How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad

Small potatoes cook more quickly than larger ones.

Potato salad can be made many different ways and with many different kinds of potatoes, but the potatoes are always (or almost always) boiled. You want them to be perfect—neither too hard nor too soft—before you add them to your preferred recipe.

Things You'll Need

• Potatoes can be thin skinned red or white potatoes or brown skinned baking or all purpose potatoes, even unigue potatoes from your own garden harvest
• Large kettle for boiling with enough space for potatoes and water to cover
• Kitchen stove, hot plate or camp stove
• Fork
• Timer or constant vigilance
• Colander or steady hand to drain off the hot water
• Potato peeler and/or sharp paring knife

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes if you are using thick-skinned ones. Thinner-skinned red and white potatoes can keep their skins if you prefer to have the extra healthy nutrition and color they add to the potato salad.

2. Cut the potatoes into halves or fourths lengthwise so they will cook evenly and quickly. Place in the kettle with just enough water to cover them.

3. Bring potatoes to a boil on medium-high heat. The water should boil enough to bubble fully, but watch carefully as the foam on the surface of the water can make it boil over onto the stove. When the water begins to boil turn the heat down enough to keep a good bubbling boil without boiling over.

4. Test potatoes with a fork after 10 minutes to see if they are soft enough for the fork to enter easily. If not, boil for five minutes more and check again. Do this until they are done.

5. Remove pot from heat. Turn off the stove burner and pour off the boiling water. You can drain off the water with a colander or any other kitchen gadgets you may have in the kitchen to drain vegetables. Let them cool on the counter while you prepare the other ingredients for the salad.

Tips & Warnings

• If you like a smoother creamier potato salad cook a little longer. If you want solid pieces of potato in the salad cook less time and cut the harder pieces smaller when mixing the salad.

• Be careful when draining off the boiling water especially if small children are around. Best if done over the sink.