Yes, everybody makes basic cooking mistakes. Like, say, something as simple as overcooking mushrooms or toasting grains and spices. Below, reader Sloane Michelle Sanders confesses to (always) burning pan-fried potatoes to associate food editor Rick Martinez. Here’s Martinez's advice for making sure it never happens again. Welcome to Effed it Up.
Dear Rick, bearer of perfect pan-fried potatoes,
It seems I always manage to burn potatoes when I just fry them in a pan. I've turned the heat down, I've watched them constantly, and they still burn. Why can't I get them right? What am I doing wrong?
Thanks,
Sloane
Dear Sloane,
It sounds like your potatoes are burning because of the starch. The starch in potatoes is made up of sugars that, when put in a hot pan, will start to caramelize and maybe even burn before the potato has had the time to cook through. There are two things you can do to prevent this from happening.
First, get the starch off! Rinsing or soaking the potatoes for an hour (or, even better, overnight) will remove some of the starch from the surface and prevent the sugars from browning before the potatoes are cooked.
The second thing you can do is par-cook your potatoes. Boil your cut potatoes in a pot of salted water for about 5 minutes, just until they begin to soften and become slightly translucent. Remove them from the water and let them air dry on paper towels. Once they are completely dry, pan-fry them on medium heat using a few tablespoons of oil to make sure that they crisp up and don't stick. (Pro tip: Use clarified butter for extra flavor and richness.)
Perfect pan-fried potatoes, with their crispy and buttery golden crust, and that creamy, tender interior are basically what dreams are made of. Very soon, Sloane, you will be making dreamy potatoes of your own. Now get back in there and fry some potatoes.
Ready to take your potato game to the next level? Try pickling them. (We're not kidding.)
