Kasiah's Perfect Potatoes

How Does the Way You Cook Potatoes effect the Texture ? 

 

Kasiah Singletary 

December 8, 2019 

Page Break 

Background Information 

There was a time when potatoes were the fifth most important crop worldwide. Potatoes grow underground and the flesh is usually yellowish, purple, or even red. They also get thicker as they age and are loaded with starch and sugar. There are three categories of potatoes. Starchy potatoes which are low in moisture and high in starch. Waxy potatoes and moderate moisture and starch. Lastly new potatoes, they are small, low in moisture and starch, and best for boiling. 

Before you can even begin to cook a potato there are a few things that must be done to ensure that they come out perfectly. First you must store the potatoes in a cool and dark place, ideally 40- 45 degrees farneihet.at 95% humidity. Then you must clean the potatoes properly by scrubbing them thoroughly and cleaning all the access dirt that was left on them when they were cleaned before they were sold. 

When cooking a potato, the first thing that happens is the softening of the potato which breaks down the cellular structure of the potato, cooks the starch, and then turn down and develop new flavors and textures. 

So finally, before cooking potatoes, you must first make sure that they are properly stored and clean to get the best potato. Then when cooking the potato, the cell wall breaks down which means it will no longer be tough and rigid but now it will n be soft and mushy. 

 

Hypothesis  

To get the best texture of a potato is to bake it because it will get you a mushy inside and crisp edges. 

Procedure 

The independent variables of this process are the ways that the potatoes are made. The contents and amounts are kept constant. The cooking method are listed below: 

Trial One	Trial Two	Trial Three
Baked	Microwaved	Fried

1. Cut the potatoes vertically 

2. Cover the potatoes in extra virgin olive oil 

3. Season  

4. Cook until done 

Data/ Results 

Cooking Method	Baked	Microwaved	Fried
Cooking Notes	Golden and glazing   Appears soft	Bubbled up  Looks dry	Easily burning  Soft
Results	Soft inside   Crisp edges  Easy to break	Deflated  Chip- like  Rubbery texture	Soft but a little rigid  Burnt spots
Picture

By the end of all test we can see that the most desired to eat is the baked potatoes. 

Analysis and Conclusion 

As seen in the data the most ideal to eat potatoes are the baked way. The main differences between all the textures is that fried is semi- soft and burnt, microwaved is rubbery and deflated, and baked is soft with the crisp edges. The fried ended up this way because when frying the heat transfers occurs faster and causes it to burn. When microwaved, since potatoes contain a good amount of water, they get sucked of all its moisture which leaves it dry and rubber- like. During baking the molecules in the potato began to swell and separate and gives it a light and fluffy texture. 

Next as stated in the background information potatoes are high in starch and as they are being cooked, they began to soften which means they rigid cell wall of the potato breaks down and cooks the starch and as it does this the water inside the potato can either absorb into the potato or escape through the heat. 

Lastly the conclusion of how the cooking method effects the texture of a potato shows that when a potato is cooked and maintains or gains in moisture tit results in the best texture to eat and enjoy.