Buying potatoes for catering

Buying potatoes for a catering business is not the same as picking up a bag at the supermarket. You buy by the sack or by the pallet, you process them during busy service and you want a dish to turn out the same every day. If you are about to order potatoes for your kitchen, it pays to make a few choices beforehand. On this page we set out the most important ones, based on our experience as growers in Zeewolde.

1. Variety and cooking class to suit the dish

Start with what you are going to make. For chips you want a variety with plenty of dry matter and few sugars, one that cooks fairly floury and crisps up in the oil. For mash it can be a good deal more floury. For boiled potatoes, sautéed wedges or a salad, a potato that holds its shape works better. That grading into cooking classes should be on every decent sack.

If your kitchen uses potatoes in several ways, it can pay to work with two varieties rather than a compromise. More explanation is on the pages about waxy potatoes and in our overview of which potato to use for chips.

2. Grading, size and quality

A well-graded batch consists of tubers of roughly the same size. That sounds like a detail, but it saves a lot of work in the kitchen. Even tubers cook evenly, pass cleanly through a peeler or cutter and give less waste. For chips, larger, elongated tubers are best, because they give long chips and fewer small offcuts.

Also check the condition of the potatoes on delivery. Green patches are caused by light and need to be cut away generously. Damage, growth cracks and soft spots cost you time and yield. A grower who does his own grading removes such tubers before the sack leaves the farm.

3. Washed, scraped or unwashed

Unwashed potatoes still have a layer of soil, which protects the skin. The downside is that you bring sand and dirt into the kitchen and must wash them before you can go any further. Washed potatoes are clean and ready to process. Scraped potatoes go a step further: the skin is already off, so you can start cutting straight away. Which form suits you depends on your space, your staff and your equipment, such as a potato peeling machine.

At Friet van Beus the Agria chipping potatoes are gently washed and graded on the farm every week. After that they keep well for a long time, as long as you store them cool, dark and frost-free. How to organise that in practice is explained under storing potatoes.

4. Why a regular supplier pays off

The price per sack is only part of the story. A regular supplier always delivers the same variety, knows your volumes and knows when you are busy. That brings calm to the kitchen and makes your product predictable. What else to look for when comparing suppliers is covered in our article on choosing a fresh chip supplier.

With us you order directly from the family that grows the potatoes. You can choose whole potatoes, washed or scraped, or fresh chips that we cut and deliver ourselves. Call or message Thijs on 06 23972300 or Joost on 06 23055742 to order potatoes for your business.

Frequently asked questions