Q My husband loves new red potato salad, as do I. With him being back and forth to Iraq and training in the Army, I especially want my cooking to be good and wonderful so he has great thoughts of great food while he's away. Anyway, I was wondering if you have any tips on how to boil potatoes. I have a problem with undercooking them. I've failed at even just boiling them. How do you know they're at the right place without being mushy?
A A couple of things add up to get those potatoes cooked the way you want them. Start with small to medium-size red skin potatoes. Large potatoes usually don't cook evenly because by the time the center is done, the outer part is overdone.
Start the potatoes in cool water with a generous amount of salt (a tablespoon for every quart of water), do not peel them before cooking and cook them in gently bubbling water that covers them completely. For 11/2-inch to 2-inch diameter potatoes, anticipate 8 to 9 minutes; larger potatoes take longer.
"Done" is when you pierce a potato with a small knife and it slides into the center with just a little resistance. Immediately drain the potatoes in a colander. I rinse them with cold water for a minute or two, then peel and dress the potatoes while they are warm so they absorb more dressing.
No doubt you have a favorite recipe your husband loves, but when you want something different, see what you think of today's recipe for Potato Salad With Sautéed Indian Spices.
How big is large? Q When a recipe calls for a large onion, how large is "large"? While we're at it, how big are medium and small onions?
A All of this is approximate, of course, but by my lights, a large onion is about 5 inches in diameter, a medium about 31/2 inches and small about 2 inches. While we are at it, let's talk onion realities. White, red and yellow onions all can be strong-flavored because color has little to do with taste. So-called sweet onions (sweet because their sulfur content has been genetically reduced) will be labeled, as in Walla Walla, Maui, Vidalia, etc.
Store onions in an open basket in a cool dark place. They need air circulating around them. You can reduce tears by chilling onions for a couple of hours before cutting. Another trick is to throw a towel over chopped onions if they have to wait to go into the pan. Otherwise, those fumes keep rising.
