The Red Skin Red potatoes are particularly healthy because of the thin, nutrient filled skins, which are loaded with fiber, B vitamins, iron and potassium. Half of the fiber of a potato comes from the skin. On red potatoes in particular, the skin is already super thin, so it doesn't detract from the taste or texture.
"The healthiest way to eat a potato is baking it with the skin on," says Upton. "Baked potatoes add no additional calories like frying or roasting with oil." Sign up for our newsletter! Leaving the skins on the potato brings extra nutrients to the food.
Leave the peels on if you're cooking waxy or new potatoes.
Waxy potatoes, such as yellow or red potatoes, typically have thinner peels and more flavorful flesh. Small new potatoes, which are the first of the season, are flavorful and too small to peel easily.
Red potatoes tend to have higher levels of certain minerals, like potassium and magnesium, which are essential for maintaining a healthy body. On the other hand, white potatoes often contain more vitamin C. Additionally, antioxidant content varies between the two.
Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.
Red potatoes contain the most of all three phytochemicals examined. They possess the most quercetin, a flavonoid found to possess some anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties.
Red Potatoes have a thinner skin and a subtle, sweet flavor. Their waxy texture helps them stay firm throughout cooking, making them ideal for stews, soups and salads.
Some people may prefer to peel the potatoes before boiling, but we would recommend you leave the skins on. This ensures that the nutrients and flavours are not lost during cooking and you get all those lovely vitamins too.
Scrub the potatoes or wash them well with water – There is no need to peel them – the skin is thin and waxy and provides a lot of flavor, so be sure to leave it on! Dry the potatoes – Be sure to let them dry thoroughly so they crisp up in the oven. If the skin is still damp, it won't get crispy.
Of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread, potatoes are the healthiest of these starchy and complex carbohydrate foods. This is because potatoes are dense in nutrients, containing essential minerals, vitamins, and other micronutrients.
The Bottom Line. It is totally fine to eat potatoes every day. While how you prepare and cook potatoes and how much you eat could possibly impact your health, whole potatoes with skin are a nutritious vegetable with health benefits.
Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.
"From a health point of view, and I think from a taste and texture point of view, it's much better to leave the skin on," Simon says. "The skin of the potato is very high in fibre, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B — all of those good, healthy things are in high concentration in the skin."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at a minimum, potatoes should be rinsed with water before cutting for cooking. Since potatoes are firm, use a clean brush to scrub them. Do not use soap, bleach, disinfectants, or chemicals to clean produce.
Start by placing whole baby red potatoes in a pot of cold water. Bring them to a boil and let them cook for about 15 minutes until a fork easily punctures a potato and slides through. Sometimes this can take up to 20 minutes.
Bring the water to a boil, and cook for 10-12 minutes. (Larger pieces will require longer cooking times.) After 10 minutes, check the potatoes for doneness by piercing one piece with a fork. If the fork easily pierces the center of the potato, they are done.
You should definitely clean potatoes even if you plan to peel them. Why? Dirt and contaminants. Potatoes are on the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of produce most contaminated with pesticides, meaning it's advised you buy organic, if possible.
Red potatoes are great when roasted in the oven. This type of potato holds it shape well and has a neutral flavor which pairs well with the seasonings in this dish. There are different sizes and shapes of this type of potato.
Red potatoes — These are such a delicious variety. They hold their shape well, making them perfect for frying. Avocado oil — I like to use this oil for its frying point and fairly neutral flavor. Salt & pepper — The most basic seasonings are all we need here!
This high demand has rapidly diminished already tight supplies. The 2021 Red River Valley red potato crop was a full 25% below the five-year average. The nation's leader in red potato production only produced 2.3 million hundredweight this season because of fewer planted acres and drought-reduced yields.
Eating one medium-size potato a day can be part of a healthy diet and doesn't increase cardiometabolic risk — the chances of having diabetes, heart disease or stroke — as long as the potato is steamed or baked, and prepared without adding too much salt or saturated fat, a study by nutritionists at The Pennsylvania ...
Potatoes Help Your Body Prepare for Sleep
In fact, the nutrients they contain make them one of the best tryptophan foods for sleep.