Why You Should Use Vinegar When Boiling Potatoes

Photo by Hai Nguyen on Unsplash

Potatoes are a versatile ingredient in cooking. They can be baked, mashed, fried, boiled or added to roasts, soups, and stews. However, it’s important to know which potato to use in a recipe that will give it the best texture and its own distinct flavor, per Spruce Eats. And if you thought all potatoes were the same, settle in to learn something new.

Most potatoes can be put into two categories — waxy or starchy. Higher starch content can break down or become creamier and they’re best used when making mashed or baked potatoes. Waxy varieties are the types of potatoes that will hold up better to boiling in water, like when you’re making potato salad. Speaking of the popular side dish, nothing is worse than biting into potato salad and getting a mouthful of mushiness. If this is something you’ve struggled with, before you give up on preparing potato salad from scratch, try adding a bit of vinegar to your pot of water.

How vinegar helps potatoes keep their shape
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Once you’ve determined that you’re using the correct type of potato for boiling, adding vinegar to the pot of water will help them retain their shape. This hack provided by Home Cook World calls for boiling potatoes for 30 minutes and adding a bit of salt and a dash of vinegar to your boiling water at the 13 minute mark. Why is vinegar helpful?

According to Eating Expired, vinegar makes potatoes form a thin crust on their outer layer. This crust is what’s necessary to help them keep their shape and not become mushy or fall apart. Also, it’s important to note that there’s no specific type of vinegar that’s better at this over another. Eatwell 101 reports that using white, apple cider, or red wine varieties of vinegar all work well to keep potatoes in tact.

The next time a recipe calls for boiled potatoes, try adding vinegar to your pot of water to keep your potatoes firm and ensure your recipe is a success.