Russet (Idaho) Potato Lab

Video reflection:



1. After the potatoes are cut into thick fries, steam them for 8-10 minutes. Afterwards, pat dry with a towel:

  

Up close, it is evident that the starch is starting to gel in the potatoes:



The soft whiter parts seen here were sticky and soft to touch at this point in time.

2. The fries are then tossed in seasoning, and put on a baking tray to enter the oven:



Some of the fries broke into smaller fries during the tossing portion.

After baking about 50 minutes, the fries have browned lightly in some areas, and more significantly in others:



3. Up close, the fries look great:

   

The outside is crisp and crunchy while the inside is soft and fluffy.

Q & A:

  1. At what point during the recipe did the starch in the potato gel? What conditions were required?

    Starch gelatinization occurs when heat and water break down the intermolecular bonds in starch. When the fries are exposed to the moisture and heat during steaming, the starch granules swell with water. This swelling, along with the heat breaks the granule and forms a network of starch mixed with (and thus retaining more) water.
  2. How might you expect this recipe to change if you used a "low-starch" (a.k.a. waxier) potato?

    If using a low-starch potato, there would be less moisture retained in the fries, deteriorating the interior texture and making it less soft. The moisture retained allows for texture found inside the fries.
  3. How could you adapt what you learned here to making mashed potatoes?

    We can adapt our knowledge of starch and how it affects texture to making mashed potatoes. If the starch network is hydrated it creates a softer thicker texture in the final product. Thus we know, for example, steaming the potatoes before mashing them may produce a smoother dish. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 4, 2017 at 2:48 PM

    hey Adam! these fries look amazing. i thought it was interesting how I could see that the starch granules swell with water when exposed to heat. nice job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 8, 2017 at 10:30 AM

    Those fries look delicious! Glad to see you can use what we learned to translate this into a mashed potatoes dish!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Image
Some signature characteristics of this Sour Cream Coffee Cake are indicated by a dark brown color alone the outside and bottom. Additionally the inside would be a light yellow color. There should also be visible layering of brown sugar inside that should be gooey when done. I also made my own sour cream for the recipe. Sour cream should have a flavor similar to that of plain yogurt, but slightly more tart. It should be somewhat thick, but not overly viscus. 1. Ingredients. The cake batter was made with 2 stick of butter, 2 cup of all purpose flour, 2 cup of granulated sugar, 2 large egg, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 cup of homemade sour cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The streusel mixture is made of 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. These ingredients are mixed in a bowl. The icing is made of 1 cup of confectioners' sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of milk, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 2. ...
Read more

Practice on Coffee Cake

Image
During this practice run I used half the ingredients for the full recipe, and begun to prepare homemade sour cream. 1. Ingredients. The cake batter was made with 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of sour cream (pre-made), and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. The streusel mixture is made of 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. These ingredients are mixed in a bowl. The icing is made of 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar, 3/4 tablespoons of milk, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract 2. Making the batter First the granulated sugar and butter are beat until they are a fluffy white mixture:     1 egg was added in and beaten well. Separately a mixture of the flour, salt and baking soda is sifted. It is added in thirds. Between the thirds, half the sour cream is added and beaten is as well. The final batter s...
Read more

White Farmhouse Bread

Image
Video Reflection:  1. Let dough sit to prepare the bread's sponge.          --> --> --> The bubbles that form in the sponge are indicative of gluten's presence. 2. Mix in some melted butter, salt, and additional flour and you get a blob of dough: 3. Knead your ball of dough until it's less... blobby 4. You'll know you're kneading is on point when you pass the windowpane test: 5. Shape that dough to fit into your pan. Go from this: To this: Then turn and pinch the dough: 6. Afterwards the dough should have doubled in size: 7. Voila:
Read more