The Secrets to Perfect Potato Gnocchi (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to bake or boil potatoes for gnocchi? ›

The secret to the lightest, most tender potato gnocchi is to bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A baked potato is dryer than one that has been boiled, which means you avoid having to add more flour to the dough to account for excess moisture, a practice that leads to over-kneaded, tough gnocchi.

Don't overwork the dough: When making gnocchi dough, it's important not to overwork it. Overworking the dough can make the gnocchi tough and chewy. Mix the ingredients together just until the dough comes together, and then stop mixing! You're not kneading bread here.

When cool enough to handle, scrape off the skins and push the potato through a ricer or food mill, then, while still warm, start working your dough on a floured work surface. (Here, Davies offers up another tip to fight the mush: “Spread out the mash to cool; the escaping steam will further take away any moisture.”)

If you overdo it with flour, your gnocchi will be too hard, if you put too little they will break during cooking. The rule says that the flour must be at most a third of the amount of potatoes.

Too much and the gnocchi will be chewy with a rubbery consistency. Too little and the gnocchi will not come together and will fall apart when boiled. So start with 3/4 of the recommended flour and once it's all mixed in, slowly incorporate more (bit by bit).

I always either boil or steam my potatoes for gnocchi, and I have never found that there has been an issue with the moisture content being too high. However, I do find that boiling or steaming the potatoes whole, with the skin still on, does help prevent the potatoes from getting too wet.

Your gnocchi may be mushy because of any or all of the following reasons: boiled the potatoes instead of baked them. used waxy new potatoes with too much moisture in them. not used eggs to help texture.

Tipo 00 Flour is a soft, fine milled flour from Italy. It's a must-have for light and tender gnocchi and homemade pasta. Small(er) Batch Recipe ensures a higher success rate with just enough practice.

Egg yolk added to your gnocchi dough helps improve texture, and keep it together while cooking. Gnocchi is traditionally made with eggs in Veneto and no eggs in Piedmont, the two Northern Italian regions famous for gnocchi. We vote for egg yolks at the rate of 1 per (500g) 1 lb of uncooked potatoes used.

Indeed, resting your cut-and-shaped gnocchi prior to cooking helps individual gnocchi pieces keep their shape. If you add them to a pot of boiling water too soon, you risk the starch falling apart. All that effort to make homemade gnocchi could go, quite literally, down the drain.

How do you keep gnocchi fluffy? ›

For soft and fluffy gnocchi, we suggest you cook them immediately right after making the dough. Otherwise, freeze them and wait a few hours for them to harden. Then portion them into plastic bags to be thawed just before tossing them into boiling water for your next gnocchi dinner!

Let the gnocchi air dry for 30 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a clean kitchen towel dusted with semolina or all-purpose flour. Make sure the pieces aren't touching. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer. Freeze the gnocchi, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours, until completely firm.

The next trick is to use as little flour as possible – this will stop the gnocchi getting doughy and heavy. It's difficult to give exact ratios; I've learned to do it a little bit by feel, gradually adding the flour from a sifter until it's just enough to form a soft dough that you can handle without it being sticky.

Cook gnocchi:

Bring a large pot water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Add half of the gnocchi; when they rise to the top (after about 2 minutes), continue to cook until tender, about 15 seconds more.

Poach gnocchi in batches in a pan of lightly salted water for 2-4 minutes. Cooked gnocchi will float to the top. Strain and serve immediately with a good pasta sauce. See our how to make gnocchi guide for more information.

Preparation. Add the potatoes to a large pot of cool, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 20-–5 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce a potato. Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle, but still warm.

Don't overcook the potatoes – their skins will pop open and the flesh will soak up water. Rice the potatoes while they are still quite warm and steaming—rubber gloves help. Spread the riced potatoes out in a thin layer so the steam rising from them has a chance to escape.

Adding too much flour all at once

It is very easy to add too much flour to gnocchi dough, which can make these dumplings glutinous, gummy, and sticky. If you dump all of the flour into your gnocchi dough at once, you won't have the same texture as a gnocchi that has just enough flour to bring it together.

My Gnocchi Are Falling Apart When I Cook Them

This means there isn't enough flour and your dough is too wet. Try adding another 1/4 cup of flour and try again. A good idea is to have a pot of water on the go before you roll out and shape your gnocchi.

The Easiest Way to Make Gnocchi Dinner

Roasting the gnocchi instead of boiling them won't give you that light, dumpling texture you're used to, but it arguably makes them even better. They get crispy and browned on the outside — almost like roasted potatoes — while remaining chewy and tender on the inside.

Which flour is best for gnocchi? ›

Italian flour

Plus, it has too much protein: High-protein wheat results in chewy gnocchi. If you want to be true to Italian gnocchi, look for imported Italian flour marked "00 tenero," which is milled from soft wheat with a low protein content.

The Russet Burbank specifically has high solids and low moisture, and it ideal for gnocchi. Reds are too waxy, the starch cells will turn gluey when moisture is added. The Yukon Golds can work, but often cost 3-4 times more than a russet and also have a medium solids or moist profile.

Mix to form a firm, slightly sticky dough. If it's too sticky, add a little more flour, but only a tablespoon at a time. Too much makes the dough heavy.

Potatoes are generally grouped by starch content. Higher-starch potatoes are great for baking, while lower-starch potatoes are better for boiling. Once you learn which is which, you've got the secret for a chef's-kiss-worthy side dish every time.

I find baking potatoes to be dry and floury. My favorite potatoes for gnocchi are Yukon gold or other yellow potatoes. They have a rich, buttery flavor and a creamy, fluffy texture. Flour: A judicious amount of unbleached all-purpose flour helps to turn the potatoes into dough.

Both boiling and frying are good for gnocchi, but boiling is the most traditional method—and it's quick and easy. The downside is that boiling can result in gummy, waterlogged gnocchi if you cook them too long.