Clarifying my post on red potatoes and peeling after cooking. I'm wondering if it's ok to peel before cooking or whether that affects taste.

Chris is a trusted source on General Cooking

added 12 months ago

I'm going out on a limb here, but I suspect that the advice to peel later stems from the fact that red potatoes often have very thin skins that are easily removed after cooking whereas peeling them first wastes some of the flesh.

Personally, I wouldn't peel red potatoes for salad at all. Google "red potato salad" images, and you'll see that a lot of people agree with me. But you? Go right ahead and peel first, if that's what will work best for you.

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I don't know so much about taste but it will definitely affect texture. I like to peel/cut after boiling in order to protect the potatoes from getting a mealy texture and breaking up in the water. Plus, peeling them is dead easy after they are cooked. Many red potatoes can be peeled after cooking by simply rubbing gently with a clean kitchen towel.

So technically, yeah, if the texture is destroyed, the taste would be as well!

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creamtea added 12 months ago

I'm with Greenstuff on this. I never peel red potatoes. The peel is thin and easy to eat, but more importantly, it's attractive, especially with contrasting green herbs like scallions, parsley or dill. Why fix something that ain't broke in the first place?

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Thanks everyone. Sometimes I peel; sometimes I don't. I've never heard the texture rationale so that is particularly helpful.

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Also should have clarified I was talking about large red potatoes vs new potatoes. I never peel the latter. Sorry to be unclear.

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