Guide & varieties
FAQs
How do I know which potato to buy?
Buy potatoes suited for end use. Wilcox cook-test potatoes and then label them accordingly. That way the you can be confident that the potato will cook as expected.
What should I look for in good potatoes?
Choose potatoes that have no cuts, bruises, green patches or shoots. A smooth looking potato is not necessarily better than a misshapen one. Some varieties characteristically have skins which look netted or have eyes in them.
Which potato variety should I buy?
Choose potatoes for end use, rather than specific varieties. These photos are three different potato varieties. They have been cooked in exactly the same way. Notice how their texture is very different once cooked. You get the best results when choosing a potato that is right for your selected cooking method.
Cooking guide
For boiling, salads and casseroles it is best to use waxy/smooth textured potatoes.
These potatoes have a high water content and are low in starch. They have a dense texture and retain their shape during cooking. The most common varieties would be Nadine and Draga. New Season potatoes such as Perlas are also ideally suited to boiling.
For baking, roasting, mashing and also making chips and wedges use floury, fluffy textured potatoes. These potatoes are low in water content and high in starch. They have a dry and delicate texture, break up easily when cooked and absorb a lot of liquid and flavour. The most common varieties available would be Agria, Fianna and Red Jackets.
Some potatoes can be used for both boiling and roasting. These good all-rounders have moderate starch content and are not too floury, not too waxy – they sit between the two ends of the spectrum. Examples of these potatoes would be Vivaldi Gold, Rua and Moonlight.
Varietal Guide
Agria
A yellow/brown skinned potato with a yellow flesh. Particularly suitable for wedges, roasting and chipping.
Andean Sunside
A yellow skinned, golden flesh variety that is full flavoured and has an obvious sweet buttery taste. The variety is from a different potato family called Phureja and originates in the Andean valleys of South America. It is grown for for the Inca Gold bag and is absolutely amazing roasted or baked
Annabelle
A cream skinned potato with a creamy/yellow flesh. The variety is best suited to boiling and salads although it can be roasted sucessfully.
Draga
A yellow skinned creamy yellow fleshed potato. Full flavoured and tends to be waxy. It is most suitable for boiling, salads and mashing.
Fianna
is a white skinned, white flesh potato. A full flavoured floury variety with a dry and delicate texture. Best suited for chips, roasting and mashing.
Frisia
A cream skinned potato with a white flesh. A moist potato which is slightly waxy but still able to be used as an all purpose potato. It will hold its shape and is best boiled, used in salads or added to casseroles.
Ilam Hardy
A yellow skinned white fleshed potato. Full flavoured, tending towards being floury. It is an all purpose potato suitable for most end uses especially mashing and baking.
Laura
Red skin potato with a yellow flesh. Tending towards being floury. Particularly suited for mashing, roasting, wedges and baking.
Moonlight
Creamed skin with a white-flesh. Full flavoured, falls in the middle of being floury and waxy. A general purpose potato suitable for most end uses, a great all rounder.
Nadine
A white skinned potato with a yellow flesh. Mild flavoured, tending towards being waxy. It is most suitable for boiling and salads.
Red Rascal
A red skinned white fleshed potato. Full flavoured potato, tending towards being floury. It is best suited for baking, roasting, wedges and mashing.
Rua
A cream skinned white fleshed potato. A full flavoured potato which falls in the middle of the range between waxy and floury. An all purpose potato suitable for most end uses.
Tiffany
A white skinned potato with a white flesh. Full flavour tending to waxy. It is best suited for boiling and salads.
Cabaret
A white skinned potato with off-white flesh. Reasonably high in dry matter, so good for baking/roasting, yet will also hold together when boiled. Well rounded flavour.
Vivaldi
Creamy white skin with a light gold/creamy flesh. One of the most versatile varieties – fantastic boiler that is equally good for baking, roasting & mashing.
Images courtesy of vegetables.co.nz