Subject: Waxy Potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Dennis (confederate at geocities.com)
Date: 19 Jan 1999 16:33:26 PST
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I heard the term 'Waxy Potatoes" the other night on 'Two Fat Ladies". What type of potatoes are they?
From: penmart10 at aol.com (Sheldon)
Date: 20 Jan 1999 01:08:47 GMT
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"Waxy" refers to the texture, as averse to 'mealy', like russets.
There are quite a few types of so-called 'waxy' potatoes, ie. red-skinned potatoes, new potatoes, golds, etc.
Then there are those your mom said would grow in your ears if you didn't wash properly.
From: stan at thunder.temple.edu (Stan Horwitz)
Date: 20 Jan 1999 02:48:18 GMT
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Waxy potatoes have a shiny skin that looks like it is covered in a thin coating of wax. These potatoes have a firm texture and retain their form better when they're cooked then potatoes such as Idahos and others that have porous skins.
From: puester (puester at worldnet.att.net)
Date: 21 Jan 1999 00:09:40 GMT
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They are what we call "new potatoes", those thin-skinned, waxy-textured ones, as opposed to mealy, fluffy, baking or Idaho-type potatoes. They hold their shape when boiled, therefore making potato salad in which the cut-up potatoes stay cube-shaped rather than becoming "mashed" in texture.
gloria p
From: justanh at aol.com (JUST AN H)
Date: 21 Jan 1999 02:28:14 GMT
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Waxy potatoes have a texture slightly reminiscent of wax, and waxiness is a highly desireable quality in cooked potatoes. This texture is achieved by either boiling them whole (with skins on) until tender and serving cold next day, or by baking them (peeled) in lots of melted butter.
The opposite of waxy potatoes are dry and mealy ones, which quality is oftenmost achieved by overbaking them.
From: aem (aem at worldnet.att.net)
Date: 21 Jan 1999 04:02:25 GMT
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At the supermarket, "white rose" and "red rose" are waxy-type and better for boiling and steaming, while "russet" and "Idaho" are better for baking and mashing. "Yukon Gold" is a russet type, but can be treated more like a waxy type than the ordinary russet (plus, it has nice taste).
From: karl grave (karl at rufie.demon.co.uk)
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 23:35:35 +0000
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Try Pink Fir Apple for a really hard salad potato with bags of taste.
Karl Grave
Bingley, "The Throstle Nest of Old England"
From: rdyoung at wcc.net (Bob Y.)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 17:07:53 GMT
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In general, new potatoes, red skin or white skin are "waxy." The older, brown sikinned russets or "baking" potatoes have a mealy texture. I believe the Yukon Gold is also a waxy potato but don't know if it would be available in your area.
From: Dennis (confederate at geocities.com)
Date: 22 Jan 1999 14:37:47 PST
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Bob Y. wrote:
> I believe the Yukon
> Gold is also a waxy potato but don't know if it would be available in your area.
I can get Yukons by the truckload! Thanks!
From: Tom (support at panix.com)
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 02:02:39 -0500
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It's pretty easy... waxy potatoes have thin skins and a waxy (slightly shiny) appearance (Yukon, New, etc.). Russet and Idaho potatoes have thick, dull skins. Personally, I like using waxy Yukon potatoes for making golden whipped potatoes. They're lighter than the starchier russet or Idaho, which I like for baking or making matchstick fries.
From: Alan Boles (boles at nospam.escape.ca.nospam)
Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 02:17:13 -0800
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I prefer Red Potatoes for both baking and boiling...
From: tractrix at pacbell.net (Gary O.)
Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 22:16:38 GMT
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In addition to the skin, the flesh of "waxy" potatioes is smoother and firmer, holding up better when cooked for dishes such as potato salad and casseroles, for instance. Starchy is a more descriptive term than "mealy". These potatoes are better suited for baking, for instance. It has often been said that waxy potatoes are much better for hash browns, as well, but the Williams-sonoma recipe for Glen-Ellen potato cakes is very nice, indeed. The trick is to rinse the grated potatoes to remove excess starch.
From: struwweljessie at my-deja.com
Date: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 18:28:53 GMT
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Some potatoes have more starch than others. Idaho baking potatoes have a lot of starch that absorb moisture from the surrounding cells when the potato is cooked - making for a drier more meally potato that breaks apart easily. (Good to absorb all that butter and sour cream.) A waxy potato (New Rose Potato, for example) has less starch and actually does have a slightly waxy texture - making it ideal for boiling and salads. Waxy potatoes are not good for fries (they get too limp since there's not enough starch inside the fry to absorb the moisture.)