Why is it important to put salt in cold water for cooking potatoes?

It gives the potatoes time to absorb the salt somewhat. So it's about flavor.

I think it may be a bit more important when using the potatoes for potato salad. I don't think it really matters if your making mashed potatoes, your going to season anyway...........6 of one half a dozen of another....ChefbillyB

Anything will taste good with a 2:1 ratio of potato to butter!

I've tried boiling potatoes with and without salt. They don't seem to get as soft without the salt in the water. I don't know why. I've noticed the same thing with noodles. The outside gets tender, but the inside is still hard (potatoes and noodles)

I thought it wasn't good to put salt in a stainless steel pot unless the water was already boiling.  Doesn't it ruin the cookware?

My grandmother did this back in the days before Messr Robuchon and his wonderful cookbook.  She insisted it was essential.  And she was Irish and lived in Maine... so she knows about potatos!

The reason she told me was because it is too easy to forget to salt the water if you don't work in an organized and methodical way.  I think she's right.

My wife does nto subscribe to this philosophy so I often have a burn on one of my fingers since I'll dip a finger in the boiling pot to check for salt in the water.  It is better to get it in "too late" than not at all.

The only danger I know of from adding salt to boiling water is that it causes the water to "explode" when the salt is added.  That never happens if salt is added to cold water.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by French Fries 

Anyone knows what that reason is? 

I think that's how those rust spots get on the bottom of stainless steel pots.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

I thought it wasn't good to put salt in a stainless steel pot unless the water was already boiling.  Doesn't it ruin the cookware?

It won't damage your cookware  in the time it's concentrated before it dissolves. If you're worried about it, stir it as you add it to speed up the dissolving .

The important part here is that you put the salt in cold water, its that you put the salt in before the potatoes.  The idea is to season the potatoes from the inside.  The purpose for starting both the potatoes and salt in cold water is that the gradual temperature increase will help the potatoes cook more evenly as opposed to dropping quartered potatoes in already boiling water where the edges/outside will be overcooked by the time the center is done.