Like, I get comments from people telling me it's weird I always try to peel potatoes like I am trying to make the worlds longest 1-piece potato peel. To me it feels way for efficient and fun to continu down a potato in 1 peel, while circling around it, instead of randomly scraping a hundred different pieces of peel off and having to reintroduce the cutter knife to the potato for every piece.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] 53 points 2 years ago (7 children)

Given that the skin has up to 12 times the nutrients of the entire potato it covers I personally stopped peeling my potatoes in most situations. It also adds a great crispy texture when you're roasting or frying. With that said, you do you when peeling. If it's cathartic to peel it all in one piece go for it. Or you can cut the potato in half and simply use a knife to trim the skin off like a sweet potato.

  • source
  • hideshow 14 child comments
  • [โ€“] 5 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    You should NOT do this with Potatoes. Their skin contains Solanine, which is a nightshade toxin.

    Other veggies and fruits yes, but not potatoes. Other nightshades like Tomatoes and Pepper are way different.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [โ€“] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Fresh or properly stored non "green" potatoes should be safe to eat with the skin, as the solanine content is usually below the threshold of 100mg per kg, as I understand it according to this Source. What I found interesting is that the Solanine apparently accumulates in frying oil (it starts breaking down at about 170ยฐC according to Wikipedia) which might be troublesome since some places swap frying oil infrequently.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [โ€“] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Should be worth noting that the skin of potatoes contains toxins.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [+] 24 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
  • [โ€“] 1 point 2 years ago* (3 children)

    The toxins exist throughout the skin, but in smaller concentration than in the sprouts and green parts. Doesn't mean that the skin is inherently unsafe to eat, but you probably should peel it if you eat potatoes regulary, or if you're cooking for children, old people or someone immunocompromised.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • [โ€“] 8 points 2 years ago

    Toxins exist in the water you drink and the air you breathe, unless you distill the water to the point of actually being dangerous to consume.

    A small concentration of toxins is absolutely unavoidable. The presence in potato skins is pretty negligible.

  • source
  • parent
  • [+] 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)
  • [โ€“] -4 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I think cooking goes a long way to dealing with the toxins, also. Raw potatoes are very toxic.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [โ€“] 6 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (2 children)

    No, alcaloids are stable under heat, that's why you should also discard the water when cooking potatoes with skin.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [โ€“] [S] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    you seem knowledgeable about potatoes. Is it okay to let the water cool down and water outside plants with it?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments