Great Roast Potatoes

Why Can't My Roast Potatoes Be Like That?

Contrary to my "friends" beliefs, I don't think I am that much different to most people. I think every one wants to impress their partners, friends, girlfriends/ boyfriends with their skills whether it is in the kitchen or the garage, on the playing field or wherever! It's a real "bummer" when you just don't get it quite right. There is nothing worse than soggy, undercooked or greasy Roast Potatoes. Except maybe a greasy soggy undercooked potato!

I have tried time and time again to get my potatoes to come out just right. Sometimes I think it's the timing, sometimes the temperature setting of the stove and other times I'm convinced it is the stove having a joke!

Society has changed a lot over the years and gone are the days when the little girl could spend time in the kitchen with Mum learning the skills in the kitchen that were handed down from Mum's Mum (and the boy in the shed learning why the car went VROOM before daddy tinkered with it). Life has become frantic, trying to support a lifestyle and give our children the things that we did not have. Most Mums now work, taking them away from children and the home. In some cases it is now Dad at home with the children.

This is where the wonder of the World Wide Web is such a marvelous thing. You want information- You got it!

I have been looking for some Fail Safe methods to get PERFECT Roast Potatoes, FIRST time, EVERY time. Some methods I have found are quick and simple; others are more involved and time consuming. Then I thought "Why keep them to myself, why not share my findings with any one who wants to read my ramblings!

So these are the top recipes I found ranging from quick and simple to more complex, but all with great results- even from a novice like ME!

I have found the best Potato varieties to roast are Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree.

The first and most simple

Using Desiree Potatoes of similar size (medium) to ensure consistency of finished product and speed of cooking.

Potatoes
Olive Oil
ButterMelt equal parts of olive oil and butter in a small bowl.

Brush thoroughly over potatoes.

Bake @ 200 deg. C (392 F) for 50 mins.

A hint for those of you in a rush or that hate trying to clean oily brushes- put oil and butter mix in a freezer bag, (put potatoes in) tie end of bag in a knot leaving a fair amount of air in the bag and shake! (this is also a great method for dressing salads and coleslaw!)

The second and more complex:

1.8 kg (4.1b) potatoes
120 gm 4.23 oz) vegetable shortening
Sea salt (quantity will vary to taste)Method

Pre heat oven to 200 deg C (392 F); peel and cut potatoes into evenly sized pieces.

Place potato pieces into a large saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil. As soon as the water boils, drain. We are not cooking the potatoes yet, just heating them through to speed up cooking process. Return potatoes to hot saucepan to dry them out. They must be dry to stop them sticking to the baking tray.

Heat up a large baking tray in the oven for a few minutes and add the vegetable fat to the potatoes to melt. Toss the potato pieces in the fat to coat all sides and spread them on the baking tray- don't over crowd

Bake for 45 minutes. Turn and baste potatoes a few times while cooking

Serve immediately seasoned with sea salt. Do not cover to keep hot as the steam will make potatoes soggy, keep in oven until ready.

Third and most complex:

Keep all potatoes same size as much as possible. This will ensure consistency throughout.

Keep the size down (medium best) to shorten cooking process.

1 kg (2.2 lb) potatoes
Half teaspoon salt
62 ml (¼ cup) oilMethod

Pre heat oven to 220 C (428 F)- 190 C (374 F) for fan forced.

For non fan forced set rack to center of stove.

Peel potatoes and cut into even sized pieces.

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.

Add ¼ teaspoon of salt to water and cover with steam vent open. Place on high heat.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for 10 mins. Or until partially cooked- test with a sharp knife for resistance when you pierce the potato.

Thoroughly drain potatoes and set aside to cool for approximately 10 mins. ( cool enough to handle)

Place potato pieces on chopping board and use a fork to scrape all sides of pieces, leaving shallow grooves.

Use a large enough baking tray for a single layer of uncrowded pieces.

Add oil to tray and place in oven for around 5 mins. or until oil is hot.

Remove tray and place potatoes on the tray, turning to thoroughly coat pieces.

Season with remaining salt.

Return tray to oven and bake for 30 mins. then turn pieces.

Again return tray to oven and bake another 25 mins. or until crisp on the outside and soft in the middle- test with a sharp knife or skewer.

The size of the potato pieces will dictate the cooking time and potentially your oven as well, so you should test pieces.

Place potato pieces on paper towel to remove excess oil and serve immediately.

Now that you have the perfect roast potatoes, you may want to investigate some meat suggestions. Have a look at this great website for tips on roast www.greatroasts.com.

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Cookware Buying Guide

Cookware Sets

Great cookware is one of the best investment you will make. There are so many choices and picking the right product can be difficult.

First you should determine what kid of cooking do you do, and how many people do you cook for? Your choice of cookware should be built on choosing basic pieces first and then adding specialty pans as needed.

First think you should look at in purchasing cookware is the type of material they are made from. You need to look at construction of the cookware set. An essential quality you should look for in all cookware is weight. A heavy pot or pan will sit securely on the burner. Just make sure it is easy for you to lift.

Types of Cookware Material

Aluminum: Aluminum is the most popular material in cookware. It is an excellent heat conductor and spreads heat evenly through the pan. Aluminum can be anodized to harden the surface. Hard-anodized cookware is harder than steel and is extremely durable. Plus, it is dishwasher safe. This type of cookware is also very inexpensive compared to other materials. The drawback of it is if the aluminum is untreated, it is prone to staining and reacting with foods. For this reason, we highly recommend aluminum with a non-stick interior, because it is much less likely to discolor or react with foods.

Carbon steel: Caron steel is used in very expensive cookware as well as some of the least expensive cookware. It is maintained like cast iron, but it is much lighter in weight. It works well for cooking that requires quick heat changes because it maintains its temperature well. The most common pans made out of this material are Woks and Stir-Fry Pans.

Cast iron: Cast iron is very thick and heavy duty. Even though it takes a bit longer to heat up, it retains and distributes heat evenly. If you are browning, braising, stewing, slow cooking and baking, this would be the best choice for you. Cast iron comes in bare iron or with enamel coating.

Bare iron needs to be seasoned before use. The seasoning process will give your pots and pans a nonstick surface that lasts forever. Once seasoned avoid soaking and washing with soap. The best way to clean cast iron is to wipe them with a clean cloth.

Enamel-coated cast iron provides all the benefits of cast iron. The advantage of this type of cast ion is it requires less maintenance and cleaning. However, some foods do not cook well in cast iron. Acidic foods will react with it and will strip off the seasoning. In that case you just have to reason your pan again.

Ceramic: Ceramic cookware is a great insulator, so it does not react quickly to heat. It can usually be found in the form of casserole dish or other shapes that are great for cooking slowly at a constant temperature. It is lighter than cast iron, but also more fragile. There are three categories: porcelain, stoneware and earthenware.

Porcelain is the strongest of all three and it is fired to become very hard and durable. It can usually be used on the stove, in the oven and in the microwave.

Earthenware is less strong and prone to chipping and scratching. This type is usually used as a serveware.

Clad: Using two types of cookware materials together to get all the benefits of both materials develops clad cookware. Most of the time, stainless steel is clad with aluminum. Aluminum gives you the thickness and excellent heat conductivity and stainless steel prevents it from corrosion and it is easy to maintain. This type of cookware will last you a lifetime. Only downsize of this type of cookware is that it is generally heavy and very expensive.

Copper: Copper is the best conductor of heat. It is the best if you are cooking on top of the stove, where you have to control the temperature. Copper, however, can react with foods and can be toxic. Therefore, copper pots and pans are usually lined with another material, which is usually stainless steel. The biggest disadvantage of using copper is maintenance. Copper can discolor, so once in a while you need to polish it to remove discoloration. Also, copper tends to dent and scratch easily.

Stainless Steel: Stainless steel is a very good all around general-purpose cookware. It is light weight, durable and easy to clean. It is, however, poor conductor of heat so usually many stainless steel pieces are made with a copper or aluminum disc on the bottom to help distribute heat more evenly. Because of its smooth surface, stainless steel is easy to clean and it is dishwasher safe. It you notice some kind of discoloration, you can use a stainless steel cleanser that restores the natural luster. Metal utensils can be used on stainless steel or aluminum surface.

Nonstick: Nonstick cookware has a coating inside the pan that makes it difficult for food to stick to it. This makes it easy to cook healthy, non-fact foods. Because food does not stick, it is very easy to clean. It can be found in combination with many metals that produce cookware. The disadvantage of this type of cookware is that it can be easily scratched. Stainless steel or other utensils can scratch the pan so it is highly recommended to use bylon silicone utensils.

Now that you know everything about cookware, it is time to go shopping.

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