The Ice Water Trick For Extra Crispy Roasted Potatoes

There are two types of people in this world: those for whom roasted potatoes are the supreme side dish — and those who are wrong. All joking aside, the humble spud has many ways it can be prepared (some better than others). However, you simply cannot go wrong cutting them up into uniform pieces and tossing them in the oven until the exteriors get golden and crispy, while the insides go pillowy soft and, depending on the potato, creamy. While there are lots of tips and tricks for achieving that perfect texture, like adding baking soda while parboiling, or dusting them with semolina after parboiling, Marissa Stevens, recipe developer and founder of Pinch and Swirl, had her own suggestion (which had nothing to do with parboiling): soaking them in ice water with baking soda.

"The cold water draws out excess starch," she explained to Food Republic, "helping prevent sogginess." She continued, telling us that the alkaline baking soda increases the pH, which helps to break down the surface of the potatoes, creating a more craggy surface texture and rougher edges. And that makes them, according to Stevens, ideal for browning in the oven. As for which potatoes react best, "Russets and Yukon Golds both work, but they give different results," she said, describing how Yukons keep their creamy interior, but russet potatoes crisp up inside and out.

If you want your roasted potatoes to have the most satisfyingly crispy surface, you're going to need to set aside some time before popping them in the oven. "I soak them for 30 minutes to 1 hour," Marissa Stevens told us, but you can actually let them rest in the ice water overnight if you're that good at planning ahead; they'll just have to go in the fridge to keep for that long. You want to make sure that the potatoes are completely submerged, with no pieces sticking out, so if you have to swap them into a bigger bowl than you initially thought you required, do so.

Once they're done with their baking soda and ice water bath, Stevens emphasized the necessity of ensuring "they're bone-dry before roasting," because, as she explained, any lingering moisture on the surface will lead to steamed potatoes, versus crispy and browned ones — not the desired effect. To properly dry them, use a clean dish towel to thoroughly pat them so that all of the leftover wetness is removed. For extra insurance, you can give them a whirl in your salad spinner, and then pat them dry.