Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking

1. Always throw wrinkly, sprouted potatoes away. Store in your crisper in the warmer months to prevent sprouting and shriveling.
   
2. Never eat green potatoes and don’t place green potatoes in the sun to ripen as this increase greening.
   
3. Never store potatoes in plastic. Dirty potatoes last longer so store them unwashed in a dark, dry place. Never in the refrigerator.
   
4. To retain nutrient value always peel potatoes for mashing just prior to cooking or, better still, cook with skin on.
   
5. Potatoes grown in very cold weather turn black when cooked and should be discarded.
   
6. Avoid exposing peeled potatoes to the air or standing in water any longer than necessary, as this will lead to a
7. loss of the vitamin-C content.
   For crispy-skinned jacket potatoes, scrub well, prick skins to let steam escape and bake without foil.
   
8. For fluffy mash, return cooked, drained potatoes to a warm pot and place paper towel between the potatoes and the lid to ensure they are as dry as possible before mashing.
   
9. Never salt potatoes before deep frying. This will cause the oil to break down.
   
10. Add lemon juice or vinegar to ‘holding’ water to stop potatoes from discoloring before cooking.
    

TOPPING TIPS

To avoid turning an otherwise nutritious low-kilojoule (1 kilojoule = 0.239 kilocalorie) meal into a fattening feast, stick to healthy toppings instead of the traditional ones that can be heavy in fat and kilojoules (1 kilojoule = 0.239 kilocalorie).

CHOOSE:	INSTEAD OF:
Low-fat cheese 325 kJ & 5 g fat per 30 g	Full-fat cheese 500 kJ & 10 g fat per 30 g
Natural yogurt 140 kJ & 1.3 g fat per 2 tbsp	Sour cream 438 kJ & 11 g fat per 2 tbsp
Salsa 78 kJ & 0 g fat per 2 tbsp	Gravy 190 kJ & 4 g fat per 2 tbsp
Vinaigrette 190 kJ & 4 g fat per tbsp	Mayonnaise 560 kJ & 14 g fat per tbsp
Baked beans 540 kJ & 0 g fat per ½ cup	Bolognaise sauce 500 kJ & 5 g fat per ½ cup
Cottage cheese 200 kJ & 2 g fat per 2 tbsp	Butter 300 kJ & 8 g fat per 2 tbsp

Related Articles:

Potato Power
Potato Power: Top Tips For Storing and Cooking
Weight Loss Recipes: LYONNAISE POTATOES
Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO PUFFS
Weight Loss Recipes: SCALLOPED POTATOES
Weight Loss Recipes: POTATO BLINI WITH SALSA CRUDA