A Bengali kitchen is hard to imagine without potatoes. From curries to biryani, from aloo dum to chops, potatoes matter to the taste and texture of countless dishes. Yet many shoppers are unsure which to buy: bright white potatoes on one side, yellow ones on the other. They look similar, but they behave quite differently once cooked.

Colour alone cannot always tell you a potato's type or cooking qualities; variety, maturity and storage matter too. In general, though, high-starch potatoes become more crumbly and soft when cooked, while those with less starch and more moisture hold their shape better.

Potatoes with relatively more starch and less moisture turn soft and fluffy inside when cooked, so white potatoes are well suited to frying or mashing.

High-starch potatoes give good results in French fries, potato chops, aloo makha (mashed potato) and oven-roasted potatoes. They help keep the outside crisp and the inside soft when fried.

White potatoes are also handy for potato fillings, because once boiled they mash easily and blend well with spices.

Potatoes with yellowish flesh are often relatively waxy or firm. With more moisture and less starch, they do not break up easily in cooking.

That makes them handy for aloo dum, curries with gravy, soups and potato salads. If you want the pieces to stay whole after a long time in gravy, a low-starch potato may be the better choice. These potatoes can also taste slightly buttery or sweet, letting the potato's own flavour come through in lightly spiced dishes.

Potato is a special attraction in Bengali biryani. It is best to choose one that will not melt away during cooking, so a yellowish potato makes it easier for the pieces to keep their shape even after long dum cooking.

Besides the type of potato, the size of the pieces, the boiling time and the cooking method also matter. Overboiled, even a good potato can fall apart.

If the potato does not suit the dish, you may not get the result you want. A very white potato cooked for a long time in gravy may break up and thicken the curry, while a yellowish potato may not turn soft enough for aloo makha. So when buying, think about what you will cook, not just the colour.

Some care is also needed when boiling. Whole potatoes or large pieces in particular should be started in cold water, so heat reaches the centre evenly before the outside turns too soft. If large or whole potatoes go straight into boiling water, the outside may cook quickly while the inside stays relatively hard.

For crumbly, fluffy or mashable potatoes, choose high-starch white ones; to keep pieces intact in gravy or salad, choose firm, low-starch yellowish ones. But quality should not be judged by colour alone, and it is better still to ask the seller about the variety and type.

The article draws on EatingWell, Allrecipes and News18.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.