Data source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 170026 (Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw).
Fun facts
- Potatoes come from the Andes mountains of South America, where people grew them for thousands of years before they sailed to Europe and then around the world.
- 100g of raw potato has about 77 kcal and 17.5g of carbs. A boiled potato is fairly light on its own, it is the frying oil and butter that make fries so heavy.
- Potatoes offer 425mg of potassium and 19.7mg of vitamin C per 100g, plus 2g of protein. Eating them with the skin adds fiber, about 2.1g per 100g.
- In Vietnam, potatoes go into pork rib soup, chicken curry, beef stew and creamy soups. In the kOBE recipe library, potato appears in 74 dishes.
Choosing and storing
Choose firm, heavy potatoes with smooth skin, no sprouts and no green patches. Store them in a dark, dry, cool and airy place, with no need for the fridge. Left in the light for long, the skin turns green and sprouts appear, and these parts contain solanine, a bitter compound you should not eat. If the sprouts are tiny, dig them out deeply along with any green parts, but throw away potatoes that are very green or have long sprouts.
Cooking it well
Boiling, steaming or baking potatoes whole with the skin on keeps more vitamin C and potassium than peeling, dicing and soaking them for a long time. For crispness without deep frying, an air fryer with a light brush of oil works well. Boiled potatoes that are cooled develop a little resistant starch, just like the story in cold rice and resistant starch.
