The Complete Guide to Cooking Potatoes
By Scott Bradley•24 years professional kitchen experience•7 min read
Everything you need to know about potato varieties, cooking methods, and professional techniques for perfect results every time.
• Updated:
Potatoes are the most versatile vegetable in the kitchen. You can fry them, roast them, boil them, mash them, bake them, grill them, or turn them into soup. But here's the thing most home cooks don't know: the type of potato you choose matters just as much as the cooking method.
I learned this lesson early in culinary school. Our instructor handed us five different potato varieties and told us to make french fries from each one. Same temperature, same technique, same everything—except the potato. The results were wildly different. Russets made perfect, crispy fries. Yukon Golds turned golden and delicious but softer. Red potatoes? Disaster. They fell apart, turned mushy, and wouldn't crisp no matter what we did.
That day taught me that choosing the right potato for the job is non-negotiable. Use the wrong variety and you'll fight your ingredients all day. Use the right one and potatoes become effortless.
Understanding Potato Starch Content
Before we talk about varieties, you need to understand what makes potatoes different from each other: starch content.
Potatoes are classified into three categories based on their starch level:
High-Starch Potatoes (Starchy)
Starch content: 18-22%
Texture: Dry, fluffy, mealy
Holds shape when cooked: No—they fall apart easily
Best for: Baking, mashing, frying, any application where you want a fluffy interior
Examples: Russet (Idaho), Russet Burbank
Why they work: High starch means low moisture. When you cook these potatoes, the starch granules absorb water and swell, creating a light, fluffy texture. The dry exterior also crisps beautifully when fried or roasted. But that same quality means they fall apart when boiled—don't use them for potato salad.
Medium-Starch Potatoes (All-Purpose)
Starch content: 15-18%
Texture: Creamy, slightly waxy
Holds shape when cooked: Moderately
Best for: Roasting, mashing, grilling, versatile applications
Examples: Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Purple Peruvian
Why they work: Medium-starch potatoes hit the sweet spot—enough starch for creaminess, enough moisture to hold together. They're genuinely all-purpose. You can roast them for crispy edges and creamy centers, mash them for rich texture, or boil them for potato salad. They're the workhorse potatoes in most restaurant kitchens.
Low-Starch Potatoes (Waxy)
Starch content: 12-16%
Texture: Firm, moist, waxy
Holds shape when cooked: Yes—they stay intact even when boiled
Best for: Boiling, potato salad, roasting (where you want intact pieces), gratins, soups
Examples: Red potatoes (Red Bliss, Red Norland), fingerlings, new potatoes
Why they work: Low starch means high moisture and low breakdown. These potatoes hold their shape beautifully, making them perfect for dishes where you need distinct pieces—potato salad, roasted baby potatoes, soups, gratins. They don't mash well (too gluey) and they don't fry as crispy as high-starch varieties, but for what they do, they're unbeatable.
Restaurant Reality: The Potato Station
In professional kitchens, we go through 50-pound bags of potatoes constantly. Multiple varieties on hand at all times: Russets for baking and fries, Yukon Golds for mashing and roasting, and red potatoes for salads and side dishes. New cooks would try to substitute one for another—mashing red potatoes, making fries from Yukon Golds, using russets in potato salad—and every time, the result was wrong. The lesson: Potatoes aren't interchangeable. Each variety has a specific job, and using the wrong one means you're fighting the ingredient. Once you learn to match the potato to the method, everything became easier. Crispy fries every time. Creamy mash without glueyness. Potato salad that held together instead of falling apart. The secret isn't technique—it's using the right potato for the job.
Want My Complete Kitchen Setup Guide?
Get my free "11 Essential Tools I Use Most" PDF—the exact equipment I rely on after 24 years in professional kitchens. No fluff, just the tools that actually matter.
Get the Free Guide →Unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.
The Bottom Line: Match the Potato to the Method
After 24 years of cooking professionally, I can tell you this: The right potato makes cooking effortless. The wrong potato makes it impossible.
Remember:
- Russets - Baking, mashing, frying (fluffy, crispy)
- Yukon Golds - All-purpose, roasting, mashing (creamy, versatile)
- Red/Fingerlings - Boiling, salads, soups (holds shape)
Choose wisely, and potatoes will never let you down.
Related Reading
Professional Kitchen Essentials
The 11 Tools I Use Most in My Home Kitchen
My daily workhorse tools from 24 years in professional kitchens
⭐24 Years Professional✓11 Tools. That's It.
What You'll Get (FREE Guide):
- 5 Victorinox knives: Chef's (8" & 10"), paring, boning, and bread knife
- Essential prep tools: Peeler, bench scraper, tongs, and mandoline
- Restaurant towels: The exact bar mops I've used for decades
- Professional cutting board: Epicurean board built to last
- Why I chose each one: Real stories from 24 years of professional cooking
No spam, unsubscribe anytime
Your email is safeEquipment insights & reviewsInstant download
About Scott Bradley
Professional Chef • 24 Years Professional Kitchen Experience
Professional chef with 24 years of restaurant experience including Pizzaiolo at Purple Café, Kitchen Manager at Mellow Mushroom, and line positions at Feierabend, Il Pizzaiolo, and Paragary's. A.A.S. Culinary Arts from Seattle Central College, B.S. Business Administration from University of Montana. Every product tested through real professional kitchen use or extensive long-term home testing.
Read more about my testing methodology →