Start cooking the potatoes in cold water: This ensures that the potatoes cook evenly. Otherwise, if you start with hot or boiling water, the outsides of the potatoes cook and soften while the middles are still hard and crunchy.
It's important to drain the potatoes immediately after cooking. Don't leave them to sit in the liquid while you finish preparing the rest of the meal. Potatoes retain their heat quite well, so putting them back in the pot after draining and putting a lid on them will keep them warm until you're ready to serve.
Rinse the potatoes, then cut it in half lengthwise. Place the cleaned potato, still wet, in the Anyday dish and cover with the lid (knob lifted). Cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes, or until the potato is/are fork-tender.
Herbs: You can use either parsley, fresh dill, or chives, or a combination of herbs. Salt: You can use a coarse salt like kosher or Maldon salt, or a fine sea salt to season the potatoes, just add it to taste.
To boil potatoes, place in a pot and cover with cold water. Add a lid, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, season the water generously with salt, lower the heat to a strong simmer and place the lid slightly askew. Continue cooking until tender, anywhere from 15-25 minutes, depending on size.
Blanch potatoes before dehydrating – super important!!
Add potato slices or shredded potatoes to the water and resume boiling until slices are fork tender, about 4-6 minutes. Fork tender means you can insert a fork easily without the potato crumbling. Blanch until fork tender, 4-6 minutes depending on thickness.
Cutting potatoes before boiling does aid in removing excess starch. Excess starch can make potatoes gummy or gluey. That said, cutting the potatoes too small can lead to too much water absorbing into the potatoes.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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