There’s hardly anyone alive who doesn’t find comfort in the starchy goodness of a dish loaded with potatoes!While potatoes can be absolute bliss to eat, the recipes can get quite tricky if an exact weight is not mentioned. If it so happens that the recipe mentions a pound and you don’t have a scale at home, the question is, is there a fixed number of potatoes in a pound?The answer is no. While we can take a guess at how much 1 lb (0.45 kg) of Yukon Gold Potatoes, White Potatoes or Russets might weigh, the size of these delicious vegetables varies significantly. Due to this, without a scale, it is impossible to get absolute measurements.However, there are ways that you can approach a recipe that asks for a pound of potatoes even if you don’t have a scale at home.If you enjoy this article, why not also read about how is toilet paper made and how is sea glass made?How many red potatoes in a pound?The first thing to know about Red Potatoes is that they are often confused with Red Skin Potatoes.Unfortunately, someone had the bright idea to give them different names that still mean approximately the same thing. Your grocery store may be selling bags of these potatoes under the name Russet Potatoes or Idaho Potatoes. A 5 lb (2.2 kg) bag of Russet or Idaho Potatoes is likely to contain around eight large potatoes or 16 medium-sized potatoes. Therefore, it is clear that you are likely to have a small number of Russet Potatoes in a bag that weighs 5 lb (2.2 kg)!A pound of these medium potatoes can contain three potatoes, while just one large Russet Potato can weigh an entire pound! These potatoes are typically used for all sorts of purposes and are quite versatile. The flavor is quite mellow and can thus be included in a large number of dishes. You can mash, fry, grill or roast a Russet Potato and feel confident that all recipes will taste just as delicious!How many large potatoes in a pound?Large potato varieties such as the Maincrop Potato can be quite convenient and can easily be found all over the world. A single large potato, instead of weighing a few ounces, can weigh an entire pound!Five large potatoes equal the weight of around 16 medium-sized potatoes quite easily! The weight of these potatoes is such that, if a recipe asks for you to use a pound of large potatoes, you should use just one or maybe one and a half potatoes!While the convenience of needing to have just one potato peeled and chopped instead of many potatoes can be quite appealing, large potatoes can be very quick to sprout. Therefore, despite the nutritious nature and the muted flavor of these large varieties, people often steer clear of these potatoes.How many sweet potatoes in a pound?Pounds of Sweet Potatoes have been bought and sold all over the world ever since the advent of Sweet-Potato french fries. If you happen to have come across recipes that only tell you the amount of chopped Sweet Potatoes you need in ounces or pounds, the solution is quite simple.1 lb (0.45 kg) of sweet potatoes is likely to contain around 2-3 medium-sized potatoes. Now, instead of spending ages measuring out potatoes, you can put your time into cooking up a feast for your family.How many red skin potatoes in a pound?Red Potatoes are usually soft and smooth in texture and serve as the perfect choice for a batch of mashed potato.The white flesh of this medium potato can be used on salads and soups if you are looking to lose weight. A recipe will usually call for these average-sized potatoes if it is aiming for a smooth and buttery texture. At the same time recipes may end up being confusing if they only tell you the weight of red potatoes that you should be using.Most amateur or home-cooks don’t own a scale that they can weigh potatoes with. This can make measuring them according to a particular recipe quite stressful. Also, since red potatoes can be both small and medium in size, you might be left to frantically scratch your head in the middle of cooking. Typically, 1 lb (0.45 kg) of red potatoes contains 8-9 small potatoes. You can expect the number of medium-sized red potatoes to reach up to five on a weighing scale, depending on their size.Did You Know!Around 10 Yukon Gold Potatoes will weigh up to 3 lb (1.35 kg), which means that a pound would contain five medium-sized potatoes! These average-sized potatoes have yellow or gold colored flesh and are quite common. A pound of potatoes of the Yukon gold type would last you through a few chowders and french fries.Yellow Potatoes and White Potatoes are round in shape and will taste perfect in your salads!Fingerling Potatoes are small in size and can be the perfect match for pan fried dishes.Russets are often confused with Red Skin Potatoes, although, due to their difference in size, a bag of 5 lb (2.2 kg) of each type would contain a different number of vegetables. Both of these potatoes are great for mashes since they have fluffy, silky textures and are not gold in color.Two cups of mashed potatoes are equal to a pound of potatoes of any kind.White Potatoes have white-colored flesh and you can expect around 16 of them in a bag that weighs 5 lb (2.26 kg).Petite Potatoes are rarely eaten mashed.A potato of medium size weighs around 5-8 oz (140-225 g).2 lb (0.9 kg) of medium-sized Russet Potatoes (or potatoes of any other type) will equal around six of these versatile vegetables!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how many potatoes are in a pound then why not take a look at how is quorn made, or how is root beer made.
There’s hardly anyone alive who doesn’t find comfort in the starchy goodness of a dish loaded with potatoes!
