Potatoes come in different types, waxy or floury, the starch content of which matters depending on which kind of recipe you have. — HAUKE-CHRISTIAN DITTRICH/dpa
Whether you like them boiled, roasted or mashed, potatoes are an important part of many people’s diet. Supermarkets offer a range of varieties, often with descriptions using words like “floury”, “waxy” or “mainly waxy”. You will also find “white” and “red” potatoes in Britain and Ireland. So which should you choose? That depends on your preference, but above all on the recipe, since certain dishes are associated with certain types of potatoes.
Floury potatoes are popular for mashed potatoes, soups or for thickening sauces. They are also cooked and mashed and added to sweet and savoury pastries and bread, and can be served as boiled potatoes. The fact that they tend to be dry and floury and fall apart easily is due to their high starch content of around 16.5%.
