Potatoes are not only packed with nutrients (vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and fibre), but they are also versatile, cost-effective, and an easy-to-cook vegetable.
Uncooked potatoes are best stored in a cool and dry place, but don’t put them in the refrigerator.
Baking, frying, or roasting potatoes that have been refrigerated can cause them to contain more sugar and a chemical called acrylamide.
Nandi Nyamende is a researcher at the SA Agricultural Research Council. Her research interests include the South African pome fruit industry, physiological and pathological disorders in the industry, molecular microbiology, and food security.
She says when starchy foods, like potatoes and bread, are cooked at high temperatures (over 120°C), a chemical called acrylamide is created.
It’s a toxic compound that is created when starchy…
