The second step when preparing potato gnocchi is cooking the potatoes the proper way. After choosing the right starchy and aged potatoes, you want to continue staying away from water as much as possible, even when cooking them.

Remember. If the gnocchi dough is too moist, you'll need to add extra flour which will result in hard, tough gnocchi.

Yes, potato gnocchi have an issue with water so keep that in mind at all times. There are different cooking methods and we'll go over each: cooking with water (boiling, steaming, pressure cooking), baking in the oven, and cooking with the microwave.

Prepping Your Potatoes Before Cooking

Choose potatoes that are all of the same size so they cook evenly. Then wash them well under running water to remove traces of soil. For all cooking methods, don't cut or peel the potatoes. Just leave them whole and with their skin.

Poke holes in the skin of the potatoes with a fork to allow the steam to escape when cooked. As it cooks, the water in the potato turns into steam and the holes prevent the potatoes from breaking or exploding when cooking.

Cooking Potatoes with Water

This is the most commonly used method when cooking potatoes for gnocchi. You can either boil, steam or pressure cook your potatoes. The potatoes are cooked when you don't feel any resistance when poking them with a toothpick or a knife. Once cooked, wrap the potatoes in a kitchen cloth to absorb the excess water and keep the potatoes warm. You are now ready to mash or rice your potatoes.

Boiling Potatoes

Place the potatoes into a tall, wide pot filled with cold water. Add salt. Bring the water to boil then lower the heat and cook for approximately 20-30 minutes until tender, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Steaming Potatoes

Fill a pot with water and set a steamer basket inside. Fill the pot with enough water to come just below the basket. Place the potatoes in the steamer basket and bring the water to a boil. Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10-20 minutes, depending on their size.

Pressure Cooking Potatoes

You can also shorten your cooking time by using a pressure cooker. Select the correct time and setting on your pressure cooker and cook the potatoes until tender.

Baking the Potatoes in the Oven

Heat the oven at about 180°C (356°F). Place the potatoes on a parchment-covered baking tray and cook for approximately 30-40 minutes until tender, depending on the size of your potatoes.

You are now ready to mash or rice your potatoes.

Cooking in the Microwave

Wrap the potatoes in a heat-resistant plastic wrap and poke 4-5 holes with a toothpick. Place them in the microwave and cook on high for about 6 minutes. Then turn the potatoes over and cook on high for other 6 minutes. This timing is for 4 medium-sized potatoes. Cooking times may vary according to the size of your potatoes.

You are now ready to mash or rice your potatoes.

Experiment with each method and share which one best works for you!