What is gnocchi supposed to taste like?

They are very starchy and have quite a sticky texture. You really do need a sauce with them. A rich tomato sauce is best. Lots of garlic too. Use them as you would use pasta.

They don’t take long to cook. Once they start floating on the top of the water, they are ready.

They shouldn’t be sour in my opinion. A little gummy is typical, especially if they are store bought rather than home made.

They’re made from potatoes. If you boil them too long they’ll fall apart.

Definitely sauce them – but a tomato sauce is better than a cream or butter sauce.

They’re easy to make at home. It’s basically ricotta cheese, flour, eggs, and potato. Then plenty of pepper and some salt to taste.

If they’re bland—they’re under-seasoned.

They should not be sour.

They are a little gummy because they contain starch and gluten.

After cooking them in water, you can sauté them to make them brown and crispy on the outside.

I personally like them in a creamy mushroom sauce, or a quick version that Gordon Ramsay has in a video of his where he sautées them with peas and sprinkles grated parmesan and lemon zest on top. Definitely not bland.

Gnocchi is one of those foods that seems like it should be great if bought frozen or prepackaged – it’s dough, potatoes, and cheese, right? What could go wrong? But it’s almost invariably terrible unless made fresh. Try ordering it in a good Italian restaurant; don’t bother picking it up at the grocery store.