Not Soaking Your Potatoes In Salt Water Before Grilling Is A Major Mistake

When holding a cookout or barbecue, potatoes can play a lot of tasty roles. One favorite is the loaded baked potato, and many people consider potato salad an absolute must-have at barbecues. With the grill already fired up, it would be silly not to utilize it on your spuds. The smokiness can add an extra dimension of flavor to the root vegetable. You might be hesitant, however, due to past experiences with grilling potatoes that have led to a mushy outcome. If so, you may have made the mistake of not soaking your spuds in salt water first. Mashed consulted an expert who gave us insight into why.

Celebrity chef Robbie Shoults is the third-generation owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse located in Marshall, Texas, a family business offering a selection of smoked meats and a kitchen with delicious Texas barbeque. Shoults also owns Mercantile Marshall, a shop that houses the full-service restaurant High Horse 1898. When it comes to potato preparation, the chef has some easy-to-follow advice. "To prevent mushy potatoes try this trick: Soak your potatoes in salted water before adding them to the grill," he explains. "This will actually help add some flavor, which works by helping to remove some of the starch from the potatoes, which can cause them to be mushy." Taking that step will lead to a crisper exterior.

Be sure to keep the temperature in mind when soaking the potatoes. Using cold water is the best way to remove excess starch. Hot water could trigger gelatinization, during which the starch will expand and give the spuds a mushy exterior.

As for how long the food should sit in liquid, a period of half an hour or longer is often recommended. A 2003 study published in the journal Food Research International found that soaking french fries in a saltwater solution for 50 minutes resulted in the lowest uptake of oil while still maintaining an ideal crispy exterior. This was more effective than shorter soaking times. French fries are obviously cooked differently, but you'll want to toss your potatoes in oil before putting them on the grill to help them crisp up, like with this roasted potato recipe.

There may be other missteps you want to avoid while grilling, like forgetting about gravity. Using foil as a cooking surface for sliced potatoes can be a good idea, especially if there's a risk of them falling between the grates. Just don't make the mistake of not soaking them — the improvement in texture is worth this extra step.