# Boil potatoes right, every single time

> Cold water, a lot of salt, and a fork test beat any timer for perfect boiled potatoes.
- Title: Boil potatoes right, every single time · Bon Appétit
- Summary: Cold water, a lot of salt, and a fork test beat any timer for perfect boiled potatoes. Start potatoes in cold, heavily salted water and judge doneness by…
- Keywords: potatoes, cooking basics, technique, boiling, kitchen tips, food, lifestyle, Boil, right, every, single, time
- Source: Bon Appétit — https://bonappetit.com/story/how-to-boil-potatoes
- Author: Molly Baz
- Published: 2019-06-25T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: potatoes, cooking basics, technique, boiling, kitchen tips, food, lifestyle
## Boil the potatoes, but how
Recipes say it like it's obvious. Cold water or boiling? How much salt? How long? The answer changes with the potato and the dish.

> So many potato recipes start with the same instruction: "Boil the potatoes."
## The short version
Start in cold, well-salted water, bring to a boil, then drop to a simmer until tender. Cooking time runs anywhere from 8 to 40 minutes.
## Always start cold
Drop potatoes into already-boiling water and the outsides overcook before the centers soften. Heating them up with the water cooks them evenly.

> Starting them cold lets the potatoes and water heat up together.
## Salt like the sea
For 3 quarts of water, use 1 cup Diamond Crystal or 1/2 cup Morton kosher salt. Most goes down the drain, but the potatoes season from the inside out.

> Salty like the sea, people.
## Potatoes are dense
Salting only the outside after boiling never reaches the middle. The concentrated bath gives them time to absorb seasoning while they cook.
## Time depends on the job
Baby potatoes for smashing need 8 to 12 minutes. Medium potatoes for mash need 30 to 35. Large cubes headed for gnocchi can take 40.
## Cut big ones evenly
A whole russet stays firm in the center while its exterior turns to mush. Exact size matters less than making every piece match.

> Cut the pieces roughly the same size, and they should finish cooking at about the same time.
## Let texture call it
Treat the time ranges as guidelines. Start checking at the low end and let a fork, not a timer, tell you when they're done.
## Two kinds of tender
For mash and gnocchi, a knife should slide in and out easily. For potato salad, it should meet slight resistance coming out so pieces stay intact.
## Pick by the dish
Starchy russets go fluffy for mash. Waxy reds and fingerlings hold their shape for salad. Yukon Golds sit in the middle and do both.

> They're the Test Kitchen favorite for ultra-creamy, buttery mashed potatoes.
## Key takeaway

Start potatoes in cold, heavily salted water and judge doneness by texture, not the clock.