FAQs

Store potatoes in a cool, dark, and well ventilated place. A cellar is an ideal location, but any place where they won't be exposed to excessive heat or light will help to prevent spoiling.

Try placing a quarter of a lemon into the cooking water. This will help prevent potatoes from breaking up. Cooking potatoes in their skins will also prevent them from becoming waterlogged. Once the potatoes are cooked, the skin can easily be pulled from the end of the potato. (This is also a great way to save time. No need to peel!) When you mash, add warm milk to the potatoes slowly.

Leave the skin on while boiling your potatoes. This will ensure that the potato retains its nutrients and flavour. Once cooled, the skin can be removed, if desired. Potatoes should be scrubbed before boiling, rather than soaked. Soaking potatoes in water can reduce both nutrients and flavour.

Place potatoes in the cooking water before bringing to a boil or put your potatoes into boiling salted water.

A fork will easily pierce a baked potato when it is done. If the potato is still hard on the inside, bake it for a little longer. Be careful not to overbake, or drying of the underskin can occur.

Yes, it is fine to use a microwave when cooking potatoes—a convenient cooking method since it cooks potatoes much more quickly than other methods. To microwave potatoes, first scrub them; then, dry them and prick with a fork. Wrap them in a paper towel, and place them on the microwave tray. Do not cook for much longer than 3 or 4 minutes. (Many microwaves have a special setting for potatoes.) Potatoes will continue to cook after they're removed from the microwave. Tip: after removing the potato from the microwave, wrap the cooked potato in foil, and it will continue to cook.

Do not use a knife when opening a baked potato: the surface will flatten and the fluffy texture will be altered. Pierce the potato with a fork, once lengthwise and crosswise, in the shape of an x. Press the potato at both ends and it will "blossom.”

Some people think of potatoes as 'fattening' and consider them taboo for a weight-reducing diet. Nothing could be further from the truth! Potatoes are healthy. One medium-sized baked potato only contains about 100 calories. Baked or boiled potatoes are already conveniently portioned, making it easy to control the calories. It is the extras, such as fat added during or after the preparation, that increase the number of calories.

As a substitute for popular high-calorie potato toppings, consider these alternatives: yogurt with chives, whipped low-fat cottage cheese blended with lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, calorie-reduced salad dressings, or a mixture of herbs.

Rinse potatoes in cold water before frying. This will remove starch, which can cause the potatoes to stick together during the frying process. Soaking potatoes in salt water before cooking for a few minutes will result in crispier potatoes.

Cook your potatoes with the skin on whenever possible. Steaming, rather than boiling, is also a good solution.

It is ok to eat potatoes raw. They are, however, a little harder to digest raw than when cooked.

Heat the skewers first. This will seal the potato and prevent the centre of the potato from turning dark.

Yes. However, to prevent the browning of the potato, soak the cut potato in a mixture of water with a tablespoon of concentrated lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

No. Dampness can cause decay, so do not wash your potatoes before storing.

Black spots are usually bruises caused by rough handling. Most people are gentle when handling apples and bananas, but we don’t tend to treat potatoes with the same care. One type of potato bruising happens when the skin is broken. The potato will form a thicker layer of skin to protect and/or heal the wound. The second type of bruising shows up just under the skin or deeper inside the potato as a black spot. This happens when potatoes are dropped more than six inches or if something heavy is placed on top of them. Handle potatoes gently, and store them in a cool, dark place. Remove any black spots before cooking. The rest of the potato is fine to eat.

You would have to eat many sprouts to get sick. Do not buy potatoes if they have sprouted already or have a green tint to the skin. But if a sprout forms after you’ve brought your potato home, there is no problem with the potato—just cut off the sprouts, and it will be fine for eating.

Greening is a natural process for potatoes that have been overexposed to light on the farm, in the supermarket, or in the home storage. Potatoes that have been grown and stored under proper conditions do not turn green. To prevent potatoes from turning green, store them in a cool, dark place. Potatoes do NOT like light.

The bitter taste in green potatoes is due to elevated levels of glycoalkaloids (a naturally occurring compound) found in the green skin or in the tissue just under the green skin. Glycoalkaloids are not destroyed by cooking. Any green areas should be cut away and discarded before cooking and eating. If the greening is severe, discard the whole potato.