Simply tossing raw potatoes into the pan before roasting will guarantee tough results because the high water content will steam out over the course of a long cooking time. "You feel more like you're eating the skin, because the structure just collapses inside," says Hanson. "It also gets too hard.
If you overcook them, the exterior can become tough. Pro Tip: You can also cook these potatoes in an air fryer, which develops a great crunchy exterior, without any excess oil. Be sure to serve the potatoes as soon as they come out of the oven. That's when they're at their most glorious.
It is difficult to try and soften potatoes that have already been added to a dish, but if your potatoes haven't been, then there are a few things you can do. You can parboil, steam, or put them in a slow cooker. If you have them in a dish already, add ½ tsp of baking soda into the dish.
Overcooked mashed potatoes can be rescued too
If you find your mashed potatoes are soupier than normal, it's likely because you overcooked them, Buzzfeed says. Overcooked potatoes aren't always dry and hard, as it's possible to overboil a potato too. When you do so, more water is absorbed by the potato.
Steam the potatoes instead of boiling
You're only waiting for a small amount of water to boil, not a whole pot. So the next time you're prepping potatoes for another dish or just softening them on their own, try steaming them instead of boiling.
A potato's cell walls contain pectin, and these pectin chains remain stable when they come into contact with acids. This means that potatoes will remain hard if they are in a dish that has a lot of acid (for example, a dish you've added wine to). Salt is needed to dissolve these pectin chains.
The thing is, when you cook potatoes (or dry beans) in an acidic environment, they will never get soft. You'll always be left with, at the very least, a bit of an al dente effect, if not a full-on crunchy texture.
Depending on the potato used, you will get different results. Potatoes heavy in starch, like Russet and Baking potatoes, will get dry and crumbly if you overcook them but will be fine if you just mash them. Waxy potatoes, like Fingerlings, can be rescued by tossing them gently with oil and roasting them.
Re: Potatoes still hard after cooking
It seems that the actual structure of the spud has grown with more density than before, and therefore, the boiling action hasn't actually softened the middle bits!
Turn the burner on high and bring water to boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low. Cover the pot with a lid. Cook the potatoes in gently boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes for small red potatoes, new potatoes or cubed large russet potatoes, and 20 to 25 minutes for quartered potatoes.
Tip #3: Don't Overcook or Undercook the Potatoes
If you overcook them they disintegrate and your potatoes will be soupy. The specific cooking time depends on the size of your potato: a perfectly cooked piece of potato should give no resistance when cut with a knife, but shouldn't crumble into a million pieces.
Whipped or Mashed, Just Don't Overwork
Starch is released when potatoes are mashed, smashed, or whipped, and, if too much starch is released, the potatoes are gummy and unappealing. Limit the amount of time you handle the potatoes, mashing or whipping only until the potatoes reach the desired consistency.
Parboiling the potatoes allows the outside to get soft enough to rough them up, creating the best surface for crisping. Roughing them up before roasting creates a textured surface that crisps up nicely. Just the right amount of oil makes the roasted potatoes crisp without becoming greasy.
You're Using Too Much (Or Too Little) Oil
But skimp on that oil and those vegetables will be too dry. Luckily, it's easy to find Goldilocks' just right amount. The solution: Before hitting the sheet pan, place the vegetables in a large bowl and add a tablespoon of oil.
To make crispy roast potatoes, the temperature of the oven needs to be hot 220°C or 425°F - but if the oven is too hot the potatoes will burn before they crisp up. If the oven temperature is too cold your potatoes will not be crispy.
Hemicellulose, the carbohydrate that makes up potatoes, softens when cooked, but when you add an acid like vinegar, the hemicellulose will remain solid instead. Even when the acidic element is diluted in the boiling water, the potato won't fully soften, McGee explained to the outlet.
Your spuds need air circulation, so don't suffocate them in a plastic bag. They're best kept in a mesh or paper bag. It's also crucial that potatoes are stored away from other fresh produce, particularly onions, as they release ethylene gas.
Boiling your potatoes for a little bit before roasting helps make sure that you get that beautiful crisp crust on the outside. If you don't parboil your spuds, the outside skin will remain quite tough, meaning that whatever fat you use will not be able to get inside the cracks.
Roasted potatoes can become soggy if the water content in the potato isn't fully cooked. Different potatoes have different water content percentages. Also, be mindful of the oil. Potatoes can react like sponges; too much oil can make your potatoes appear to be soggy.
The standard method is 200C for 1hr-1hr 20mins. For a super-crispy skin and a slow-cooked inside, go for 180C for 2hrs 20 mins. If you're time-pressed, ping your potato in the microwave for 5 mins to soften it up, then finish in the oven for 35-40 mins.
To scientifically test for perfect baked potato doneness, use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 208°F to 211°F. At that temperature, the white starch granules will have absorbed all the moisture they can, then burst and become soft.
Visual signs: The potato skin will start to wrinkle when over cooked. The potato, when wrapped in foil or placed on the bottom of a pan will have a dark brown spot on the bottom, a sure sign of over cooking. Foil traps the moisture in the potato causing the skin to be wet and the inside flavorless or gummy.