Grains & starch · Po

Potato

Starch 15–20% · softens at 60 °C

Per 100 g

77 kcal Energy

2 g Protein

17.5 g Carbs

0.1 g Fat

2.2 g Fibre

Gluten-free GI 73

Let’s cook with it → Invent something with it

What it is for

They build structure. Starch granules swell in hot water, burst, and weave a net that traps the liquid — most of what you call body comes from here. Wheat does one extra job on top: gluten.

Where it catches you out

Starch does nothing before 62 °C, and acid cuts the chains during a long boil. Think about your thickener after the heat and before the acid.

The knack

Rinse the surface starch and dry it properly before frying: wet potato steams instead of browning.

Storage and health

How to keep it, and who it suits.

Keeping it

Dark, cool (7-10 °C) and ventilated for 2-3 months; never the fridge, where starch turns to sugar and the potato darkens on frying. Keep it away from onions.

Gluten-free

Plain potato is naturally gluten-free.

Glycaemic index

73 — glucose is taken as 100. Below 55 is low, 56–69 medium, 70 and above high. The number says nothing about portion: at the same index, twice the amount is twice the load.

Row in the table: Boiled potato, mean of studies

Atkinson et al., Am J Clin Nutr 2021

What it works with

Pairings, and the reason for each

"They go well together" is not an explanation. Every pairing below has a chemical or structural mechanism under it.

Butter →

Fat coats the swollen starch-filled cells and lubricates them past each other; this is how creaminess arrives without rupturing cells.

Olive oil →

At high heat the surface starch gelatinises then dehydrates and vitrifies into a glassy crust while the interior steams — a genuine two-phase structure, not "sealing".

Also works with

Milk

Salt

Egg

Black pepper

Garlic

Bay leaf

What it fights with

Starch

Never blend mash: shearing ruptures cells and releases free amylose, producing a glue-like paste. The damage is mechanical, not thermal.

Lemon

For fluffy mash acid works against you: it stabilises pectin and keeps the cells stuck together. The same effect is useful in potato salad.

What goes on top

Sizzled butter, garlic yoghurt, sumac, chilli flakes, olive oil and parsley

Key compounds

Pektin: A 55–70 °C pre-cook activates pectin methylesterase; de-esterified pectin then binds calcium and the potato holds firm.
Solanin / çakonin: Bitterness in green skin; heat stable, so cooking does not fix it.
Asparajin + indirgen şeker: Form acrylamide above 120 °C, which is why cold-stored potatoes brown too fast and too dark.

Nutritionally

Cooked-then-cooled potato produces a significantly lower glycaemic response than freshly cooked.

Quick ideas