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Three Parts:Prepping for ParboilingParboiling Your PotatoesUsing Your Parboiled Potatoes

Parboiling is the act of cooking food partially so that its cooking time is reduced when added to a recipe. Potatoes are commonly parboiled owing to their tendency to take a lot longer to cook than other ingredients. Start with Step 1 below to parboil potatoes before including them in a recipe of your choosing (though this article will give you a few ideas, too).



  • Potatoes
  • Boiling water
  • Cold water

Part 1 of 3: Prepping for Parboiling

  1. 1
    Choose your potatoes. The ideal potato is firm and smooth. It's not sprouting and doesn't have any green coloration – this indicates that it is starting to produce toxins and could have an undesirable taste and even lead to headaches or diarrhea.[1] Be wary of potatoes with soft spots or blemishes, too.
    • As for the type of potato, that's ultimately up to you. There are waxy potatoes, starchy potatoes, and all-purpose potatoes. Waxy potatoes (Rose Finn Apple, Russian Banana, Red Thumb) hold their shape better and are great for boiling or roasting. Starchy potatoes (Russet, Jewel Yam, Japanese Sweet Potato) are great for baking and frying.[2]
  2. Parboil Potatoes Step 1.jpg
    • If they don't need peeled, scrub them under running water until they're about as clean as they're going to get.
    • If they do need peeled, with your potato peeler or a sharp knife (be careful!), peel them above a bowl or the trash. This makes clean up a lot easier. Wash them after peeling for good measure.
  3. 3
    If necessary, cut them to matching sizes. Potatoes take a long time to cook, hence why you're parboiling them, right? To make sure they all cook at the same rate, cut them to the same size. If some potatoes are larger than others, they may not be done at the same rate as the smaller ones.
    • And, in general, the smaller the potato, the quicker it'll cook. If you have really big potatoes, cut them into quarters just to cut down on your parboiling time.

Part 2 of 3: Parboiling Your Potatoes

  1. Parboil Potatoes Step 3.jpg
    Fill a saucepan with room temperature water and your potatoes. You want enough water to reach about 1" (2 cm or so) above your potatoes. This way they'll all cook evenly.
    • Make sure your potatoes are clean and to size! You want to do them all at once, if possible, to make sure they're all the same level of doneness.
  2. Parboil Potatoes Step 4.jpg
    • Some people swear on bringing the potatoes to a boil and immediately turning it off, leaving the potatoes in the hot water on the hot burner. This method generally takes a solid 15 minutes, but is better for ensuring you don't overcook your potatoes.
  3. Parboil Potatoes Step 5.jpg
    Remove the potatoes from the heat once this time has elapsed. If you're not sure how "done" the potato is, stick a fork into it. Preferably there should be a cooked outer edge and a raw middle; the potato should still be firm and your fork should meet resistance after the initial edge lets it through easily
    • You can also take your knife to the edge of the potato. Do the edges come off all nice and fluffy-like? When you get to the center, is it whiter, harder, and clearly a bit uncooked? That's perfect.
  4. Parboil Potatoes Step 6.jpg

Part 3 of 3: Using Your Parboiled Potatoes

  1. Roast Baby Potatoes Step 13 preview.jpg
    Roast baby potatoes. One of the best ways to use parboiled potatoes is for roasting. When your potatoes are parboiled and then roasted, you get this great, crispy outside and soft inside that satisfies all the taste buds.
  2. 2
    Make a veggie stir fry. Another reason for parboiling is that potatoes take so much longer to cook than other vegetables. With parboiled potatoes, you can throw them right in with the rest of your stir fry and it will all take roughly the same amount of time!
  3. 3
    Make shredded hashbrowns. A little-known secret for homemade potatoes? Parboil them first. Just like roasted potatoes, this makes them crispy in the right places and soft in others. Put down the frozen hash browns from your grocer's freezer and try making them yourself.
  4. 4
    Roast sweet potatoes. In addition to regular ol' potatoes, sweet potatoes can be parboiled, too. In fact, any starchy vegetable can be parboiled, including carrots. Once you see the magic that is parboiling with potatoes, expand your repertoire with the rest of the starchy, root veggie family.

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Things You'll Need

  • Peeler (optional)
  • Saucepan
  • Bowl of cold water
  • Knife

Article Info

Categories: Basic Cooking Skills | Potato Dishes

Recent edits by: Adelaide, JacquelineK, Doylep

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