Hundred-year-old cookbooks often contain household tips. Sometimes they leave me scratching my head or wondering if they really work. For example, I had my doubts about the following tip:
When boiling old potatoes, put a tablespoon of milk in the water in which they are cooked and they will be much whiter.
General Welfare Guild Cook Book (Beaver Valley General Hospital, New Brighton, PA, 1923)
When I saw the tip, I could think of no reason why boiled potatoes would be whiter if cooked in water that had a little milk added. And, I wondered why anyone would care. My boiled potatoes generally look fine (even if they are cream colored).
When I tried this tip, I think (much to my surprise) that it actually worked. The potatoes seemed whiter than usual.
This tip also made me wonder about the use of the term “old potatoes.” Is there such a thing as old potatoes in today’s world? When I was young, I can remember potatoes starting to sprout, and getting soft and mealy in the spring – but I seldom see those types of potatoes during any season any more.
They used milk for soaking many things, such as fish, to remove impurities and odors, so I can certainly see it whitening potatoes! I get softer, old local potatoes, from the farm stand in the spring. They only keep well to the next year’s planting!
It’s interesting that milk used to be used to soak a variety of foods. I wish that I could find a place to get old potatoes. I think that chemical sprout inhibitors and other things are put on the potatoes at the store.
Yikes! Thanks for this information. Another reason to eat local organic!
We have old potatoes throughout the winter here in the UK. Yes, you can buy new potatoes, but it’s cheaper and more usual to buy old ones for the comforting dishes that winter encourages. Long may it continue! So the milk trick works? Not sure I’m that bothered really, any more than you are.
Yes, I think that the milk made the potatoes whiter. It’s interesting that you have a choice of either old or new potatoes during the winter months.
Well, we can’t grow potatoes in winter here, and it would be nonsense to air-mile spuds of all things. You can buy them, but at a price.
That is interesting. I’ll have to give it a try.
I’m not sure why, but I think that adding a little milk to the water works.
Hehe! I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes so white isn’t a usual concern! But I’ll put this in the recipe file box – just in case I need it!
🙂 Good point – Yukon Gold potatoes are nice, but definitely not white.