Ask Dr. Potato

Q: Are there some tips on how I cannot screw up the relationship I have with homemade Idaho® French fries? What exactly are the pitfalls I need to avoid to please guests with the best fresh cut French fries?

Q: What is the correct oven temperature and time to cook a baked potato? I especially would like to know the cooking temperature for russets.

Q: I baked several potatoes last week and put them in the fridge in individual containers. Would they still be ok to eat? I baked them using a rack that has a sharp tab that pierces the potato and holds it in place so there is a small cut in them. They are stored plain with no butter, sour cream, etc. The skin is dry and loose but the inside looks and smells fine. I have heard bad things about foil wrapped potatoes and wondered if the Tupperware containers would be considered a low oxygen environment?

Q: Any quick ideas how I can save money by giving the potatoes starring roles at dinner time?

Q: I just read that a chef made lasagna using potatoes instead of pasta, do you have any examples that I might be able to make as a unique appetizer on my menu?

Q: Can I use potatoes that are too old and are a little soft?

Q: I am told that the price of beef is going to remain high for several months, right up to 2015 because last year’s drought forced a reduction in herds. Same thing seems to be happening with pork and chicken costs, and even shrimp is in a down cycle for availability.  I don't want to scare customers away with higher entree prices or visually smaller cuts of meat on the plate, so what can I do?

Q: I love the choice we made several years ago to serve fresh-cut Idaho fries, but I’d like to know how we can make them more consistent?  It seems like we are getting some batches that fry up perfectly and the next batch is dark.

Q: We need to make mashed potatoes for about 120 people for a church meal. We would like to do this ahead of time. What is the best way to reheat our mashed potatoes so that we don't lose the quality of our dish?

Q: I am Canadian and I usually get potatoes from PEI. My girlfriend who is American brought me a bag of Idaho white potatoes and I mashed them. I washed and peeled them and cut them in half and boiled them for what took about 50 minutes! In the last 5 minutes, they went mash all right. They absorbed all the water and turned out water mash potatoes, I barely had to mash them! Is it that Idaho potatoes don't mash well or because they were white potatoes?