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How Long to Boil Potatoes: Skin-On, for Salad and Peeled
Instructions
Pick potatoes of the same size so they are done at the same time. For salads choose waxy varieties that hold their shape, for mash floury ones.
Scrub the potatoes. Do not boil green or sprouted potatoes in their skins: solanine builds up under green skin and in the sprouts.
Put the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water by 2-3 cm. In cold water they heat gradually and evenly: in Cook's Country tests potatoes started this way had a uniform texture.
Salt the water: 1/2 tbsp of salt per litre. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down to medium and leave the lid ajar.
Boil after the water comes to the boil: new potatoes for about 15 minutes, medium ones for 20-25 minutes, large or old ones for 25-35 minutes.
Test with a knife or skewer: it should slide easily into the centre. For salad take the potatoes off a couple of minutes earlier, when the knife meets slight resistance: they stay firm and do not crumble when diced.
Drain. For salad let the potatoes cool completely before peeling and dicing: warm potatoes crumble. To make the skins come off more easily, cover the potatoes with cold water for 1-2 minutes.
Peel the potatoes and dice them for Olivier salad or vinaigrette. Or serve them hot in their skins with butter, salt and dill.
Tips
- 1
Do not let the water boil hard: the potatoes knock against each other, the skins split and the outer layer overcooks before the centre heats through.
- 2
Potatoes boiled in their skins keep more vitamin C and potassium: according to the USDA, 13 mg of vitamin C per 100 g against 7.4 mg in potatoes boiled peeled.
- 3
A little acid helps peeled potatoes hold their shape: 1 tbsp of vinegar per litre of water. It is a kitchen trick for salads and for frying after boiling.
- 4
Potatoes for Olivier salad are easy to boil the day before: after a night in the fridge they are firmer and cut into neat cubes.
How Long to Boil Potatoes: Times
Time is counted from the boil, over medium heat. The exact time depends on the variety and the age of the potatoes, so test them with a knife.
| Method | Time after the boil |
|---|---|
| New potatoes whole, skin on | about 15 min |
| Skin-on medium | 20-25 min |
| Skin-on large or old | 25-35 min |
| Peeled, whole medium | 20-25 min |
| Peeled chunks 3-4 cm | 15-20 min |
| Diced for a side dish | 10-12 min |
| In soup diced, in boiling stock | 7-10 min |
| Pressure cooker high pressure | cubes 4-5 min, small 8-10, large 12-15 min |
| Multicooker, steamed quartered, 500 g | 20 min |
Skin-On Potatoes for Olivier Salad and Vinaigrette
For salads, potatoes are boiled in their skins: they do not take on extra water and cut into neat cubes once cold. Take them off the heat slightly before they are fully done, cool them completely and only then peel.
- Olivier salad usually needs 3-4 medium potatoes: Olivier salad with sausage and pickles, Olivier salad with chicken, Olivier salad with meat.
- For vinaigrette the potatoes are diced the same size as the beets and carrots: vinaigrette with sauerkraut.
- For layered herring salad the potatoes are coarsely grated: herring under a fur coat.
Mayonnaise salads with boiled eggs, such as Olivier, keep in the fridge for no more than 6 hours once dressed, and a dressed vinaigrette for no more than 12 hours: these are Russian food-safety guidelines (Rospotrebnadzor) for 2-6 °C. Boil the vegetables the day before and dress the salad just before serving. Times for the other vegetables: how long to boil carrots and how long to boil beets.
Peeled Potatoes for Sides and Mash
- Cut the potatoes into even pieces: different sizes cook unevenly.
- Cover with cold water, salt after it comes to the boil and cook 3-4 cm chunks for 15-20 minutes, whole potatoes for 20-25 minutes.
- Drain and return the pot to the switched-off hob for 2-3 minutes without the lid: the excess moisture evaporates.
- For mash, boil until completely soft, when a knife meets no resistance: mashed potatoes with mushrooms. Leftover mash goes into potato pancakes.
Which Potatoes to Choose and What to Avoid
- Match the variety to the dish. Waxy potatoes that hold their shape suit salads and soups, floury ones suit mash. Packs are often labelled for boiling, mashing or frying.
- One size. Small and large potatoes in the same pot cook unevenly: sort them or halve the large ones.
- Not into boiling water. In boiling water the outer layer overcooks while the centre is still heating.
- Do not leave them in the water. Drain boiled potatoes straight away: in hot water they keep softening and turn watery.
- Do not dice them hot for salad. Warm potatoes crumble and the cubes come out ragged.
Potatoes in a Pressure Cooker, Multicooker and Microwave
- Pressure cooker. According to the Instant Pot table: cubes 4-5 minutes at high pressure, small whole potatoes 8-10 minutes, large ones 12-15 minutes.
- Multicooker. Steamed, quartered potatoes (500 g) are done in 20 minutes. Settings and times for boiling in water: how to boil potatoes in a multicooker.
- Microwave. A quick way for 2-3 potatoes: potatoes in their skins in the microwave.
Green and Sprouted Potatoes: Can You Boil Them
In the light, potatoes build up glycoalkaloids, mainly solanine. The highest levels are in the skin, the green patches and the sprouts. According to the Finnish Food Authority, peeling removes about 60% of the glycoalkaloids, and greened potatoes and sprouts are not recommended for eating. Signs of poisoning include a bitter taste, a burning sensation in the mouth, stomach pain and nausea.
- A slightly green potato should be peeled thickly with the eyes cut out; do not boil it in its skin.
- Throw away potatoes that are very green, bitter or shrivelled and sprouted.
- Store potatoes in a cool, dark place: in the light they turn green even indoors.
How to Store Boiled Potatoes
Refrigerate cooled potatoes within 2 hours. In a closed container they keep for 3-4 days according to the US Department of Agriculture; Food Standards Scotland advises eating leftovers within 2 days. Skin-on potatoes dry out less than peeled ones.
Cooled potatoes have an upside: part of the starch becomes resistant to digestion. In a review cited by researchers, hot potatoes average 2.3 g of resistant starch per 100 g, while cooked and chilled ones average 5.6 g.
Calories in Boiled Potatoes
100 g of potatoes boiled in their skins has 87 kcal, 20 g of carbohydrates, 1.9 g of protein, 379 mg of potassium and 13 mg of vitamin C. Boiled without skin: 86 kcal, 328 mg of potassium and 7.4 mg of vitamin C. These are USDA figures.
FAQ
How long do you boil potatoes in their skins? +
Medium potatoes 20-25 minutes after the boil, new potatoes about 15 minutes, large or old ones 25-35 minutes. A knife slides into a cooked potato easily.
How long do you boil potatoes for Olivier salad? +
In their skins for 20-25 minutes, a couple of minutes short of fully done so they stay firm. Then cool completely, peel and dice.
How long do you boil peeled potatoes? +
Chunks of 3-4 cm take 15-20 minutes after the boil, whole potatoes 20-25 minutes, small cubes 10-12 minutes.
How long do you boil new potatoes? +
About 15 minutes after the boil, whole and skin on. Check small ones after 10-12 minutes.
Should potatoes go into cold or boiling water? +
Cold. They heat gradually and end up with an even texture, and in Cook's Country tests the total cooking time was even shorter than with a boiling-water start.
When do you salt potatoes? +
At the start or right after the water boils: 1/2 tbsp of salt per litre. The salt has time to reach the centre.
Why do potatoes fall apart? +
A floury variety, a hard boil or a few minutes too long. For salads use waxy varieties, cook over medium heat and test with a knife.
Can you boil green potatoes? +
Not in their skins. Peel a slightly green potato thickly; throw away very green or bitter ones: green skin and sprouts are high in solanine.
How long do boiled potatoes keep? +
3-4 days in a closed container in the fridge. A dressed Olivier salad keeps for no more than 6 hours.
How long do potatoes take in a pressure cooker? +
Cubes 4-5 minutes at high pressure, small whole potatoes 8-10 minutes, large ones 12-15 minutes.
How many calories are in boiled potatoes? +
87 kcal per 100 g boiled in the skin and 86 kcal boiled without skin, according to the USDA.
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