# Help!! friggin boiled potatoes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2008, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427 "2008-10-04T07:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427/61 "2008-10-07T20:11:42Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Has anyone tried this recipe with Russets?, I was in the store yesterday and I didn’t want to buy the 5lb bag of reds, and only Russets were sold individually. I did a variation of the recipe last night with russets. I scrubbed 3 smallish-to-medium russet potatoes and nuked them. While they were nuking, I heated up some olive oil and butter, pressed 3 large cloves of garlic into the pan, and then sliced a small onion and separated it into rings and threw it into the pan. I took out the potatoes and sliced them and threw them into the pan with the onions and garlic. I sprinkled some seasoned salt and tossed everything together, and then let it brown until the bottom layer was nice and crispy and yummy. Very tasty, and didn’t involve heating up the oven. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427/62 "2008-10-07T20:31:35Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Has anyone tried this recipe with Russets?, I was in the store yesterday and I didn’t want to buy the 5lb bag of reds, and only Russets were sold individually. I don’t see why you couldn’t. I’d still boil them until they’re tender and the skin in cracking, then depending on their size, maybe halve them and “crash” them to your liking. Let’s not veer too far off the recipe though. 🙂 We’re not just making roasted potato wedges here. That’s really easy, but not what we’re making. I honestly don’t know how some of you can nuke your potatoes. My SO does that and it’s disgusting. It really is. Rubber gummy potatoes. Yum. I’m cool with pre-steaming, though. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427/63 "2008-10-07T21:07:26Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Let’s not veer too far off the recipe though. 🙂 We’re not just making roasted potato wedges here. That’s really easy, but not what we’re making. > > I honestly don’t know how some of you can nuke your potatoes. You, Sir or Madame, are an artist and I salute you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427/64 "2008-10-07T22:59:51Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > [Damn Yankee] And that something would be, “yuck!” [/DY] 😉 I have to say, I actually prefer green beans cooked to softness–they develop a different flavor and one that I generally prefer to the “green” and raw flavor of beans cooked al dente. (Although I do like blanched haricots verts, when fresh and young.) I love the Southern style green beans that are cooked with smoked meat and other ingredients for hours. While looking for some recipes online, I found this [recent New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/dining/13appe.html?ref=dining) piece extolling the virtues of slow-cooked string beans. > [@](#): > > But when the Italian mother of my college roommate offered a plate of tender beans, I found them addictive from the first melting bite. With a droopy texture I would have considered overcooked as a know-it-all kid, these gorgeous legumes were a revelation. Gently simmered in a rich garlic-flecked tomato sauce until soft and velvety but not the least bit mushy, I had seconds, then thirds, which tickled the cook to no end. > > I’ve since made soft-cooked beans my go-to technique, simmering them in any flavorful liquid on hand: tomato sauce, sautéed onions, chicken stock, wine, even salty, garlic-spiked water. I actually like going a bit further than the author in this piece–like a three-hour simmer–but the same basic sentiment is shared. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427/65 "2008-10-07T23:12:20Z")
String beans used to be more tough, and you needed to cook them longer back in the old days; also they were dried as a method of preservation, which also required they be cooked longer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-friggin-boiled-potatoes/466427.md?page=3)