From the article: It's not the first time a popular, named food product has deteriorated in quality and been quietly supplanted by newer substitutes (looking at you, Honeycrisp apples). The...
From the article:
This popular yellow-fleshed, Canadian-born variety is the potato I often default to because it's thin-skinned, naturally creamy, and still manages to hold its structure when cooked. It's also the recommended potato for many other Serious Eats recipes. But when I went to buy them, they were nowhere to be found in Brooklyn or Manhattan—not at the many mainstream grocery stores I tried, not at Whole Foods, not at specialty food stores.
I eventually resorted to Instacart, relieved to see Yukon Golds listed as available for delivery from several stores. The listings were clearly labeled "Yukon Gold," so I ordered them—three times, from three different stores. And three times, completely different bags showed up: Golden Rush, Klondike Goldust, Yellow Gold—names I'd never seen before and initially assumed were knockoffs. After the third delivery, it stopped feeling like my own little potato conspiracy and more like something was actually going on with my beloved Yukons.
It's not the first time a popular, named food product has deteriorated in quality and been quietly supplanted by newer substitutes (looking at you, Honeycrisp apples).
The article does suggest current "gold" or yellow potato varieties which have the same cooking properties (creamy and firm texture) as the Yukon Gold, but who knows if they taste the same, have similar nutritional properties, or if the drift will have to continue because of disease pressure and agricultural monocultures?
Anyone noticed any differences in recipe results or flavor with the newer gold potatoes?
I keep toying with the idea of putting a few potato bags in the garden just to try new varieties - anyone had success with this? Colorado potato beetles are endemic in my area.
I thought my honeycrisps this year were bland and mealy... Anyway, yes I stopped buying yellow potatoes of any kind because they're all too sweet for me, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes (not to...
I thought my honeycrisps this year were bland and mealy...
Anyway, yes I stopped buying yellow potatoes of any kind because they're all too sweet for me, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes (not to be confused with yams, I mean actual sweet potatoes). Lately I've been buying reds and whites, because while they're not quite as robust, they cream up fine and taste exactly as I'm expecting.
I haven't noticed yellow potatoes tasting sweeter, but I usually cook those potatoes in sheet pan recipes or soups/stews rather than eating them as an unadorned side dish. If I'm making oven fries...
I haven't noticed yellow potatoes tasting sweeter, but I usually cook those potatoes in sheet pan recipes or soups/stews rather than eating them as an unadorned side dish. If I'm making oven fries or mashed, I'll use the old dependable Idaho Russet. If it's early in the year, small new potatoes, rainbow mix. So I was completely oblivious to any change in the name of yellow potatoes.
I usually wash off and wrap 2-3 small potatoes in a paper town and toss them into the microwave according to an arcane chart I consult, then I pop them onto my plate and mash them up with salt,...
I usually wash off and wrap 2-3 small potatoes in a paper town and toss them into the microwave according to an arcane chart I consult, then I pop them onto my plate and mash them up with salt, pepper, and butter (and sometimes I go whole hog and load them with sour cream and bacon bits and shredded cheese). I prefer the thin waxy ones over the mealy ones because I can consume them skin and all, and russets skins cooked in this manner are basically inedible. So I eat them pretty standalone rather regularly, and yeah for awhile the gold ones were basically so sweet they ruined several dinners.
I've never quite gotten the hang of microwaved potatoes, and I'm wondering if the difference in cooking technique (essentially steaming rather than higher heat) might be breaking the starches down...
I've never quite gotten the hang of microwaved potatoes, and I'm wondering if the difference in cooking technique (essentially steaming rather than higher heat) might be breaking the starches down to sugars more effectively?
I've had this happen with rice left too long in the cooker (why is this rice sweet?), so it's a possibility.
There's the potential. I use a conversion chart that takes the weight of the potatoes and the wattage of my microwave into account to try to deliver pretty standardized results overall, but maybe...
There's the potential. I use a conversion chart that takes the weight of the potatoes and the wattage of my microwave into account to try to deliver pretty standardized results overall, but maybe I overshot, or maybe several small potatoes shouldn't be cooked the same way as medium or large potato? I'd have to investigate, but it's certainly worthy of consideration. Gold potatoes tend to be just that little bit creamier that it might be worth it.
I grow my own potatoes and personally find German Butterball much superior in flavor, with similar texture and cooking qualities to Yukon Gold. Where I live (high desert southwest US) Soraya is a...
I grow my own potatoes and personally find German Butterball much superior in flavor, with similar texture and cooking qualities to Yukon Gold. Where I live (high desert southwest US) Soraya is a tough plant that is extremely prolific, similar cooking/texture and also delicious, but the tubers are smaller. Not sure if you'd ever find that one in the store.
Honestly, if growing your own interests you I fully recommend it. The flavor of a freshly-dug potato is exponentially superior to anything at the store. I would not recommend putting the potatoes from the store into your soil-- you want to buy certified disease free seed potatoes from a reputable vendor. It's likely that the store potatoes could have diseases (not a problem for eating) that once you introduce into your soil are never going to go away. Once you start your own, however, you can keep some overwintered every year and you'll never have to buy more. Unless you want to try a different variety--there are tons of great potatoes you can grow that you will probably never see in a store.
Edit-- just saw the beetles comment: you could try floating row covers or fine mesh? I've never had a big problem with beetles here, we get a few, and I just pick them off.
Thank you for the advice! The main reason I haven't grown potatoes yet is an abundance of local organic potatoes from farmers who have a lot more growing space than I do. There are some cool...
Thank you for the advice! The main reason I haven't grown potatoes yet is an abundance of local organic potatoes from farmers who have a lot more growing space than I do. There are some cool varieties in the farmers' market - people grow heirloom Peruvian potatoes, the latest Michigan State University field test releases, and so on. It's more of a curiosity project for me.
As for the potato beetles, they'll arrive in such numbers that I'll lose half or more of my tomatillos to stripped leaves overnight. Row covers would block pollination and fruiting, but I'd imagine they'll work fine for tubers.
It's mentioned in the article, but these were created in my home town, at my alma mater. There are a few places around here that still grow them, so I find them at local farmer's markets...
It's mentioned in the article, but these were created in my home town, at my alma mater. There are a few places around here that still grow them, so I find them at local farmer's markets throughout harvest season, but that's the only time we really get "true" Yukon Golds. It's kind of interesting that this particular variety of potato only really existed for about 70 years; it started in the 60s and will likely peter out by the 30s.
From the article:
It's not the first time a popular, named food product has deteriorated in quality and been quietly supplanted by newer substitutes (looking at you, Honeycrisp apples).
The article does suggest current "gold" or yellow potato varieties which have the same cooking properties (creamy and firm texture) as the Yukon Gold, but who knows if they taste the same, have similar nutritional properties, or if the drift will have to continue because of disease pressure and agricultural monocultures?
Anyone noticed any differences in recipe results or flavor with the newer gold potatoes?
I keep toying with the idea of putting a few potato bags in the garden just to try new varieties - anyone had success with this? Colorado potato beetles are endemic in my area.
I thought my honeycrisps this year were bland and mealy...
Anyway, yes I stopped buying yellow potatoes of any kind because they're all too sweet for me, almost as sweet as sweet potatoes (not to be confused with yams, I mean actual sweet potatoes). Lately I've been buying reds and whites, because while they're not quite as robust, they cream up fine and taste exactly as I'm expecting.
I haven't noticed yellow potatoes tasting sweeter, but I usually cook those potatoes in sheet pan recipes or soups/stews rather than eating them as an unadorned side dish. If I'm making oven fries or mashed, I'll use the old dependable Idaho Russet. If it's early in the year, small new potatoes, rainbow mix. So I was completely oblivious to any change in the name of yellow potatoes.
I usually wash off and wrap 2-3 small potatoes in a paper town and toss them into the microwave according to an arcane chart I consult, then I pop them onto my plate and mash them up with salt, pepper, and butter (and sometimes I go whole hog and load them with sour cream and bacon bits and shredded cheese). I prefer the thin waxy ones over the mealy ones because I can consume them skin and all, and russets skins cooked in this manner are basically inedible. So I eat them pretty standalone rather regularly, and yeah for awhile the gold ones were basically so sweet they ruined several dinners.
I've never quite gotten the hang of microwaved potatoes, and I'm wondering if the difference in cooking technique (essentially steaming rather than higher heat) might be breaking the starches down to sugars more effectively?
I've had this happen with rice left too long in the cooker (why is this rice sweet?), so it's a possibility.
There's the potential. I use a conversion chart that takes the weight of the potatoes and the wattage of my microwave into account to try to deliver pretty standardized results overall, but maybe I overshot, or maybe several small potatoes shouldn't be cooked the same way as medium or large potato? I'd have to investigate, but it's certainly worthy of consideration. Gold potatoes tend to be just that little bit creamier that it might be worth it.
I love red potatoes, they're perfect for stews and other hardy meals.
I grow my own potatoes and personally find German Butterball much superior in flavor, with similar texture and cooking qualities to Yukon Gold. Where I live (high desert southwest US) Soraya is a tough plant that is extremely prolific, similar cooking/texture and also delicious, but the tubers are smaller. Not sure if you'd ever find that one in the store.
Honestly, if growing your own interests you I fully recommend it. The flavor of a freshly-dug potato is exponentially superior to anything at the store. I would not recommend putting the potatoes from the store into your soil-- you want to buy certified disease free seed potatoes from a reputable vendor. It's likely that the store potatoes could have diseases (not a problem for eating) that once you introduce into your soil are never going to go away. Once you start your own, however, you can keep some overwintered every year and you'll never have to buy more. Unless you want to try a different variety--there are tons of great potatoes you can grow that you will probably never see in a store.
Edit-- just saw the beetles comment: you could try floating row covers or fine mesh? I've never had a big problem with beetles here, we get a few, and I just pick them off.
Thank you for the advice! The main reason I haven't grown potatoes yet is an abundance of local organic potatoes from farmers who have a lot more growing space than I do. There are some cool varieties in the farmers' market - people grow heirloom Peruvian potatoes, the latest Michigan State University field test releases, and so on. It's more of a curiosity project for me.
As for the potato beetles, they'll arrive in such numbers that I'll lose half or more of my tomatillos to stripped leaves overnight. Row covers would block pollination and fruiting, but I'd imagine they'll work fine for tubers.
Yay for the farmers markets!
I've been enjoying Fuji apples, which were bred in Japan with the intent of being more sweet/sugary.
It's mentioned in the article, but these were created in my home town, at my alma mater. There are a few places around here that still grow them, so I find them at local farmer's markets throughout harvest season, but that's the only time we really get "true" Yukon Golds. It's kind of interesting that this particular variety of potato only really existed for about 70 years; it started in the 60s and will likely peter out by the 30s.
My favorite kind. Oh well, a rose by any other name ...