A food content creator has shared a simple trick for achieving extra crispy roast potatoes, learned from a pub chef. The method involves adding bicarbonate of soda to the water when parboiling the potatoes, a technique also used by American chef J. Kenji López-Alt.
The science behind the hack is that baking soda, being alkaline, breaks down the potato's outer layers, releasing starches that create a starchy coating. This coating crisps up beautifully during roasting. After parboiling, the potatoes should be shaken in a colander to roughen the edges, which become wonderfully crunchy in the oven.
Emma, known as Ems Foodie Fix on TikTok, also recommends rotating the potatoes at least four times during roasting to ensure even coating with fat and a golden brown colour. For seasoning, she suggests combining salt and fresh rosemary, applied after roasting.
The video has garnered over 80,200 views and 5,617 likes, with viewers praising the results. One user commented, 'They look absolutely amazing,' while another said, 'Cor, you've made me hungry now they look perfect.'
