I am often asked questions such as “How long does it take to boil potatoes?” Boiled potatoes in a variety of shapes are one of the most common side dishes throughout the world. So there is no single answer to the question “How many minutes does it take to boil potatoes?” There are several ways of cooking potatoes with boiling water, depending on what you plan to make afterwards.

Method Time
Skinned, cut into inch-sized pieces, for mash 35-40 minutes
Skin on, whole, small to medium size 40 minutes
Know of an efficient way to boil potatoes? Please share in comments!

If you’re using the potatoes to make mashed potatoes, there are a few steps before you boil them. You should peel them first, cut them into smaller pieces (halves or quarters), rinse them in cold water and set over medium heat to boil. Depending on how many potatoes you are cooking, it will take you about 35-40 minutes to have them completely boiled. The potato pieces should easily come apart if poked with a fork.

This method releases more of the starch in the potatoes and they become soft and ready to get mashed.

If you need a boiled potato for salad, you better boil it skin on. Most salad recipes call for dense texture in potato pieces so that they don’t fall apart when used in a salad. Boiling potatoes skin on gives this kind of result.

There’s little preparing for this way of potato cooking. Just wash your potatoes – and they shouldn’t be too big, remove spots and put in water on maximum heat for at least 40 minutes. You can check if they’re done using a fork. The potatoes should be easily pierced when they are right and ready. Now I would like to know, how long do you boil potatoes?

Want to learn how to cook potato? View Recipe ?

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