Secret from the grandmother: treat potatoes with lemon - and it will not fall apart

Our family is very fond of jacket potatoes, however, as in most Russian families. As a child, my grandmother taught that you need to cook tubers in acidic water - then the potatoes do not boil, and the peel does not crack. The round shape remains, the dish looks very appetizing! If necessary, potatoes can be easily chopped. And so as not to hurt the taste, you need to observe the proportions of lemon juice, vinegar or lemon with water.

Cook potatoes with lemon

For me personally, this recipe is the most acceptable and favorite. We respect and buy lemons with our family for the future. When cooking potatoes in their skins, I cut a slice of citrus and put it in boiling water. Next send potatoes. If you need to cook it a lot, it is better to put 2-3 slices. The average consumption is: 1 lemon slice per 2 liters of water. You can also use natural lemon juice in an amount of 1 tbsp. spoon on the pan 3 l.

Use vinegar

Everyone in the house has 9% vinegar. It is also added to the water when cooking potatoes in their skins. For 2 liters of water, I take 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar. I put the tubers immediately after boiling. And if you need to boil potatoes for a salad (olivier, fur coat), I increase the portion of vinegar to 2 tablespoons in 2 liters of water. So she remains solid and whole, no matter how much she stood on the fire.

Add citric acid

In principle, it does not matter with what means to make the water for cooking potatoes acidic. The main thing is that it does not harm health. For lack of vinegar and lemon, I use citric acid from a pack. When cooking, add stably 1 teaspoon of powder. The result is always pleasing - the tubers are perfectly smooth and well cooked.

What else do you need to know?

Sour water is the main secret of preparing the right jacket potatoes. In it, it can cook for a very long time, without cracking. But still, time needs to be monitored - at least so that the water does not boil away.

On average, cooking young tubers takes 20 minutes. Old ones boil a little longer - 30-50 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

It is worth knowing some more subtleties:

• It is necessary to salt water in advance, but stronger. Several times my jacket potato was boiled, because I added salt at the end or in the middle of cooking.
• You need to cook potatoes over low or moderate heat and without a lid. High temperature and water boiling lead to cracking of the peel. Moreover, this way she reaches readiness very quickly - there is a big risk to miss a moment and digest potatoes.
• Different varieties of potatoes behave differently in a pan. For cooking potatoes in their skins, those that contain less starch are suitable: Russian woman, Kalinka, Effect, Sante, Adretta.
• The same size is also important. If you cook different-sized tubers in one pan, then they will boil unevenly. When the largest come to readiness, the smaller ones will begin to fall apart.

The tendency of the potato to boil can be determined by appearance. I noticed that pink tubers are better suited for cooking potatoes in their skins. And if you need potatoes to be boiled, then you should choose a white variety.

Here, in fact, are all the secrets of cooking potatoes in their skins. Grandmother’s teachings often help me out in the kitchen. By the way, I learned from her what to do so that the peel after cooking is cleaned well and quickly. It is necessary to pour freshly boiled potatoes with ice water.

Culinary success and bon appetit!

Author: Maria Ivanchuk