Wonder no more! A potato's cell walls contain pectin, and these pectin chains remain stable when they come into contact with acids. This means that potatoes will remain hard if they are in a dish that has a lot of acid (for example, a dish you've added wine to). Salt is needed to dissolve these pectin chains.
If you start with raw potatoes and try to fry them, you'll end up with potatoes that are burned on the outside and crunchy on the inside. That's because it takes much longer for the inside of potatoes to cook than the outside. The key is to boil them first in salt water.
To make them soft, you just need to fry them on med-low heat, flipping frequently with a spatula to avoid breakage, and with the lid on between flips. The lid traps the steam in the pan so the potatoes will stay soft.
Boil your cut potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 5 minutes, just until they begin to soften and become slightly translucent. Remove them from the water and let them air dry on paper towels.
Parcook in the Microwave
Here's how to do it: Just prick a few holes in a few potatoes with a fork, and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes, turning over once. There you go—super-fast par-cooked potatoes.
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.
The soaking, Mr. Nasr said, is the secret to the crisp texture of the fries. It draws out the starch, making them more rigid and less likely to stick together.
Don't fry fresh-cut potatoes
Soaking peeled, washed, and cut fries in cold water overnight removes excess potato starch, which prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.
It's best to parboil the potatoes first before pan frying to get cooked tender inside. In my experience, not boiling the potatoes first will result in not well cooked inside but crispy outer potatoes. Unless you are cutting the potatoes extra thin (which makes it like potatoes crips) then it's best to boil first.
If you get to this point and you realize you've undercooked your potatoes, just add a little bit of milk or cream and cook the potatoes over a low heat until the lumps begin to soften. Next time, make sure you cook the potatoes fully by inserting a fork into them before taking them off the heat.
The idea is simple and doesn't require a deep-fry, or really even that much oil: Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat; pour in a few tablespoons of oil; add your sad fries; cook, flipping once; and have happy fries again!
Too much water = mushy soft fries, too less water = hard, dryish fries. Boiling until it begins to soft, and don't add and then boil. Add fries to boiling water with salt already put in. Keep the water on the highest heat possible.
Overcooking or undercooking will result in soggy fries or hard/hollow fries that will not hold well. Remove basket to drain excess oil from product.
If your baked potato is still hard after an hour, it was likely not baked at a high enough temperature or for long enough. To ensure that a baked potato is fully cooked, it should be baked at 400°F (200°C) for 45 minutes to an hour, or until a fork can easily pierce the skin.
Overcooked mashed potatoes can be rescued too
If you find your mashed potatoes are soupier than normal, it's likely because you overcooked them, Buzzfeed says. Overcooked potatoes aren't always dry and hard, as it's possible to overboil a potato too. When you do so, more water is absorbed by the potato.
Vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust that further helps in retaining their shape. Vinegar increases the acid pH levels of water which further helps the potato just like when you add a little salt to the water while boiling eggs.
Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.
How long do you soak the potatoes before frying: At least 30 minutes, in cold (with ice) water. We have let the potatoes soak for several hours, and still had perfect fries when we cooked them. Just be sure to keep them cold (in the refrigerator) if soaking for more than 30 minutes.
I wouldn't bother doing potatoes from the raw state, without soaking. It will take about a half an hour and the texture won't be nearly as rewarding. They just don't get very crispy without that cold soak.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
Why use salt water for soaking potatoes? There's moisture naturally found in potatoes, and moisture is drawn to higher concentrations of salt. (This is a process called osmosis.) So, if you put the potatoes in a salt water bath, that will help draw out some of their moisture, resulting in crispier fries.
In short: Yes! Boiling potatoes with the lid on will make them boil faster because trapping in steam makes it warmer inside your pot and allows more water molecules to evaporate away from your spuds.
Eating undercooked potatoes can be dangerous as they contain harmful toxins like solanine, which can cause symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headache, and abdominal pain. What is this? To ensure their safety, it is essential to ensure that potatoes are fully cooked before consuming them.