Ask Dr. Potato

Q: I have to store 5 boxes of Russet potatoes in my walk-in cooler for 1 week at a time. They will then go into my kitchen to be used throughout the next week for French fries, mashed and baked potatoes. My walk-in ranges from 35-40 degrees depending on how often the door is opened. Will that one week in the cooler cause the sugar content to get too high in the potatoes for my cooking needs?

Q: What is the best potato to use for a rosin baked potato?

Q: We spend summers in Washington State and winters in Arizona. Why are all of the potatoes baked in Washington soggy, not fluffy as the ones I bake in Arizona? I have tried russets from about every market source in Washington and the result is always the same - soggy, even if slightly under baked.

Q: I Have a Gourmet Food Truck and want to serve fresh cut French fries.  Can you give me some tips?

Q: I want to ship a carton of Idaho potatoes out of state any tips you would be willing to share?

Q: Can I boil my potatoes with skin on two days before I make potato salad? Using whole potatoes?

Q: What is the main reason for blanching potatoes for fresh cut fries?

Q: Can I get No. 2 potatoes in boxes or cartons for my fresh cut fries? It would seem that the potatoes would stack easier than the bags and our employees might not have to be so careful about opening the bag and having potatoes spill out before we have finished using each bag. I have already stopped using the burlap bags as I found that if I didn’t get the burlap off the potatoes completely sometimes the fries looked like they might have a human hair when the burlap piece turned black from the fryer.

Q: What is the preferred packaging materials for potatoes?

Q: Can Idaho® potatoes be used to make doughnuts?