Why won’t the potatoes crisp

deep-fryingorganicpotatoes

I live in a country where there is no chemical engineering done on the plants, so everything is completly organic. But i noticed the biggest difference in the potatoes here vs. in America is that the ones here will never crisp. They become rubbery and very wiggly. That's very difficult to deal with when you're from America and you love french fries and hashbrowns.

I fry them the same way as i usually do, i deep fry them in a pan. The potatoes are different, the ones i used to use were dark brown idaho potatoes, the ones here are light colered with a very thin peel.

What's the reason behind this? I've heard theories of the potatoes being too starchy; is this true? And if so, is there a way to get them to crisp?

Best Answer

It's almost certanly a variety/potato age thing.

There are thousands of varieties of potato and different countries grow different ones based on climate and local taste. You can group potatoes in to two sets:

  • Thicker skinned potatoes that spend longer in the ground as they grow slowly. Varieties sold this way tend to be be a colder weather crop.
  • The other sort are thin skinned, waxier varieties which include 'new' potatoes. Varieties suited to this grow faster and tend to grow better than the other sort in warmer weather.

There are 'waxy' firm varieties of the first group but most would be termed 'floury'. These are dryer potatoes and make great mash and chips and roasts and fluffy baked potatoes.

Waxy potatoes are better for holding together in dishes and salads. These just don't crisp up as well. I assume you're just getting these varieties.

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