I was boiling potatoes earlier this week when it occurred to me that I had never posted about potato water. Growing up, I saw my family use potato water all the time, in an effort to fully utilize the resources we had at our disposal. I thought I should share this information 🙂
“Potato water” is the water left in the pot after you boil potatoes for a meal. Just like pasta water, potato water can be used instead of throwing it away. According to an article published in Woman’s World, potatoes are an important source of vitamin C and potassium. “You’ll also find protein, B6 vitamins, and iron packed inside the spuds – all of which seeps out as you boil them, turning the water into a nutritious liquid.”
According to TheSpruceEats.com, quoted in the Woman’s World article above, potato water “works great as a gluten-free thickener in things like gravy, soups, and stews instead of flour. Want mashed potatoes but ran out of milk? Follow Ma Ingalls’ lead from Little House on the Prairie, which the New York Times quotes for their two-ingredient mash recipe: “There was no milk, but Ma said, ‘Leave a very little of the boiling water in, and after you mash them beat them extra hard with the big spoon.’ The potatoes turned out white and fluffy.” And, of course, the starchy water is commonly used to add texture in potato bread recipes. (…)
You can also use potato water to quench your garden’s thirst (as long as you didn’t use salt while boiling the tubers). The Gardening Cook blog claims flowers and vegetables “love potato starch” because they can soak up all those vitamins and minerals poured into the soil” (“Why You Should Never Toss Out the Water You Boiled Your Potatoes In,” Woman’s World)
To this day, my mom likes to drink potato water as it is, and to store the surplus in the fridge for a few days, for later use. We mainly use the water in soups, stews, and mashed potatoes. As for the potatoes themselves, one of our favorite uses is in salads, such as the one below, made with homegrown potatoes:
You are welcome to check out my recipes with potatoes here, here, here, here and here.
Do you have a favorite recipe with potatoes? Let me know in the comments 🙂
Leave a Reply