Ask Dr. Potato

Q: How long should I microwave 4 russet potatoes that are shrink wrapped?

Q: Looking at all the restaurant commercials on TV, I'm convinced that "sweet" is the new trend for breakfast, but how can I know what's most popular?

Q: How long in advance can I use sliced potatoes in a scalloped potato dish without the potatoes darkening?

Q: Seriously, can a potato, freshly harvested in the fall in Idaho heal itself in storage. Is that possibly true? How long does it take? What are signs that this has happened?

Q: Does your breakfast menu have some holes to fill with a creative new potato selection?

Q: What happened to potato Knishes, never see them on menus anymore?

Q: What is Dr. Potato’s favorite way to eat potatoes right now?

Q: I no longer live in Idaho, but I remember picking up a few plastic Idaho potato shaped pins to hand out when I went on a trip to Europe many many years ago. Does the Idaho Potato Commission still have these, how many do they distribute in a year and when was this wonderful idea originally thought of as a way to draw attention to the potato with a state named after it?

Q: In researching Yukon Gold Potatoes it says they are a large potato. If that is correct why are the Idaho Gold Potatoes I find in the grocery store so small and lumpy?

Q: For mashed potatoes I boiled potatoes with skins on when I usually peel & cut them before boiling. (I must have thought I was making potato salad instead of mashed potatoes.) When they were done I cooled them down so I could handle them. Then peeled them & tried to mash them with a hand masher difficult. Warmed milk & butter, added to potatoes & continued to mash. Potatoes were still stiff. They tasted fine, but I never got the fluffy consistency I usually get when I boil them without skins. Could I have done anything to get the fluffy consistency?