Green potatoes?

[mrsadm]

Why did my potatoes turn green and can I still eat them? I just read in a cookbook that if they are green, they are mildly poisonous and will cause a tummy ache.

Anyone know?

[mrsadm]

Why did my potatoes turn green and can I still eat them?  I just read in a cookbook that if they are green, they are mildly poisonous and will cause a tummy ache.

Anyone know?

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OK I've answered my own question; google is indeed the most valuable tool on earth. The answer from Harold McGee:

http://news.curiouscook.com/2006/08/green-...s-toxic-as.html

[Peter the eater]

Oooh, good question . . .

Wikipedia says:

Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, toxic compounds, of which the most prevalent are solanine and chaconine. Cooking at high temperatures (over 170 °C or 340 °F) partly destroys these. The concentration of glycoalkaloid in wild potatoes suffices to produce toxic effects in humans. Glycoalkaloids occur in the greatest concentrations just underneath the skin of the tuber, and they increase with age and exposure to light. Glycoalkaloids may cause headaches, diarrhea, cramps and in severe cases coma and death; however, poisoning from potatoes occurs very rarely. Light exposure also causes greening, thus giving a visual clue as to areas of the tuber that may have become more toxic; however, this does not provide a definitive guide, as greening and glycoalkaloid accumulation can occur independently of each other. Some varieties of potato contain greater glycoalkaloid concentrations than others; breeders developing new varieties test for this, and sometimes have to discard an otherwise promising cultivar.

In my experience, a tiny bit of green neither tastes bad nor poisons people. The spuds that are exposed to sun before or after picking can go green pretty fast. Its probably best to chuck the green ones into the compost, they are not expensive.