Waxy potatoes: strong in the pan, weak in the fryer

Waxy potatoes keep their shape after cooking. The flesh is smooth, firm and slightly creamy, and a slice stays a slice. That makes them indispensable for salads and sautéed potatoes. For chips it is a different story. In this article we explain, as potato growers, why waxy potatoes are less suited to the fryer, where they do excel and how best to use them in a professional kitchen.

1. What is a waxy potato?

A waxy potato contains relatively much water and little dry matter. The cells stay bound together during cooking, so the tuber stays whole and does not burst open. In the cooking type system that is type A. Type B, fairly waxy, sits right next to it: firm, with at most a slightly crumbly outer edge.

You can see the difference from a floury potato as soon as you cut it. A waxy tuber feels somewhat waxy, the knife glides through smoothly and less starch is released. Harvest time plays a part too. Very early, young potatoes are often not fully mature and cook firmer than the same variety later in the season. You can read about the opposite end in our article on floury potatoes.

2. Why waxy potatoes are less suited to chips

Chips are all about water and starch. In the fryer the moisture on the outside evaporates and a crisp crust forms, while the starch inside cooks through and turns fluffy. If a potato holds a lot of water, that crust takes longer to form. The chip stays in the fat longer, takes up more fat and still ends up limp. After a few minutes in the tray it collapses.

Then there is the inside. Where a floury potato turns light and dry, waxy flesh often stays dense and slightly glassy. That is fine for a sautéed potato, but a chip lover expects something else. Some waxy types, and young potatoes in particular, also contain more sugar. That browns quickly in hot oil, sometimes with dark spots, and gives a bittersweet taste. More sugar also means a greater chance of acrylamide, which caterers are required to watch under European rules. Read more in acrylamide in chips.

In short: for chips you want a floury to slightly floury potato that is low in sugar. Which varieties those are is covered in our article which potato for chips.

3. Where waxy potatoes are ideal

Wherever the potato needs to keep its shape, waxy is the best choice. A potato salad stays neatly in cubes or slices and does not turn mushy when you fold in the dressing. Sautéed potatoes and baby potatoes get a lovely golden outside and stay firm inside. In a gratin or oven dish the slices stay neatly layered.

A firm type is also handy for rösti, potatoes in a stew, cubes in a vegetable soup, raclette and stir fried potatoes. Waxy potatoes tolerate longer cooking and reheating better, which is an advantage in a busy kitchen with a hot holding unit or a buffet.

4. Well known waxy varieties

Nicola is the best known waxy potato in the Netherlands: elongated, with yellow flesh and ideal for salads and sautéed potatoes. Annabelle and Charlotte are fine, elongated types often sold as salad or baby potatoes. Roseval is recognisable by its red skin and firm flesh. You will find a wider overview, including chipping varieties and floury types, on our page about potato varieties.

When buying, check the cooking type on the sack. A variety that is waxy from one grower may turn out slightly more floury from another grower or in another year. So always taste a new batch before you run a whole service on it.

5. Two kinds of potato in one kitchen

Many restaurants and pubs have both chips and sautéed potatoes or a salad on the menu. It is tempting to work with a single potato, but that almost always comes at the expense of one of the two dishes. A chipping potato falls apart in a salad, a waxy potato gives limp chips in the fryer.

So work with two streams and keep them apart. Give each a fixed place in your storage with a clear label, so a stand-in or holiday worker does not grab the wrong sack by mistake. Store both types dark, cool and dry. How to do that in a business is explained in storing potatoes.

You can also make life easier by having your chips delivered freshly cut. Then the only potatoes you peel in the kitchen are the waxy ones for your side dishes.

6. Chipping potatoes from our own fields

On our farm in Zeewolde we grow chipping potatoes: Agria from September to July and Frieslander in August. Both are floury enough for a fluffy centre and a crisp crust. We cut fresh chips from them on Tuesday and Friday mornings, vacuum packed and without additives, and our regular drivers deliver them to businesses throughout the central Netherlands.

Prefer to cut them yourself? Then we supply whole potatoes, washed or scraped. If you are unsure which potato suits your menu, call or message Thijs or Joost. We are also happy to help you fine tune your frying fat and working method.

Frequently asked questions