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How To Keep Potatoes Fresh After Peeling Them? Here are 8 Ways That You May Want To Know

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    Keep Potatoes Fresh After Peeling: – Potato is the fourth most consumed food worldwide. It is considered a very nutritious food containing good quality protein and of high biological value. It has good digestibility and is also rich in potassium.

    Concerning vitamins, the potato is considered to be an important source of vitamins, mainly ascorbic acid, vitamin C. It also contains B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, and folic acid. There are different types of potatoes such as English potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and yacon potatoes.

    The potato is the root of an incredibly versatile vegetable consumed in a variety of dishes around the world, scientifically called Solanum tuberosum. Although many people consider vegetables healthy, potatoes can be controversial in this regard (especially the fried version), as it has a high starch content.

    potato Keep Potatoes Fresh After Peeling

    Benefits of potato

    1. Potato contains antioxidant

    Antioxidants are substances that prevent the formation of harmful free radicals, which contribute to chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The potato is a good source of antioxidants, including specific types such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and phenolic acids. One study compared the antioxidant activities of white and colored potatoes and found that colored potatoes were the most effective in neutralizing free radicals. Another study found that potato antioxidants can slow the growth of certain cancers, including colon cancer and liver cancer.

    2. Provides resistant starch

    Resistant starch is a type of starch that is not digested or absorbed in the small intestine. Instead, it passes into the large intestine and feeds the beneficial bacteria in the intestine, acting as a probiotic food. The potato is a good source of resistant starch, especially when they are cooked and refrigerated or chilled contain the largest quantities.

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    Resistant starch has been associated with several health benefits, especially in terms of blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity. In addition, resistant starch can give you other benefits, such as reducing food intake, increasing the absorption of nutrients, and improving digestive health.

    3. Improves feeling of satiety

    One study created an index of satiety for common foods, giving 11 to 13 participants various foods and obtaining a satiety rating for each. At the end of the study, the baked potato proved to be seven times more satiating than croissants. Another study compared how eating rice, potatoes, and pasta affected food intake and satiety in 11 participants.

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    The result showed that the potato had the highest satiety index and led to a reduction in calorie intake. Potato skins also contain a good amount of fiber, which is digested more slowly, contributing to a feeling of satiety and decreased hunger.

    Related Post: How to Keep Bananas Fresh For Longer After Cutting? Here Are The 10 Best Ways To Keeping Banana Fresh

    4. Rich in vitamins

    First of all, vitamin C. Moreover, there is a lot of vitamin C, especially in young potatoes. Potatoes are also a good source of vegetable protein. Vitamins B, PP, folic acid, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium salts are all the advantages of potatoes. And in young, small potatoes some antioxidants cleanse our body of harmful compounds and strengthen the walls of blood vessels, prolonging youth. Neither bran nor fiber or coarse flour products is needed if you eat potatoes with a peel.

    Harm of potato

    There is a lot of starch in the potato – and this is not only fast carbohydrates, but it is also a substance with a high glycemic index, which means that the potato raises blood sugar levels. There is also solanine in the potatoes. This is the kind of poison that accumulates in potatoes during their long-term storage. In principle, to get poison, you need to eat a couple of kilograms of potatoes in one go. But you can still hurt yourself – solanine causes chronic fatigue, weakness, general malaise – in general, symptoms similar to spring vitamin deficiency.

    Some facts about potatoes

    1. Potatoes neutralize gastric acid, which is why it is recommended for people suffering from ulcers and gastritis.
    2. Potatoes are an important source of vitamins and minerals. An average potato, eaten whole peeled, contains 27mg of vitamin C (45% of the recommended daily dose), 620 mg of potassium (18% of dzr), a .2 mg of vitamin B5 (10% of dzr), plus thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.
    3. Potatoes eaten with yogurt are an excellent combination for dieters, but also as a mask against aging.
    4. King Louis XVI called the potato a delicacy, and Queen Mary Antoinette used to decorate her hair with potato flowers.
    5. There are almost 4000 different species of potatoes. They are grouped by color – red, white, yellow, and purple.
    6. There are also blue potatoes, native to South America. The skin is purple and turns blue after cooking.
    7. Potatoes are poisonous. Beyond the beneficial properties of potatoes, they can make us seriously ill. They contain some toxic compounds in the stem and leaves, and when they turn green, it is because of them. But you can rest assured, potato poisoning is very rare.
    8. Potatoes can also be used to polish shoes. Cut a raw potato in half and rub it on the shoes. They will shine.
    9. The potato does not fatten. Despite the myth that everyone knows, a study published in the 2009 British Journal of Nutrition, shows that this vegetable is really good in diets and was wrongly included in the list of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index. In fact, a freshly cooked potato has only 26 calories.
    10. Potatoes are the food of the future. 2008 was declared by the UN the year of the potato, considered by the organization the vegetable of the future, which could easily feed an increasingly hungry population. The UN has backed these claims by saying that potatoes are already a world-accessible food.
    11. Mineral salts are found mainly below the shell. Therefore, remove a very thin layer of the peel or not peel it.

    Do we have to throw away the peeled potatoes?

    Potato is considered one of the most basic food products, from it you can cook many varied and delicious dishes. But sometimes we cannot accurately calculate the number of ingredients needed. It is not necessary to discard peeled potato tubers; they can be stored for the preparation of the next meal. Unfortunately, peeled potatoes quickly lose their consumer properties and qualities. Within a couple of hours after removal of the skin, the tubers are covered with a dark coating.

    This process occurs due to the oxidation of organic substances. Potatoes contain enzymes, when they interact with oxygen, a chemical oxidation reaction is triggered, as a result of which the vegetables darken. It is worth noting that peeled potatoes darken very quickly if a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer is applied under them.

    This process is an indirect confirmation of an excess of nitrates. Raw potatoes contain sugar (about 0.9%). When interacting with amino acids (enzymes), they are destroyed, there is a change in organoleptic properties: taste, color, smell. Therefore, the fewer sugars in the tubers, the longer potatoes will be stored.

    Pros and cons of storing peeled potatoes:

    We usually prepare the potatoes at the time of cooking only but sometimes the potatoes may be in excess. Sometimes we may be in a hurry so we prepare the potatoes beforehand. In such cases, using the peeled potatoes can save us time. But there are pros and cons at the same time as using the peeled potatoes. That can be:

    • Pros:
    • cooking time is reduced;
    • You can make a large supply.

    But there are also disadvantages of storing a vegetable in the form of a semi-finished product:

    • strict adherence to processing technology is required;
    • you need to monitor the expiration date;
    • peeled potatoes darken – the polyphenols and chlorogenic acid contained in it are oxidized in air.

    How To Keep Potatoes Fresh After Peeling Them? Preservation of taste, color, and nutrition of the peeled potatoes

    When you need to cook a lot of potatoes, but not enough time, you need to take care of this in advance: peel it beforehand. And to make it delicious, you need to know how to store peeled potatoes correctly. Then the dishes prepared from it will be tasty and fragrant. There are several ways to preserve the taste, color, usefulness in household conditions in vegetables after cleaning. They are quite famous and simple:

    1. Coldwater

    You can put peeled tubers in cold water. But in this way, the vegetable will be stored for no more than 4 hours. This is because peeled potatoes in water lose useful substances: organic acids, trace elements, vitamins. Just follow the methods as mentioned below:

    • Rinse the cleaned potatoes in running water. Fold the tubers in a separate capacious container (stewpan or deep bowl).
    • Pour the vegetable with clean cold water so that it completely covers the tubers. You can add a raw onion or a slice of lemon. Cover the container, leaving a small gap for air to enter.
    • After 48 hours of storage of peeled tubers in the water at room temperature, a slippery coating appears on them, indicating product spoilage.
    • Benefits of storing peeled potatoes in the cold water are that the process is simple and convenient. And the potatoes almost do not lose their taste. However, you need to periodically change the water, the potato quickly loses starch, the vegetable may ferment and the potatoes can not be stored for a long time.
    • At room temperature, the potatoes lie in the water for 2–5 hours. In the refrigerator – at a temperature of 0 to + 5 ° С for 24 hours. For more than 2 days, storing potatoes in this way does not make sense – the tubers become tasteless.

    2. Food packages

    After peeling and washing the potatoes, place them in a plastic bag, from which squeeze the air as much as possible. Place the bag in the refrigerator. This method will save the product for a day.

    3. In the fridge

    If you need to keep peeled potatoes until tomorrow, you can use the refrigerator. The air temperature inside should be no more than + 6 ° C.

    • Put the peeled tubers in a container with cold water and then put it in the refrigerator – this method is the easiest, and the potatoes can later be used to prepare many dishes.
    • Tuber blanching – whole vegetables are immersed for several seconds in a pot with boiling water, and then put in a bag and placed in the refrigerator. Hot water destroys the enzymes that are in the upper layer of the fetus, as a result of which they cannot react with oxygen.
    • Blanched potatoes are stored longer than fresh, but have a specific taste and can only be used for cooking in general.
    • Storage of peeled potatoes in a tightly tied bag, from which air was previously released. With this method, the fruits can be used to prepare many dishes.
    • Grate the tubers and add finely chopped onion or garlic to the mass. A container with such a semi-finished product can be kept in the refrigerator under a cling film and used to prepare grated potato dishes.
    • The advantage of storing the potatoes in the fridge is that this process can keep potatoes fresh for a long time. The potatoes can be put on other products, removed from the side door. However, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime and if the bag is not tight, then the potato will spoil in a couple of hours.

    4. Freezing

    The most reliable method to keep peeled tubers fresh and tasty for a long time is freezing. In the freezer at a temperature of –18 to –30 ° C, small tubers or semi-finished french fries are stored. To prevent the product from acquiring a sweet taste, you need to freeze it quickly. The advantages of the method are compactness, long-term preservation. Disadvantages are improper freezing changes the taste, not all varieties of potatoes are suitable, and you can not freeze twice or more. It is best to freeze the whole potatoes.

    But if you need to use chopped tubers for cooking, then they are cut into pieces of the required size in advance and only then sent to the freezer. Place the peeled vegetable in a plastic bag in the freezer. If the potato is intended for soup, frying, tubers should be cut before freezing accordingly. To freeze whole peeled potatoes, you need to perform the following actions:

    • Rinse the fruits and dry a little with a napkin.
    • Place the tubers in a plastic bag, spreading them in portions.
    • Release excess air from the bag and seal it tightly. Place packaged servings in the freezer.
    • Thus, you can store potatoes, which in the future are planned to be used for cooking whole – frozen potatoes you just need to immerse in boiling water and boil until cooked.

    The freezing of sliced potatoes is carried out in this way:

    • Rinse tubers under running water, blot their surface with a napkin to remove excess moisture.
    • Cut the fruit into pieces of the required size. Divide the sliced vegetables into separate portions and wrap each of them in several layers of cling film.
    • Place the tubers in the freezer. When using this storage method, you need to take into account that in the freezer, the starch in the potato turns into sugar, so the thawed vegetable will have a sweetish aftertaste.
    • For french fries, the sliced potatoes are sprinkled with flour before putting it into the freezer. Also suitable for storing blanched potatoes in the freezer.

    5. Blanching

    Blanching is a short-term exposure to a hot water product. The advantages of the method are that it will reduce the time for further cooking. But there are also disadvantages: will give a potato aftertaste, starchy varieties are not good -and they are quickly digested. Scalp the finished product with boiling water. The top layer of each potato will be protected from darkening due to heat treatment. Such a product can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day. The process is as follows:

    • Cut the tubers. The smaller the pieces, the faster the potato will cook. Put them in water, which should only cover the potatoes, and bring to a boil.
    • Cooking time 7-10 minutes. Pierce the tubers. Properly prepared, they will be soft on the outside and hard on the inside.
    • Throw the potatoes in a colander. Reduce the temperature of the potatoes by placing the vegetable in cold, and ideally in ice-cold water. Drain and dry the potatoes with a towel. Transfer the product to a bowl if you plan to use it soon.
    • If this is a deep-fat preparation, so that the potatoes do not stick together, they are coated with vegetable oil before freezing and mixing. You can make universal preparations mixed with other vegetables.

    6. Processing with special substances, one of which is sodium bisulfite

    This compound preserves enzymes from destruction. After processing, potato tubers do not lose their color and are no different from those that have just been peeled. With this method of saving, the vegetable is stored for about 2 days at a temperature of about 7 ° C. Before cooking, potatoes should be washed extensively, changing the water several times.

    7. Storage in a modified gas environment

    Food bags are filled with vegetables, oxygen is pumped out of them, bags are filled with a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide instead. A special gas composition prevents the growth of bacteria that destroy the taste and color of the product. Shelf life at a temperature of 3 ° C for about 20 days.

    8. Use of vacuum packaging

    Air is pumped out of the bags with a vacuum pump after they are filled with peeled potatoes. This method slows down the oxidative reaction of substances found in vegetables. Shelf life at a temperature of 3 ° C for about 18 days.

    However, the method number 5,6 and 7 are suitable or public catering enterprises, restaurants, schools. They are not cheap, therefore they cannot justify themselves in everyday life. When cooking at home, production methods are not possible to apply. However, methods rooms 1 to 4 are suitable for home use.

    Storage time dictates the preservation time of potatoes

    The shelf life of the semi-finished product affects the choice of method. To preserve the maximum taste and nutritional properties of the product, you should follow simple rules:

    • For a few hours. If the cooking time is delayed by 3-4 hours, feel free to clean the right amount of vegetables, and immerse it in a bowl of cold water.
    • For the night. When preparing to cook potato dishes for breakfast, pour peeled tubers in cold water from the evening and refrigerate until morning.
    • For a day. Place the potatoes in the refrigerator using a bag or bowl of water. It is necessary to cover all the potatoes with water or first check the tightness of the bag. You can also pour tubers over with boiling water and refrigerate after cooling.
    • For a long time. If you plan to store peeled vegetables for a long time, then the method of freezing will do just fine. And when cooking, do not defrost, but immediately put it in boiling water or hot fat. Using a microwave oven for defrosting is not recommended.

    Determine the suitability of peeled potatoes

    If storage conditions are not followed, the peeled potato spoils. This can be seen in the appearance of the tubers and the water in which they are stored:

    • If the water just got cloudy, then the starch from the potatoes stood out. This is a normal occurrence.
    • If the water tank is filled with air bubbles, this is a sign that the process of fermentation and decomposition of beneficial substances has begun.
    • If the tuber feels slippery, soft to the touch, an unpleasant odor appears, these are clear signs of damage.
    • In the last two cases, potatoes should not be eaten.
    • If during storage of tubers in the water they were not completely immersed in it, then a dark coating may appear on the part of the potatoes that protrudes from the water. Blackened areas can be cut with a knife and after washing the vegetable in water, use it for cooking;

    General rules for storing peeled potatoes

    Storing peeled potatoes is recommended only if it is really impossible to cook it right away.

    • Better not cut the tubers, but leave them whole so that as many nutrients as possible are preserved. Especially if you plan to keep potatoes in water.
    • After cleaning, wash each potato and immediately put it in water. You can add a pinch of citric acid or a slice of lemon, peeled onion.
    • When freezing, it is necessary to distribute the number of peeled potatoes in portioned packets. Potatoes cannot be re-frozen.
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