Weird potato behavior

So I go to the store and buy a few pounds of Yukon Golds, making sure they're all about the same size. I take them home, cut each one in half, and put them in a pot full of cold water. I bring the water to a boil and wait a while. Then, when I go to check the potatoes, I find that most are nowhere near done, still being too firm to get through a ricer. Several, though, have completely fallen apart. The skins have come off with a little flesh on them while the inner parts have broken up and will be of little use.

Anyone know what's going on here? My wife thought that maybe the age of the potatoes was a factor but we really don't know.

I've found that Yukon Golds aren't really great for boiling and/or making mashed potatoes. I'm not sure why but they always come out dissapointing for me.

I wonder if its the lower starch content? Is it possible they retain water?

We tend to like Yukon Golds for mashing, and have used them a lot in the past. They usually hold together pretty well through the boiling process without falling apart like some of these did.

I'm wondering if I actually got white potatoes rather then Golds.

We made scalloped potatoes with Yukon Golds last Friday and they took forever to get soft. We baked at 350 F and it took one and three quarters hours to cook them.

Maybe that's because it was -10 degrees outside.

I usually peel my Yukon Gold and steam them. I included one in my mashed cauliflower over the weekend as I find the cauliflower holds up better with the potato included. Y G spuds came out great and cooked in about 15 minutes. I always use them for mashed potatoes, baked, potato salad. Rarely use russets anymore.

I have no problem with Yukon Golds for mash.

No problems here with mashed Yukons. My guess would be age of the spuds, too, Mike.

Mark Lipton