The question of whether to eat the whole baked potato may be decided based on nutrients, health and safety issues, taste or simply preference. Properly baked potatoes are white, fluffy, mealy and steamy. Preparation of baked potatoes is a simple procedure, but widely misunderstood and often made overly complicated, according to Wayne Gisslen in the text "Professional Cooking." When properly prepared, there need be no hesitation to eat the whole thing.
History
The potato originated thousands of years ago in the Andean mountains near present day Peru and Bolivia and reached Europe in the 1500s. Potatoes gained popularity in Europe in the late 1700s when other crops were failing and causing widespread famine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has kept production statistics on potatoes since the mid-1800s.
Preparation
Select russet or other starchy potatoes with regular shapes. Scrub the potatoes well to remove dirt, but do not rub hard enough to break the skin and do not remove the skin. Pierce the ends with a fork to allow steam to escape as they bake. For crisp skins, rub lightly with oil and for more tender skins, leave the skins dry.
Place on sheet pan racks in a preheated 400-degree Farenheit oven and bake about one hour until done. The rack eliminates the hard spot that would form if the potato touched the sheet pan while baking. Test for doneness by squeezing gently. When done, a baked potato yields to gentle pressure. Baking time varies with the maturity and size of the potatoes and the quantity cooked at one time.
Food Safety
Wash the potato thoroughly before baking as you would other vegetables that grow underground. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that parts of the potato may contain solanine, a natural defense against insects and disease in nightshade plants including the potato, tomato and eggplant.
Green, discolored flesh just below the potato skin may contain the highest amount of solanine. Solanine has pathological effects when consumed in very large amounts. It enters the bloodstream slowly and is processed in the intestines into a less toxic and poorly absorbed substance that has a rapid excretion rate, according to the FDA poisonous plant database. Symptoms of ingestion of excess amounts of solanine include moderate to severe gastrointestinal distress such as nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.
Nutrition
The numbers for the nutritive value of the edible part of an 8 oz. potato follow -- "with skin" and "flesh only," respectively: calories (220, 145), protein (5 g, 3 g), fat (trace, trace), carbohydrate (51 g, 34 g), calcium (20 mg, 8 mg), phosphorus (115 mg, 78 mg), iron (2.7 mg, 0.5 mg), potassium (844 mg, 610 mg), sodium (16 mg, 8 mg), zinc (0.65 mg, 0.45 mg), thiamin (0.22 mg, 0.16 mg), riboflavin (0.07 mg, 0.03 mg), niacin (3.3 mg, 2.2 mg), ascorbic acid (26 mg, 20 mg), folic acid (22 mcg, 14 mcg).
Tips
When you wrap potatoes in foil, they do not bake but rather steam in their own moisture. The texture of a steamed potato differs entirely from a baked potato. To most tastes, baking produces a superior product and saves the expense of the foil and the processing time for wrapping.
Store fresh potatoes in a cool, dark, dry and well-ventilated place at a temperature of about 45 degrees Farenheit to keep them for a couple of months. Higher temperatures encourage sprouting and shriveling and lower temperatures allow the starch to turn to sugar. Too much light turns the outer skin green and imparts a bitter taste, according to the USDA.
References
- "Professional Cooking"; Gisslen, Wayne; 2003
- FDA Poisonous Plant Database
- USDA: Potatoes: Background
- USDA: Food & Nutrition Service: Commodity Food Fact Sheet: Potatoes
- "Krause's Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy, 10th Edition"; Mahan and Escott-Stump; 2000
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