Retrograding starch for potato soup

[HowardLi]

Specifically CI's "Creamy Leek-Potato Soup", the creamless one; would it make a difference if the potato was cooked to retrograde its starch first?

How about for smooth potato soups in general?

[Lisa Shock]

I wouldn't use potatoes like that for soup, I think they'd stay firm and not collapse into the velvety smoothness you try to get in a soup. I haven't tried it, but, it just doesn't seem wise. On the other hand, if the potatoes are cut into an appropriately small size, they would retain their shape well for clear soups like minestrone or vegetable.

[Chris Hennes]

I don't know about that, Lisa... mashed potatoes made with retrograded potatoes work very well indeed, so I don't see why soup wouldn't also benefit from the effect.

[slkinsey]

Perhaps a more relevant question would be: how would retrograding the starch possibly help in a potato soup?

[Tri2Cook]

Perhaps a more relevant question would be: how would retrograding the starch possibly help in a potato soup?

This is what I was wondering. I'm not really up on the retrograded starch technique (I understand how and why it works but haven't really worked with it) so this isn't coming from personal experience but I'd think that it would have the opposite effect of what you'd want the potatoes to do in a pureed soup.

[HowardLi]

Perhaps a more relevant question would be: how would retrograding the starch possibly help in a potato soup?

Make it even smoother? The mechanical action which turns potatoes into glue doesn't simply become benign once there's enough liquid, does it?

To clarify again, I'm talking about smooth potato soups, where a blender has been used (stand or immersion).

Edited July 26, 2011 by HowardLi (log)

[Qwerty]

You want the potatoes, in respect to the soup, to have some thickening power, yes? Would retrograding the starch remove the ability for the potatoes to properly thicken the soup?

I'm at a loss too...what would the point be? What was wrong with potato soup 10 years ago before anyone ever heard of starch retrograding.

[slkinsey]

Perhaps a more relevant question would be: how would retrograding the starch possibly help in a potato soup?

Make it even smoother? The mechanical action which turns potatoes into glue doesn't simply become benign once there's enough liquid, does it?

To clarify again, I'm talking about smooth potato soups, where a blender has been used (stand or immersion).

As a generality, retrograding potatoes actually works against smoothness somewhat. That's not why you retrograde potatoes for potato puree. What this technique does is make it possible to work the starch a lot in a puree with reduced danger of a gluey texture. But, at the same time, if you don't work a retrograded potato puree finely enough, it can have a slightly grainy texture like it's made of tiny little beads of potato. This is why it's advisable to run retrograded potato through a tamis or extra-fine strainer.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, I'm not sure that this technique is particularly meaningful with respect to potato soups. I've blasted unretrograded potatoes and stock (etc.) in the VitaPrep and never developed a gluey texture.