As the potato is cooked the cell membrane ruptures; the membrane around the vacuole breaks; the membrane around the starch grain breaks and the starch grain swells up, although it initially remains intact; the cell wall breaks down and the contents, including the starch, begin to disperse.
What happens to a potato when cooked?
When you bake a potato, the starch granules absorb the moisture within the potato. Within the confines of the potato skin, moisture soon turns to steam that expands with great force, separating the starch granules and making a fluffy baked potato.
What makes a potato to transform after it was cooked?
For a cook, why does a potato's starch content matter? High-starch potatoes, such as russets (baking potatoes), have densely packed starch cells that swell and separate from one another when cooked, resulting in a dry, fluffy texture.
Is cooking a potato a chemical change?
Potatoes are largely starch; cooking (heating with water) causes chemical changes in the structure of these starches, similar to those that occur in rice (which is almost predominantly starch). Potatoes have relatively large starch granules- up to 0.1mm in size.
Do potatoes lose starch when boiled?
Blanch in hot water Blanching potatoes in hot water helps to remove even more starch. They only need to be cooked for a few minutes until tender. The tiny starch granules absorb the hot water and swell and burst, transferring the starch from the potato to the boiling water.
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