I love eating a raw potato like an apple, for whatever reason. Any time I'm cooking a dish with potatoes, I'll wash and peel one for me to eat. My boyfriend looked like I had grown a third arm the first time he saw me do it.

It's the perfect mix of crunchy and juicy, but not sweet.

[–] Riyria 14 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Raw potatoes are like semi toxic. Do you not get any GI upset from doing that?

[–] frostycakes 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

No, never. AFAIK they aren't toxic, just that the starch is poorly digested. Either way, I've never gotten sick from it, so 🤷

It's odd because I have had digestive issues off and on through the years, but the potatoes have never precipitated it. (It's mostly anything spicy, which sucks as I love spicy food-- it's a price I pay willingly sometimes)

[–] verall 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Solanine is a glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade family within the genus Solanum, such as the potato, the tomato, and the eggplant

Raw potatoes certainly are mildly toxic, it's not just undigestible starches.

[–] frostycakes 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Most home processing methods like boiling, cooking, and frying potatoes have been shown to have minimal effects on solanine levels. For example, boiling potatoes reduces the α-chaconine and α-solanine levels by only 3.5% and 1.2% respectively, but microwaving potatoes reduces the alkaloid content by 15%. Deep frying at 150 °C (302 °F) also does not result in any measurable change.

They're no more toxic than cooked potatoes, unless you only eat microwaved ones.

[–] match@pawb.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This guy raw potatoes

[–] frostycakes 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm just sick and tired of the "don't you know they're toxic" response to finding out I eat raw ones. My people, if they were toxic I wouldn't be eating them because it would have made me ill. 🤦 Someone eating a whole bag of potato chips is gonna take in more solanine than I will eating one raw, peeled potato.

Hell, there are places that do baked/fried potato skins as an appetizer, when the skin is where the solanine is concentrated, and often can rise above the safe threshold. It's even suggested to eat a small piece of potato skin raw to determine if the solanine levels of a potato in question are safe, as it tastes very bitter.

I'm also a produce manager at a grocery store for a living, so I have a passable knowledge of most common fruits and veggies and what's safe to do with them.

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