Ask Dr. Potato

Q: Why are my potatoes a grey color? After I peel the potato, little grey lines appear throughout the flesh. Are they still good to use?

Q: What is the optimal depth to poke a potato before baking? And how far apart should the pokes be?

Q: I’m going camping and I want to pre-cook potatoes to fry them in morning and have ham potatoes and white sauce at night.  How should I cook and refrigerate them? Also how long will they last?

Q: With all the wonderful photos and recipes posted now on Pinterest, is Idaho there too?

Q: This one is from the Doctor himself... It's time to re-invent the classic potato dishes instead of tossing them out for untried experimentation... Agree or disagree?

Q: One of the recent posts was about re-visiting classics when it comes to keeping traditional potato recipes in front of guests or friends, but treating them to a little menu re-engineering ... So what have you seen done lately with that old time favorite, shepherd’s pie* ?

Q: I need to keep at least 500 to 1000 large Idaho baked potatoes hot for about 8 hours and still be able to serve them up. I know from past experience that I was able to keep them relatively fresh by using an ice chest. But that was only for 150 large bakers. All I have for heat are two large BBQ's. Please let me know if this is possible.

Q: I am in the planning stages of starting a small business of selling baked stuffed potatoes at local fairs here in Massachusetts. My vision is to incorporate small concessions stands and the possibility of a food truck version all using Idaho grown potatoes  I am writing in hopes that you may have ideas or helpful information on potato distributors or equipment vendors. I have found only a few LP Baked Potato cookers and they are all manufactured and sold overseas, anything in the states?

Q: I am looking for something unique to bring to our football tailgating event that might reflect that I am from Idaho. Any suggestions?

Q: Our company is hosting a luncheon for about 80 volunteers.  We want to do a baked potato bar and serve hot potatoes and toppings.  The problem is we do not have an oven at work so we will need to bake the potatoes this night before the event.  I would like your suggestions on how many potatoes we each should take home to bake (12? 20? How many can fit in a standard oven?), how long that baking time should be for medium-sized potatoes, and how to keep them warm until lunch? Can potatoes be baked the night before and reheated in the morning or do they need to be baked fresh and kept warm?