Potatoes, Why We Simply Love Them

Potato is an excellent source of Vitamin C and B6. It can provide 45% of the daily value of Vitamin C and up to 10% of Vitamin B6. They are low in sodium, naturally fat-free, and easy to digest. In the raw form, they contain more potassium than even bananas and broccoli. They also don't have any cholesterol.

It also provides 26% of the daily carbohydrate content, and the potatoes with skin provide a good amount of fiber. Potatoes have also been shown to help the body fight against colon cancer.

While choosing potatoes, you need to bear in mind that they need to fairly clean, firm, and regular in shape. They are also naturally sweet, and cook relatively easily.

Avoid them with wilted, wrinkled skin, soft dark areas, cut surfaces, or with green patches. About 20% of its nutrients are present in its skin. Hence nutritionists recommend that they should be cooked with the skin left on.

Store them in a cool, dry, dark place that is well ventilated. The ideal temperatures for storage are 45 to 50 degrees F. Storing them at these temperatures will keep them unspoiled for several weeks, though it is not recommended to store them at temperatures over 50F for more than a week.

Warmer temperatures encourage sprouting and shriveling, so it is best to use them in cooking as soon as they are purchased. (Although sprouting potatoes can still be used, it's quite possible though that there will be some wastage. You could simply remove sprouts, and peel them before cooking.)

Avoid exposing potatoes to light for a long time. It turns them brown. This can spoil the aesthetic appeal of your dish. Cook them as soon as you peel or cut them. To protect their whiteness, toss them with a little lemon juice. Although prolonged soaking in cold water is not recommended, as they can result in some vitamin loss.

Some potatoes have green patches on them. This green area can be cut off before the potato is used. After refrigeration, some potatoes develop a sweet taste. This occurs as a result of an accumulation of sugars in the tubers when refrigerated and is normal.

Another way to store them is to gently scrub them with a vegetable brush or cellulose sponge. Don't leave them as it is, especially if they are placed in a polythene bag, as this might make the area within the bag moist and conducive for rotting.

Leaving the skin on during cooking is an excellent way to conserve their nutrients, and the potatoes cooked this way are known as potatoes in jackets. If they are peeled before cooking, use a vegetable parer, and try to keep peelings as thin as possible.

Many people soak potatoes in water to help get rid of the excess starch. Another tip is to cook them whole; actually this holds true for any vegetable, especially the leafy ones. However, you may cut potatoes into halves, or perhaps slice or dice them before cooking.

Most of the diet disadvantages related to potatoes are due to the wrong way they are popularly cooked.

French fries, probably the best way potatoes are preferred, are double fried with the skin peeled off. This is then served with a lot of salt. Although they taste better, they just give empty calories to the eater. To properly avail of the nutrients, as mentioned earlier, they should be cooked with their skin left on.

Baking potatoes is preferable than frying them. Grilling and roasting with the skin left on are also better options. If you do want to fry them, it is preferable to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. And remember, leave them unpeeled!