What’s wrong with my russets

[dans]

I can’t remember the last time I bought a russet potato to bake and actually ate it. I allays end up cutting it open and finding it brown in the middle. I’ve tried different stores and they are all the same. I’m at the point where I am going to swear off baked potato and twice baked. 
 

here is a picture of what I’m experiencing. I don’t recall setting this much of an issuer until recently. 
 

 

 

[chromedome]

That's not uncommon, and typically results from inconsistent moisture during the growing season. It's variable from year to year. Apparently, this year was especially bad in Idaho.

 

https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/idaho-potato-growers-brace-for-inferior-crop/article_081809ad-4da3-5aaa-93cd-724119a9033a.html

 

 

[gfweb]

I hardly see this maybe every other year.

Although I do more 10X Yukon Gold than russet.

[ElsieD]

I've seen that quite often.  I just cut the brown bits out.

[SusieQ]

6 hours ago, dans said:

I can’t remember the last time I bought a russet potato to bake and actually ate it. I allays end up cutting it open and finding it brown in the middle. I’ve tried different stores and they are all the same. I’m at the point where I am going to swear off baked potato and twice baked. 
 

here is a picture of what I’m experiencing. I don’t recall setting this much of an issuer until recently. 
 

 

 

 

That's too bad. Here in Seattle I've seen this maybe once or twice over the years. Hmm, I wonder what the uneven distribution cause is. (I do buy russet potatoes quite often; it's more or less my default potato choice.)

Well, before I posted this I decided to look up the russet potato, which I thought was automatically an Idaho potato. Apparently not. I amend the above statement to say that my default potato choice over the years has been the Idaho potato, which is a russet potato. But maybe your russet potato is different. 

[AlaMoi]

it's a 'how's the weather been?" thing.

see

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/hollow_heart_in_potatoes

 

not only Russets:

[MaryIsobel]

I have noticed this in the last six months, not just with Russets, but also red skin and Yukon gold. I assumed it was from the bizarre weather conditions that North America is experiencing.

 

[scubadoo97]

Sounds like a storage issue 

 

I have not noted the issue in the russets I’m buying in Florida 

[CentralMA]

Been seeing this also....and onions have been coming through in marginal quality lately too. 

 

I buy from many stores, in a wide area. Seems to be all over the area.

[ElsieD]

Whenever I buy a bag of onions, there always seems to be a bad one in the mix, especially the sweet onions I buy at Costco.

[AlaMoi]

I'm lucking if there's _one_ non-rotting onion in a bag from our local Giant.

a 20 year on-going situation.

 

anymore I only buy single onions from Giant, where I can examine them thoroughly.

across the road is Weis - which has a seriously superior produce section.... just don't buy meat or fish there.....

[heidih]

1 minute ago, AlaMoi said:

I'm lucking if there's _one_ non-rotting onion in a bag from our local Giant.

a 20 year on-going situation.

 

anymore I only buy single onions from Giant, where I can examine them thoroughly.

across the road is Weis - which has a seriously superior produce section.... just don't buy meat or fish there.....

I am the sentinel sniffer of rotting produce at my Ralphs/Kroger  The produce guys know if I cock my head and point they have a stinker. Usually citrus or onion. Yes I also do not but the bagged stuff - even my nose can miss a bad'un

[scubadoo97]

Just had one today that I had to cut out brown spots in the center of the spud 

[AlaMoi]

pick an onion, any onion . . .

[AlaMoi]

particularly ugly potato hollow heart:

[gfweb]

19 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

pick an onion, any onion . . .

 

Acme yellow onion?

Just horrible.  I buy the individual onions and pretend I can palpate the bad ones

[Okanagancook]

I am beginning to think I should the same.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Okanagancook (log)

[CentralMA]

2 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

pick an onion, any onion . . .

 

Exactly what I've been running into lately.

[dans]

21 hours ago, CentralMA said:

Been seeing this also....and onions have been coming through in marginal quality lately too. 

 

I buy from many stores, in a wide area. Seems to be all over the area.

 

I finally got a russet without the brown at Idylwildr in Acton. I made a "double stuff"  (Twice baked potato for those not in on the joke.)

[dans]

16 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

particularly ugly potato hollow heart:

 

WOW!  I haven't run into anything that bad and I hope I never do.

[CentralMA]

On 1/17/2022 at 2:34 PM, dans said:

 

I finally got a russet without the brown at Idylwildr in Acton. I made a "double stuff"  (Twice baked potato for those not in on the joke.)

 

OK....now we need to know what the joke is.....

[gfweb]

Just had a bad russet.  Interesting that the cavity gets skin in it too.

[DesertTinker]

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

Just had a bad russet.  Interesting that the cavity gets skin in it too.

I’ve seen a few over the years, but, as you noted, having “potato skin” on the inside was something I found fascinating.

[dans]

On 1/18/2022 at 7:56 PM, CentralMA said:

 

OK....now we need to know what the joke is.....

 

It's just what a friend called them when she served them.