Ask Dr. Potato

Q: My potato dishes are not getting as many compliments as I had hoped. I’m using good ingredients, what’s wrong?

Q: With the economy turning around so slowly, I’ve exhausted my skills at trimming labor costs and substituting expensive cuts of meat for less utilized cuts like hanger steak. I’ve put salads and pastas on the menu with chicken, salmon and shrimp, instead of more exotic choices. Now what?

Q: Unfortunately it’s just too hard to make mashed potatoes from scratch anymore; with the labor costs at our unit and the high volume. Mashed potatoes are a popular side dish so we sell a lot of it. Do you have any suggestions on keeping this a signature item?

Q: Can you please tell me how to bake potatoes for a group of 40 people?

Q: When I make my famous Idaho potato salad sometimes it comes out watery.  Do you know what causes this?

Q: When cooking baked potatoes I usually cook extras (in tin foil) because there are so many things that I can do with them.  After they’ve cooled I usually put them in the fridge but then have to take them out to warm up for using.  However, my husband said it would be ok to leave them on the counter until ready to use.  I wanted to find out what is the proper way to store already cooked potatoes. A. I’m sorry to say that your husband loses this argument.  Think about potatoes wrapped in foil just like you would when canning vegetables.  Would you cook the vegetables and put them in a glass jar, seal it up and then leave it at room temperature?

Q: I can save nearly ten dollars a case by switching to “line flow” French fries, it sounds like a good idea, what do you think?

Q: How long does potato salad last in the refrigerator?

Q: I have some customers who are insisting that I serve something called a “fry sauce” with my french fries, what exactly are they talking about?

Q: What is the best way to boil potatoes when making potato salad?