Bad potatoes contain high levels of
Eating bad cooked potatoes may give you food poisoning.
If you eat a cooked potato that's too old, you may experience fever, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Thankfully, food poisoning usually subsides after a couple of days.
Not only will the potato not taste very good, you could risk getting sick. Bistrong explains, "As with any vegetable or ingredient, consuming it rotten could make you sick or unwell." As potatoes begin to break down, a compound called solanine increases.
If you notice severe signs of solanine poisoning, call your doctor. If you have eaten a green potato, even peeled or without the green bits, it's important to monitor yourself for symptoms of solanine poisoning.
You're better off tossing potatoes that have turned green or grown sprouts. Eating them puts you at risk for potential toxicity from solanine and chaconine, two natural toxins found in green or sprouted potatoes.
Sprouted potatoes that are still firm, have relatively small sprouts, and don't show any wrinkles or shriveling are okay to eat, as long as you cut off the sprouted parts and soft spots. However, there's still a chance you could get sick. If your potato is sprouted and shriveled up, then it's too far gone. Toss, it.
A bitter taste in a potato is another – potentially more reliable – indicator of toxicity. Because of the bitter taste and appearance of such potatoes, solanine poisoning is rare outside conditions of food shortage.
The short answer is yes. Potatoes that have sprouted are still OK to eat, but only once you've removed the sprouts. Here's a guide on how to remove them, how to properly store potatoes and when it's not alright to eat them.
Lack of pantry space or hot or humid conditions are all reasons you might want to store your potatoes in the refrigerator. If you do choose to refrigerate your potatoes for whatever reason, the potatoes will last for three to four weeks, but as mentioned, they may develop a sweeter taste when cooked.
An oxidized potato is completely safe to eat. The process doesn't affect the flavor or texture of the vegetable. But who wants to sit down to a bowl of gray potato salad? Whether you're making potato salad, hash browns, or a sheet pan full of roasted potatoes, you'll want to prevent oxidation from happening.
Are soft potatoes still good to cook and eat? Yes, but there are exceptions. It is okay to cook soft potatoes, as long as they are not mushy, green, moldy, or contain sprouts. Soft potatoes with green skins are not fit for cooking or baking because of their bitterness.
If there is mold on your potato, that also means that it's time to throw it away. Even if you cut off the mold spots, there's a chance that the mold spores have taken root elsewhere in the potato. You can still eat potatoes that have wrinkly skin and dark spots, as they won't affect the taste of the potato.
They should be fine to wash and keep, but if you were to keep that rotten potato in the same bag as the rest it would accelerate the rate that they would go bad. Unfortunately can't speak for food safety, but I would definitely just wash the rest off and use them. The rest should be fine.
Why the concern with baked potatoes? Baked potatoes that have been wrapped in foil have been linked to cases of botulism. Clostridium botulinum spores can survive the baking process and the foil wrap seals the potato preventing oxygen from being present.
Control. Solanine is not removed by boiling, but it can be destroyed by frying. Solanine poisoning is uncommon as cooks and the public are aware of the problem and tend to avoid green potatoes, in any case, consumption of up to 5 g of green potato per kg body weight per day does not appear to cause acute illness.
The faster you get medical help, the better the chance for recovery. Symptoms may last for 1 to 3 days, and hospitalization may be necessary. Death has been reported, but is rare.
Just curious – why are the sprouts called “eyes?” Dr. Douches: “The 'eyes' are really just the buds of the tuber. They just got that nickname long ago because they kind of look like eyes and an eyebrow.”
Small green spots and sprouts or eyes should be completely trimmed off, however, if it's more than small spots, throw the potato out. Do not use any green potatoes, trimmed or not, if you are serving children as they have a lower body mass and would be more susceptible to the solanine.
Potatoes in the dark grow using the stored sugars in the tuber but need to reach light to continue. It's like potatoes in the ground sprouting in the dark and reaching through the soil to the sun.
The potatoes might have been harvested in heat and started perspiring, just like a human might, as it is still a living organism. If trapped in a bag or box then the moisture can cause the potatoes to be wet or sealed up with no ventilation and could actually mold if left that way too long.