264 The Potato 



tubers gelatinize on cooking and make the flesh moist 

 and soggy. Potatoes with a netted skin and crisp flesh 

 are most Hkely to be mealy when cooked. 



No matter how carefully potatoes are stored, there are 

 changes in composition taking place all the time, which 

 affect the quality. The tuber, like an apple, is a living 

 thing, and life processes are going on in it, though to be 

 sure they are slow\ As the winter proceeds, enzymes 

 begin to work upon the starch and sugars and to break 

 them down. Water and carbon dioxide are given off as 

 a result. This causes a loss of starch and a shrinkage of 

 the tuber. The sugars developed usually give the potato 

 a sweeter taste than is found in the freshly dug tubers. 

 Towards spring the potatoes begin to sprout, and of 

 course at this time the chemical changes are rapid. There 

 is a rapid loss of mealiness accompanying the sprouting. 



The method of cooking has some effect upon quality 

 and food value, but it is usually because of a modification 

 of the texture or the combination of fats and other sub- 

 stances with the potato in the process of cooking. Boiled 

 potatoes are most likely to lose in food value during cook- 

 ing. This loss can be minimized, however, by cooking 

 with the skins on. Baked potatoes lose very little, either 

 in nutrients or in quality, when cooked. They are 

 usually more mealy than potatoes which have been boiled 

 or steamed. ]\Iashed potatoes are usually seasoned with 

 milk or cream and butter. This makes them higher in fat 

 than when they are boiled or baked. Potatoes fried in 

 fat are richest in food nutrients. The water is largely 

 extracted and much fat is absorbed. Where possible, it 

 is best to cook potatoes with their skins on. Experi- 

 mental studies have shown that when potatoes are boiled 

 in the skins, practically no starch is lost and only a 



