# Potatoes - To Peel or Not to Peel



## BBQGuy

I'm having a raging debate with my lovely wife about whether to peel russet potatoes before making home made potato chips, french fries, and mashed potatoes.  I prefer to keep the skins on as I have been told the skin includes most of the vitamins and fiber.  I also like the color and texture, even in the mashed potatoes.

What do you think?

Tom


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## Uncle Bob

Yo Tom..

Welcome to DC come and visit often....

Lose the debate!


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## SurvivorGirl

keep em on when roasting lose em when mashing and frying...


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## Katie H

Yes, the peels do contain everything you say.  Personally, I LOVE the skin on russets and never peel mine when I make potato salad, fries, etc.  However, I do peel them most of the time for mashed because Buck prefers traditional mashed potatoes.

Has your wife said why she wants the potatoes peeled?  And, has she ever tried eating dishes prepared with potatoes with their skins on?  Maybe it's just a reluctance on her part to try something unfamiliar and expecting it to taste bad.

How about a compromise?  50 percent of the time make your potato dishes with the skins on.  The other half of the time, peel them.


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## BigDog

Here's my $0.02 . . . . . . .

For home made chips and french fries, I'd say scrub 'em good and leave 'em on. Upon completion of cooking, salt 'em with sea salt (I'm on a sea salt kick). For a different twist, cook the chips in olive oil. Not sure what the temp would be, but SuperTarget makes a bagged chip that is nothing more then Russets, olive oil, and sea salt. I love 'em!

As for mashed spuds, I'm not a fan of leaving all of the russet skin on. I've had roughly peeled, with some skin on, and it was good. I'm just not a fan of leaving the skin all on when using russets. When using reds/news I do leave the skins on. That's my preference, anyways. 

As long as they're scrubbed well, I don't think there is a particularly wrong way. I'd eat 'em pretty much however they were placed in front of me, preferences aside.


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## love2"Q"

i love the skin on .. my DW does not ..
so .. we take the skin off ...


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## bethzaring

I leave the skin on all potatoes, no matter what way they are prepared, because "the skin includes most of the vitamins and fiber. I also like the color and texture, even in the mashed potatoes."  

I leave them on reds and russets and yukon golds in salad, oven fries, mashed and whatever .  Fortunately DH wants them included also. (for the fiber and vitamins and minerals too)


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## pacanis

The only thing I take the skin off for is for mashed potatos, but then I don't like lumps in my mashed potatos either.


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## Robo410

really depends on the recipe and the meal.  I like the skins on for most cooking .


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## pdswife

I love the skins.. Paul doesn't....so I take them off if he's home.


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## QSis

I keep the skins on for everything, but I use thin-skinned Yukon Golds for everything but baked, where I use russetts.

Lee


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## kadesma

_There is never any debate here, skins on, skins off, mashed smooth, or bumpy...The only thing my DH asks is, are they ready yet? _
_We really don't care the whole family loves potatoes and eat them happily._

_kadesma_


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## sattie

It's a personal choice... as many have reported, I love the skins, hubby does not.  Stewed or roasted, I leave skins on.  Mashed, I remove them.  Making chips, (fried) I would leave em on, I can't see what difference it would make one way or the other.


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## skilletlicker

I have heard that most of the fiber in a potato is in the skin.  I have also heard that the skins are vitamin dense but I don't know if most of the vitamins are there.  I don't buy organic potatoes and most of the pesticides are in or on the skin so if not peeled I brush them pretty hard.  I usually peel russets only if they're going to be boiled but almost never peel red or gold.

To my way of thinking, the cook gets to decide, but if your lovely wife cares enough to engage in raging debate I'd let her win and bank the brownie points.  You only have so many of those in you and, for me, this wouldn't be worth using one up.


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## YT2095

stewed, roasted, chips, wedges, baked leave them on, just scrub well.
for Mash I would remove it, esp if I was going to pipe it afterwards.
although with Champ mash you can leave them on.

it`s all according to the person and aesthetics really, the Vit side is not really an issue if you deep fry them anyway as most are destroyed at those temps, but the extra Fiber is still good


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## CharlieD

I think it is very personal. I would leave the sckin on for the chips, or fries, but not for mashed potato. To me if mashed potato has sckin it's only good for pigs. As the matter of fact I walked out of the restaurant more than ones after seeing the sckin on mashed potato. Brrrrrrrrrrr


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## BreezyCooking

I rarely, if ever, peel off the skins.  Just scrub the potatoes well & use - regardless of what the recipe says - lol!!!


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## Barb L.

Iam not a skin fan , unless it it crispy, or little reds, not on russets.  Never in mashed.


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## Katie H

CharlieD said:
			
		

> I think it is very personal. I would leave the sckin on for the chips, or fries, but not for mashed potato. To me if mashed potato has sckin it's only good for pigs. As the matter of fact I walked out of the restaurant more than ones after seeing the sckin on mashed potato. Brrrrrrrrrrr



No, no...Charlie.  Don't feed the skins to the pigs.  Make vodka!


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## Constance

We like the potato skins, and when we run across the "smashed" potatoes with the skin in restaurants, we enjoy them for a change. But we prefer our mashed potatoes creamy and fluffy...no skins included.


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## CharlieD

For vodka I'd use pure sugar, who needs potato.

As far as pigs goes the thing is that back in Soviet days, that is exactly what people did to feed the pigs. There was no special feeds for anymals, any anymals, so people would have to cook for them. So the y would boil some potato add a day old bread, mix all together and here we go sckin on mashed potato for pigs, brrrrrrrrrr


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## YT2095

the Potatoe drink is the Irish Poteen.
feed the mash to the pigs and marinade your pork from the Inside too


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## kitchenelf

I slice mine really, really thin so I just leave the skin on.  I, like BigDog, have cooked mine in olive oil and they were wonderful!!!!


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## EcoGal

I also like the skins removed for mashed potatoes, but left on for fries, etc.  The skins are rich in calcium, phosphorus, zinc and vitamin B, so it is best from a nutrition stand-point to leave them on when possible (and if you like it that way)


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## Charleysaunt

I like the skins on for most things--adds a little rusticity, and for chips, tastes great.


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## Claire

I like them both ways, and for frying usually leave them on.  I soak them in a little soapy water for a bit if they are very dirty, then scrub and rinse well and dry.  But sometimes peeling is the only answer.  There is no "right way" on this issue, it is just what you personally llike.  For example, my mom used to tell us the green part under the skin on some potatoes was the most nutritious, then I learned that it is poisonous, and now who knows what people believe.   Obviously if it was poisonous my entire family would be dead.  In a marriage, our agreement is s/he who does the job rules.  The person who has an opinion on a job they are NOT doing, well, their opinion doesn't much count.  I personally boil and mash idaho potatoes after peeling, but it all depends on the variety, what I'm doing with it, how dirty it is, how big the potatoes are.


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## AllenOK

Personally, I prefer to leave the skins on for everything.  However, PeppA, my other half, does NOT like the skins, at all.  As a result, I peel russets for everything, except baked, which I rarely make anyways.


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## bullseye

Skins all the way, and not just for the nutrients!  Dirty smashed with garlic is a favorite around here, as are steak fries w/skins.


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## obiwan9962

i keep them on no matter what the application i just scrub them really well


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## Treklady

I grew up with my mother taking the skins off (Many moons ago), but now I leave the skins on nearly all the time, except if my autistic son is home. He has tactile issue so the skins wig him out. And even with that, sometimes I pull his aside and cook his separately.

I love the texture that the skins leave in dishes!


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## Katusha

I am taking the skin off the potato. There is only one case when I am not doing it. It is when the potato is wery young and the skin is soft.


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## BBQ Mikey

Always leave the skin, thats the best part!


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