One in four can’t boil spuds, survey says

Over a quarter of Derbyshire folk said they didn’t know that spuds should be boiled for between 15 and 20 minutes.

Leon Mundey, head of marketing for GreenVale Potatoes, which carried out the study, said: “Despite all the cookery programmes on TV and the hi-tech gadgets in our kitchens, the survey suggests many of us aren’t getting the basics right when it comes to cooking spuds.

“Perhaps we should ask Delia Smith to give us all a refresher course in boiling potatoes, just like she reminded us how to boil an egg back in 1998, so we don’t miss out on what the good old spud has to offer!”

Half of the survey respondents admitted to putting potatoes into boiling water instead of cold water which is then brought to the boil.

This can result in the potatoes being soft on the outside but still a little hard on the inside.

And many people are getting it wrong when it comes to testing if boiled potatoes are ready to serve, with one in two of us inserting a knife or skewer to check for softness, whereas the correct method is to use a fork.

Similar tips for perfect mash are failing to be passed down the generations. Only 11 per cent of people knew that milk should be heated prior to being added to potatoes for mashing. Instead 70 per cent admitted to adding cold milk.