Question for the cooks here:

[CCS]

I'm tired of my potatoes going bad on me, and I don't like the work of preparing them.

I'm thinking of buying mash potato mix in bulk, or buying potato flour, and I want to know:

Can I microwave water for a minute and add the potato flour and have it soak up the water fast? Or will it just sit at the bottom like oatmeal? Do I have to boil it?


Wheat flour is so nice because it mixes right up. But I want Potato flour, not Wheat flour.

 

[oni]

Potato................just buy them fresh, lazy git!

Get on your bloody wheel chair....................................

 

[CCS]

Me? Lazy? Call me lazy when I'm hiking up a mountain trail at a fast pace.

I'm not lazy. I just value my free time and don't like wasting 30 minutes of my day preparing food when I could be doing other stuff.

Besides, calorie per calorie, the potato flour is half the prices as the potatos. It does have less vitamins though.

 

[squeegee]

f*** the potatoes! Get 5 minutes rice!

 

[CCS]

Does five minutes include the time it takes to heat the water?

I want something that is close to a dollar a pound.

Hmmm... I have some rice flour. I guess I could make small quantities since the soak would be the limiting factor. I could boil a small amount of water faster.

 

[powersam]

give up the potato, go and get a steak.

 

[CCS]

give up the potato, go and get a steak.

expensive. 5 pounds of potatos makes 1 pound of potato flour, after dehydration. Potato flour is $85 for 50 pounds. So about 33 cents per pound re-hydrated, and never goes bad. Just scoop and add water. Done.

Steaks have to be cut and frozen separately in bags, then thawed, and they can go bad. They must be cooked. And they cost at least $2-3 per pound, often $4.

Tasty, yes. But I can boil some hamburger with the potato flour if I really want taste.

 

[powersam]

It's more about nutrition.

Meat, vegetables and fruit. That is what our bodies have evolved to eat.

Potato is just empty calories.

 

[Bryan]

Potato is just empty calories.

Ummm...not completely empty, apparently. I read somewhere a while back that potatoes were the main source of vitamin C in the Russian diet, although they may have been talking about during the winter months.

 

[chore boy]

Being a culinarian by trade, I suppose I should chime in.

I'm not sure I've ever made instant mashed potatoes but I'm pretty sure all you do is bring water and butter to a boil, stir in potato flakes, let sit for a few minutes and then fluff... kinda like Stove Top.

Potato flour + water will never equal mashed potatoes.

If you're really worried about staying under $0.32 per meal, go to the asian market and get a 50lb bag of rice.

 

[chore boy]

You eat wheat flour and water? Quite the feasts over at your house, huh?

 

[oni]

Me? Lazy? Call me lazy when I'm hiking up a mountain trail at a fast pace.

I'm not lazy. I just value my free time and don't like wasting 30 minutes of my day preparing food when I could be doing other stuff.

Besides, calorie per calorie, the potato flour is half the prices as the potatos. It does have less vitamins though.

You should try to find enjoyment in food preparation and the eating of said food...........................................you f'ing robot..................why not just buy space/military food or are you too cheap for that!!! :jackit:

 

[powersam]

Potato is just empty calories.

Ummm...not completely empty, apparently. I read somewhere a while back that potatoes were the main source of vitamin C in the Russian diet, although they may have been talking about during the winter months.

Doubtful he is eating or cooking them in their skins though.

 

[The Gardener]

Sorry, CCS, but mixing potato flour into boiling water won't get you something resembling mashed potatoes... It will result in something more similar to dumplings. And because the "dumplings" don't have any added fat or oil, and don't have any baking powder, they won't rise and get "puffy" like a normal dumpling, thus they won't be particularly edible. It would probably taste more like wallpaper glue.

To echo the others, the cheapest starch on the market is rice. You can get rice at deep discount prices if you buy a large quantity of it. It stores well and lasts a long time before spoiling.

 

[Hammy070]

Ahh...potatoes, the carb wonder of our culinary life.

Per 100g

Carbohydrates 19 g
- Starch 15 g
- Dietary fiber 2.2 g
Fat 0.1 g
Protein 2 g
Water 75 g
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.08 mg 6%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.03 mg 2%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 1.1 mg 7%
Vitamin B6 0.25 mg 19%
Vitamin C 20 mg 33%
Calcium 12 mg 1%
Iron 1.8 mg 14%
Magnesium 23 mg 6%
Phosphorus 57 mg 8%
Potassium 421 mg 9%
Sodium 6 mg 0%

It's rather a decent source of nutrients. But best of all is its' versatility.

In France before the time of the Revolution, potatoes were mainly pig-feed. A famous chef of the Royal house attempted to seduce the upper classes to appreciate the potato. His name escapes me, but one day he prepared a menu for the Royals in which every meal used potatoes. It was a success.

Post-Revolution, further experimentation eventually produced the French fries we know today, although they were round at first.

Mashed potatoes....I peel, then boil the potatoes in small cut cubes for around 30 minutes until very fluffy and soft. Then I drain them thoroughly. I then turn the gas very low. I add for every large-ish potato about 50ml of double cream, 150g of organic butter, a little splash of whole milk (maybe about 50ml) and whisk the mixture with a spoon at first - crushing the potatoes. Then I use a large cooking fork to further whisk the potatoes and break up the smaller pieces. Then finally I use a smaller fork to homogenize it. The cream, milk and butter heat up and 'total mash' is achieved. Then I lightly season with table salt.

Depending on what else is on my plate, I have it as above (usually with fried fish) or I add finely chopped spring onion, a slight touch of garlic salt and a sprinkling of ground pepper (this goes well with slow roasted lamb chops).

Calorically, it's of course very...err...'generous' shall we say. But I don't have it often, perhaps once or twice a month.

I have always felt a sense of deprivation with regards to potatoes. There are HUNDREDS of varieties, in many various colours, textures and flavours. The homogenization of a largely single type, as with many other vegetables, in my opinion impoverishes us.

As for potato flour, I am perplexed. Use fresh and organic produce, prepare it with love and time and you shall be enriched.

There is no unhealthy food, only unhealthy habits.

I know how to make proper French fries too, if you're interested.