Ask Dr. Potato : Preparation
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Q: I placed some unwrapped Russet potatoes and sweet potatoes in the oven to roast. During the roasting process the oven failed and when I removed the potatoes they were only slightly cooked. My guests continued the process and finished cooking them in the microwave. We do not know at what point the oven failed in the process. Do we have any health concerns? The potatoes were eaten by my guests? I know I have read about food poisoning/botulism from improperly prepared potatoes.

Q: My French fries are cooking up really dark and the potatoes don’t look that fresh. What should I look for?

Q: I love baked potatoes but tend to go overboard on the toppings, any suggestions for a healthier 2015?

Q: Do you have any slow cooker recipes for mashed potatoes and other tips for this kind of cooking?

Q: We eat potatoes, skins and all. Before eating all we do is wash them in clear water with a brush. Is that enough to remove any anti-sprouting agent that may remain on the potato?

Q: How do I thicken up watery mashed potatoes?

Q: I like to experiment and try new recipes for Thanksgiving, especially with mashed potatoes and I prefer to cook with fresh rather than frozen. Any ideas I can try?

Q: I run a small diner and we are looking to use homemade French fries as opposed to the frozen variety. I have seen all of the suggestions about blanching. I have two, two bay Fryolators. I am a 24 hours operation and we have very little time when the fryers are freed up, especially to blanch the volume we need. On an average week, we go through 500lbs of French fries. What other suggestions do you have in order to improve our quality and efficiency?

Q: Dr. Potato, why do I love Waffle House-style hash browns more than ones I make at home? What do they do to the food service version that makes them so good? Are they partially dehydrated? Or maybe seasoned with some kind of chemical? I mean the shredded kind that come in boxes, not the deep-fried QSR formed hash brown.