Simone wrote to us this weekend, asking about whether or not it is safe to use sprouted potatoes – or potatoes with green patches on the skin – in her recipes. She told us…
I tend to buy the larger bags of potatoes, but often find that some of them have started to go green or begun to sprout before I finish them all up. I’ve always believed that green potatoes or potatoes with sprouts are bad for you, so I’ve never used them to make my baby’s food. But is it really true that it’s not good to eat them when they start to look like this?
Well, Simone, we’d certainly recommend giving them a miss!
The jury is out on sprouting potatoes, with some sources suggesting they are harmful and others saying that they’re fine if you just remove the sprouts! With potatoes that have turned green, however, the consensus is to discard them.
The green colour itself is caused by an increase in chlorophyll, which is triggered by exposure to light. But it may also indicate that the potato contains higher levels of chaconine and solanine – alkaloids that are known to be harmful to health and that may cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhea. These substances may, too, be present in potatoes that have sprouted.
Source: Solanine and Chaconine
Now, many people will tell you that they simply cut out the sprouts or remove the green bits from their potatoes and they’ve never suffered any ill effects. And that, of course, may be the case. But – in our opinion – it’s wise to avoid using green or sprouted potatoes in recipes for ANY family members and particularly so in the case of baby food recipes.
Although the presence of these alkaloids in your potatoes may not be significant enough to cause illness in an adult, there is a risk that they may cause sickness in a vulnerable baby.
So how do you stop potatoes sprouting or going green in the first place?
We’re not sure there’s a simple answer to this – sadly, it seems that the potatoes we buy from the supermarket are not always as fresh as we might like and they discolour and sprout very quickly. But there are a couple of things you can do to slow down the process…
- Choose potatoes that are still covered in earth when you buy them, instead of the ones that appear to have been washed. There is no scientific basis to this suggestion – it’s just that we’ve noticed that muddy potatoes tend to keep better (probably because the skins are protected from the light).
- Store your potatoes somewhere dry, cool and dark.
- Store your potatoes in a natural cloth bag instead of the plastic one they came in.
- Some people swear by putting an apple in the bag with the potatoes. Personally, we find this doesn’t really help. When you think about it, the ethylene gas produced by the apple probably helps the potatoes go bad even more quickly!
- Sounds obvious – but if you’re throwing away soft, green, sprouting potatoes on a regular basis, then buy them in smaller quantities! Smaller bags may not be as cost effective, but for better quality and to avoid waste they’re probably worth the extra!
Do YOU have any tips for successfully storing your potatoes? Then please do share them below by leaving your comments!
Learn more and discover some delicious potato baby food recipes here