So many potato-based recipes start with the same step: “Boil the potatoes.” You see it time and again in recipes for mashed potatoes, potato salad, and more. But it’s not a straightforward technique.

Potatoes fall into two main categories: the waxy and the starchy type. Each of these varieties needs to be prepared and cooked in a certain way in order to bring out the best in them, and the starchy ...

From mashed potatoes to potato salads, most potato side dishes start with one crucial step—boiling the potatoes. It seems like a simple and straightforward task, right? If you thought that all you ...