Potatoes cooking characteristics

The use of FIP on cereals improves their cooking characteristics and reduces allergenicity potential, induces the formation of soy gels, modifies com hydration and the sensorial properties of rice, sponges, cookies and rice liquor decontaminates rice products and spaghetti (Tauscher, 1995). Treatment with HP increases the digestibility of amylase when using the minimum thermal treatment. This was observed in studies made with potato, com and wheat starches (Farr, 1990). 

On cooking maize starch the viscosity increases when the starch begins to gelatinise. As the temperature rises towards 95°C the viscosity falls. When the paste is cooled the viscosity rapidly increases. The variation of viscosity with temperature is characteristic for each different origin of starch. Potato starch, for example, has a lower gelatinisation temperature than maize starch but has a higher maximum viscosity. When cooled the viscosity of potato starch rises less. Once again amylopectin starches do not show this behaviour as they do not gel. 

Textural and Rheological Characteristics of Raw and Cooked Potatoes 257 Table 9.4 Pearson correlation coefficients for rheological and selected textural properties... 

Singh, N., Kaur, L., Ezekiel, R., Gurraya, H. S. (2005). Microstructural, cooking and textural characteristics of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers in relation to physico-chemical and functional properties of their flours. J. Sci. FoodAgric., 85, 1275-1284. 

This staple food is never eaten in the raw state the earthy taste is not quite appealing and the starch has to be transformed into an eatable form either by cooking or by baking/frying. Boiled, cooked potatoes develop a characteristic bland balanced creamy, sweet, sulphurous, earthy flavour. Fried potatoes are appreciated for their... 

Every substance has its own characteristic abihty to absorb heat. When you bake a potato, you place it in a hot oven. If you are cooking pasta, you add the pasta to boiling water. You already know that adding heat to water increases its temperature until it boils. Certain substances absorb more heat than others to reach a certain temperature. 

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