So, I bought a bag of yukon gold potatoes a few weeks ago. I cooked some and had some leftover that I didn’t cook. The other day I thought, “I should cook these before they get too old.” So I made mashed potatoes, including a few carrots I needed to use up too. I always keep the skins on since they have a lot of vitamins.
I really like mashed potatoes so I was very excited to eat them, all creamy and buttery. Once they were done, I put some in a bowl and started eating away.
After a bit, I noticed my throat seemed sore. I thought that was kinda weird, but ate some more anyway. The next day, I pan-fried some of the leftovers and had those.
My throat still felt weird, so I decided to do an internet search on potatoes being toxic. This is what I found:
Potatoes contain two kinds of glycoalkaloids, both natural toxins, called solanine and chaconine. Exposure to light greatly increases the formation of chlorophyll and glycoalkaloids. Chlorophyll is responsible for the green color of many plants and is not toxic. However, the green of chlorophyll is a marker that can indicate that there could be an excess of glycoalkaloids.
The entire potato plant contains glycoalkaloids, but the highest concentration is found in the leaves, flowers, “eyes,” green skin, and sprouts. The lowest concentration is found in the white body of the potato. Toxicity is increased by physical injury to the plant, immaturity (green potato), low storage temperature, and storage in bright light. Cooking potatoes by baking, boiling, frying, and microwaving does not eliminate glycoalkaloids. However, removing the skin before cooking can reduce the glycoalkaloid content in a raw potato.
Both solanine and chaconine cause toxicity through cell disruption leading to gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Some people may also experience headache, flushing, confusion, and fever. There have been a few cases of death from eating toxic potatoes. The onset of symptoms is typically within a few hours but can be as delayed as long as a day.
I think I got off easy – who knew?? No more old potatoes for me! And you shouldn’t eat them either!