My Potatoes Are Soft

4 min readJun 28, 2021

sprout plant image by Kir from Fotolia.com

The fresh, young sprouts of many plants are tender and tasty, and in some cases more palatable than the mature plant. Unfortunately, in the case of potatoes, sprouts are distinctly undesirable. The humble, familiar spud is defended by some highly toxic alkaloids, which are concentrated in their eyes and in those juicy-looking new shoots.

New Growth

For the crunchy yet soft roasted potato you desire, you must parcook the potato chunks in boiling water before roasting. Drain the partially cooked potatoes, then add them back to the pot, and give them a really good shake around. Yes, they’re fine. We had a root cellar when I was a kid and we were eating potatoes well into the spring. They often got a bit wrinkly and soft (not squishy soft), and Grandma just peeled ’em and boiled ’em. They were still just fine in February and March, although not as firm as when first dug.

The existence of sprouts on your potatoes is more than a cosmetic change. It means that the root is trying to fulfil its natural purpose of growing a new potato, and is beginning to convert its stores of starch into sugars to fuel the new plant. More importantly, it protects the infant plant from predators by filling those sprouts and their underlying eyes with a blend of toxic alkaloids. As long as you diligently remove the sprouts and the ‘eyes’ where they’re attached, where the potentially harmful alkaloids are concentrated, you can still safely eat the potatoes.

Skin Deep

If the sprouts are accompanied by a visible green tint in the underlying potato, its safety is more problematic. That green color means the potato has been exposed to lots of light, and it signals the toxic alkaloids — most notably one called solanine — are widely distributed throughout the potato’s skin and underlying flesh. Solanine can cause serious illness or even death, when consumed incautiously, and its levels vary widely from potato to potato.

The Paring of the Green

To salvage a green-tinged potato, you’ll need to perform ruthless surgery. Cut away the sprouts, the eyes, and every part of the potato that contains a trace of green. Solanine and its related alkaloids are most concentrated just beneath the skin, so paring it to a depth of at least 1/4 inch should render the potatoes safe to eat. The alkaloids are noticeably bitter in flavor, so if you find your potatoes are bitter even after peeling you should not eat them.

Judgement Call

When you find yourself with a large bag of dubious tubers on your hands, exercise some judgement. Potatoes with large moldy or rotten spots are best discarded, because such a small portion of each spud will remain usable. If the potato is small enough or flat enough that cutting away its green areas isn’t practical, discard that as well. Any that feel sound, and are large enough to safely trim away their eyes and green areas, can still be prepared and eaten.

The Ounce of Prevention

Storing your potatoes properly will help prolong their shelf life, and minimize sprouting. For long-term storage they need a cool, dry place, such as a cellar, where the temperature will not vary greatly. Warmth and humidity will both encourage the potatoes to grow, and should be avoided as much as possible. The potatoes also need good airflow, because still air allows moisture to accumulate and promote mold and mildew. Finally, keep your potatoes in the dark. Light encourages the growth of sprouts and the production of solanine.

Question: Potatoes Stored in Garage Froze

December 9, 2010

I have yellow potatoes laying out in my garage and we have 3–4 inches of snow on the ground and they are all frozen. I need to know if I can just keep them frozen and put them in bags and into the freezer. I really don’t want to waste them. The cold weather kind of just came on faster then I was expecting.

By Stacey from South-West VA

Answers

December 11, 20105 found this helpful

I had a sack of potatoes that was left in the car, when they were brought in they started to get soft and because I didn’t want to throw them away I put on a kettle of water and cooked them. Because they turned out good I don’t see any problem to put yours in the freezer for a short time. I would not let them thaw out before boiling though. I could not tell the difference after they were boiled in their skins. I was so very glad. I hope this helps

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December 12, 20103 found this helpful

My Red Potatoes Are Soft

Yes, you can just put them in your freezer and take out what you need as needed. It’s not really any different than buying already frozen potatoes at the grocery store.

Eat Soft Potatoes

Or, you could cook them, mash them for mashed potatoes, and then freeze them in serving sizes and use as needed.

My Raw Potatoes Are Soft

January 2, 20111 found this helpful

Potatoes frozen one time can be used. After frozen more than once and rethawed they turn mushy grey and taste terrible. Best to cut them up while still semi frozen, blanch if not going to use them right away, dry them quick and freeze loosely on cookie trays as french fries, homefries, etc. Place pieces in bags and freeze right away. Mash and freeze immediately. Don’t add anything else to potatoes.

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January 21, 20163 found this helpful

Same thing happened to me. I used them for mashed potatoes. Peeled them cut them and boiled them mashed them.

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