The short answer is yes. Potatoes that have sprouted are still OK to eat, but only once you’ve removed the sprouts. Here’s a guide on how to remove them, how to properly store potatoes and when.
This of course begs the inquiry “Can you eat a potato that is sprouting?”
One idea is that on one hand, some consider sprouted potatoes perfectly safe to eat, as long as you remove the sprouts. On the other, many warn that sprouted potatoes are toxic and cause food poisoning — and potentially even death.
There are, however, toxin concerns with potato sprouts, so you need to remove the sprouts and ensure that the potato isn’t too far gone. Most of the nutrients are still intact in a firm, sprouted potato. As a potato sprouts, it converts starch to sugar in order to feed the new potato plant that will grow from the erupting sprouts.
Why do potato sprouts sprout?
Here’s the story When a potato starts sprouting, it’s just doing what potato plants do—growing and making more potatoes! And like any good parent, the potato wants its family to stay safe. So, sprouts, which are vulnerable once they emerge from the protective cover of soil, come equipped with defensive toxins called glycoalkaloids.
Our answer is that that’s because the sprouts are a sign that your potatoes contain higher levels of unsafe toxins than fresh ones do. All potatoes contain two natural toxins called solanine and chaconine.
As the sprouting process progresses, the potato begins to shrivel, as more and more starch is converted to sugar and used in the growing sprouts. A wrinkled, shriveled, sprouted potato will have lost more of its nutrients, and it won’t be very palatable.
Do potatoes sprout in fridge?
Potatoes are more likely to sprout when placed in direct light and in low temperatures. It’s best to keep them off the kitchen counter where they could be in direct sunlight, as well as away from the cold temps of the fridge.
A common inquiry we ran across in our research was “What happens to the nutrients in a sprouted potato?”.
My chosen answer is Most of the nutrients are still intact in a firm, sprouted potato. As a potato sprouts, it converts starch to sugar in order to feed the new potato plant that will grow from the erupting sprouts. At the beginning of this process, you may find soft spots around what used to be the eyes and are now the sprouts.
What to do with sprouted potatoes?
What to do with sprouted potatoes is to plant them. Potatoes with excessive amounts of sprouts have broken dormancy and are turning starches into sugars for growth. The dormancy periods of early potatoes are shorter than late-maturing types.