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ur_gothmomor, how an internet rabbit hole led me to actionable info for improving the Potato Experience
After a tumblr post talking about how etiquette guides can help with learning all those unspoken rules of behaviour that give the socially awkward so much trouble, I found my way to the delightfully named Were You Raised by Wolves? podcast. In this episode, among reader questions and other points of good or bad manners, one host asks the other about their baked potato eating (or, more specifically, cutting) technique, and informs her she's been Doing It Wrong. Specifically, according to such illustrious sources as Emily Post and Don't Eat Like a Boob (1917), vegetables including potatoes are never supposed to know the touch of a knife, and instead should be opened with the fork. The host sounded, frankly, disgusted by the idea and said she would not be changing her baked potato technique to conform to an outdated rule.
But I was curious.
Wondering how well forking a potato open would even work, I turned to youtube and found a video that... well... you should really just watch for yourself.
Now, this woman is more excited about a baked potato than I think I've ever been, but you can see why: instead of the potato flesh being sealed into smooth cut sides by the knife, using a fork to open the potato leaves the edges fluffy and almost corrugated, with a truly obscene amount of surface area for your butter and other toppings to melt into.
This past weekend, my dad did some boiled new potatoes so I was able to try the fork method, just adding some butter and salt. And... oh my god. It's so good. Not only is this my new go-to potato technique, I'll be trying it on sweet potatoes too, and any other vegetable it might feasibly work on.
So go forth and fork your potatoes! Rejoice in knowing that sometimes what's polite and what's delicious align perfectly.
After a tumblr post talking about how etiquette guides can help with learning all those unspoken rules of behaviour that give the socially awkward so much trouble, I found my way to the delightfully named Were You Raised by Wolves? podcast. In this episode, among reader questions and other points of good or bad manners, one host asks the other about their baked potato eating (or, more specifically, cutting) technique, and informs her she's been Doing It Wrong. Specifically, according to such illustrious sources as Emily Post and Don't Eat Like a Boob (1917), vegetables including potatoes are never supposed to know the touch of a knife, and instead should be opened with the fork. The host sounded, frankly, disgusted by the idea and said she would not be changing her baked potato technique to conform to an outdated rule.
But I was curious.
Wondering how well forking a potato open would even work, I turned to youtube and found a video that... well... you should really just watch for yourself.
Now, this woman is more excited about a baked potato than I think I've ever been, but you can see why: instead of the potato flesh being sealed into smooth cut sides by the knife, using a fork to open the potato leaves the edges fluffy and almost corrugated, with a truly obscene amount of surface area for your butter and other toppings to melt into.
This past weekend, my dad did some boiled new potatoes so I was able to try the fork method, just adding some butter and salt. And... oh my god. It's so good. Not only is this my new go-to potato technique, I'll be trying it on sweet potatoes too, and any other vegetable it might feasibly work on.
So go forth and fork your potatoes! Rejoice in knowing that sometimes what's polite and what's delicious align perfectly.
