Potatoes come out of the ground covered in dirt.
Potato plants grow above ground, but the edible part, or tuber, grows below ground. Potatoes usually come to market with dirt clinging to their skins, and they must be thoroughly cleaned before you cook with them. Whether you are using white or sweet potatoes, the method for cleaning them is the same.
Scrubbing Potatoes
Scrub potatoes with your hands, or use a potato brush made for that purpose. Either way, be sure to thoroughly remove all traces of dirt if you are not going to peel the potato before cooking. Baked potatoes are not peeled before baking, and even mashed potatoes can be made with the skins intact, but you want to get all the grit out. Use cold water to wash the potatoes.
Digging out Eyes
Potato "eyes" are buds for new plants, and are cut out of the potato. If you are peeling your potatoes, you can see the discoloration and use a sharp knife to cut out the eye. If you are not peeling the potato, be sure to cut each eye out or you will find hard, inedible spots in your cooked potatoes. After you cut out all the eyes, give the potatoes a rinse in cold water in case any dirt remains.
New Potatoes
New potatoes, dug up in spring and early summer, are harvested before maturity and have a thin, papery skin. When you are washing new potatoes, the skin can come off in your hands, but if you are roasting them, you don't want to remove the skins. New potatoes need to be washed more carefully, and are best cleaned with a potato brush, which can be harsh on their fragile skins.
Peeling Potatoes
If you are making potato salad, or mashed potatoes for kids who shun potato skins, you will have to peel your potatoes after washing. You don't need to wash them as thoroughly, but after peeling, you should give the potatoes another quick rinse. As you peel the potato, any dirt on the vegetable peeler gets transferred to the potato flesh. Put the peeled potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning.
Tags: cold water, give potatoes, mashed potatoes, , potato brush, your hands