| If you are just starting to live alone, one of the things | | | | peeler and to have the trashcan or the sink catch the |
| that you need to learn is how to prepare your food | | | | skins. You might need to wash the potatoes again |
| without undercooking or overcooking them. While | | | | after peeling them. |
| undercooked foods may be remedied by heating them | | | | Place the potatoes on top of the chopping board and |
| in a pot or in the microwave oven, extremely | | | | cut off the ends of the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into |
| overcooked foods might end up in the wastebasket. | | | | 1-1.5 inch cubes or according to the recipe. Cutting the |
| Because potatoes are one of the most common and | | | | potatoes into cubes also allows them to cook faster. |
| easy to prepare meal, it is necessary that you learn | | | | NOTE: Get rid of the ends immediately after cutting |
| how to cook this crop even before you move out of | | | | them off so that they will not be mixed with the diced |
| your parent's house. Here are the steps on how to boil | | | | potatoes. |
| potatoes the right way and without consuming a lot of | | | | 3. Cooking the Potatoes |
| time. | | | | Once the water is boiling and you are finished |
| 1. Preparing the Pot | | | | preparing the potatoes, carefully drop them into the |
| Fill your pot with water and set it on your stove. Set | | | | pot. Just allow them to boil for 20-25 minutes or until |
| the heat to medium high. Add a pinch of salt to the | | | | they are tender. You might need to turn the potatoes |
| water. Salt helps the potatoes cook faster. | | | | over through occasional stirring in order to help them |
| NOTE: Consider how many potatoes you are going to | | | | become tender faster. To check if the potatoes are |
| boil before filling the pot with water. The water that | | | | already cooked, use a fork to check their tenderness. |
| you boil should just be enough to submerge the | | | | If the potato starts to break when you use a fork, it is |
| potatoes about two inches below the surface. | | | | now time to take them off the heat and to drain the |
| 2. Preparing the Potatoes | | | | water using a strainer. |
| While waiting for the water to boil, start preparing the | | | | Cooking potatoes might seem easy. However, the |
| potatoes. Wash the root crops under running water in | | | | most common problem when it comes to this task is |
| order to get rid of the dirt and soil that still cling to its | | | | overcooking the potatoes. Don't worry much about it, |
| skin. | | | | though. Overcooked potatoes may be used in |
| If you prefer to, you may also peel the potatoes after | | | | preparing mashed potatoes. |
| washing them. The best way to do this is to use a | | | | |