Raw potatoes

[Mudpuppie]

I love raw potatoes.

Discuss.

[melkor]

That makes one of us

[ExtraMSG]

Aren't raw potatoes potentially poisonous, especially as they age?

[JohnnyH]

Ever get raw potato juice in your eye? Itches.

[Katherine]

My ex-husband used to eat raw potatoes. Are you sure you want to have something in common with him?

[Pickles]

Harkening back to the pork/veal debacle, many Chinese restaurants (don't ask me for names...but MANY) use raw potato in lieu of water chestnuts in their dishes. Cheaper...as if I needed to add that. To each his own...but to me eating raw potatoes screams "PICA!!" LOL I have never heard, however that they are poison. You have to eat a lot of green tinged potato to become ill. We were taught in culinary school that the green part has a chemical structure akin to nerve gas!

[JohnnyH]

Harkening back to the pork/veal debacle, many Chinese restaurants (don't ask me for names...but MANY) use raw potato in lieu of water chestnuts in their dishes.  Cheaper...as if I needed to add that.    To each his own...but to me eating raw potatoes screams "PICA!!" LOL    I have never heard, however that they are poison.  You have to eat a lot of green tinged potato to become ill.  We were taught in culinary school that the green part has a chemical structure akin to nerve gas! 

Mmmm... nerve gas...

[donk79]

My wife loves raw potatoes. I've tried it. Certainly edible, may have some little explored culinary potential, but nothing exciting in and of itself in my opinion.

edited for spelling

Edited February 9, 2004 by donk79 (log)

[Pan]

My reaction is that I'm amazed anyone eats raw potatoes. They'd be on my Culinary Axis of Evil, except that I'd imagine more people intentionally eat ants.

(They are horrible, too, but I've never eaten them on purpose.)

[mrbigjas]

When I was a kid, we used to eat raw potato all the time. With salt.

[chuck]

When potatoes have a green tinge under the skin it must be peeled off. Solanin is the toxin that is produced as a result of potato 'sunburn'. Not sure how poisonous it is. Also, I'm no scientist, so somebody else tell me I'm right.

I was in a grocery store the only time I ever saw someone eat a raw potato. It was the checker and he was snacking on a russet as I was coming through the line.

'Paper or plastic?'

'Is that a potato?'

'Yeah, they're great. Crunchy, healthy...'

'Paper.'

If you worked in a grocery store would you pick a goddamned raw potato to eat on the run? What about the fucking snack aisle for chrissakes? It's right there...

[bleudauvergne]

The green tinge is definitely poisonous. It must be removed completely if you must eat the potato. If possible, find one without the green tinge. I understand potatoes were once cultivated as houseplants and prized for their decorative flowers. Best to bury the green tinged ones.

On the other hand, old potatoes ones that are not yet ancient enough to have turned green yet, are very good for making duchesse, the grandmother of the tater tot. They can be carved into pretty almond shapes, puff out nicely and produce a nice light result with a golden crust. Moreover they look respectable on the plate next to a tourenado.

- Lucy

[marie-louise]

I can't make potatoes without eating a few cubes raw while I'm waiting for the water to boil. I adore them-especially dipped in the little container of Kosher salt I keep by the stove.

My husband thinks I'm nuts.

[Lyle]

Sweet potato sticks with a cream-style dressing are a delicious snack.

Raw white potatoes are for the uninitiated.

And the tourists.

[fifi]

Salted raw potato has a wonderful texture and I always eat some when I am cutting them up. Now I am wondering why you don't see it served intentionally?

I like raw sweet potato, too.

[Pickles]

Salted raw potato has a wonderful texture and I always eat some when I am cutting them up. Now I am wondering why you don't see it served intentionally?

I think if I served my guests raw potatah salad, they'd lock me up. But if the raw tater lovers in this thread really love them that much, why NOT cube some up and toss them with a vinaigrette? Overkill?

[jariggs]

I remember seeing in an old biology textbook that a raw potato is only about 15% digestible. It's not exactly my thing, but as long as it's not green it probably wouldn't hurt you.

[Mudpuppie]

I remember seeing in an old biology textbook that a raw potato is only about 15% digestible. It's not exactly my thing, but as long as it's not green it probably wouldn't hurt you.

jariggs,

I set out to debunk you, but in the end I can't really tell if the 15% is true or not. Found an interesting link about how much nutrition is available in a raw potato, though: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Jun20...50086.Bc.r.html

[fifi]

Salted raw potato has a wonderful texture and I always eat some when I am cutting them up. Now I am wondering why you don't see it served intentionally?

I think if I served my guests raw potatah salad, they'd lock me up. But if the raw tater lovers in this thread really love them that much, why NOT cube some up and toss them with a vinaigrette? Overkill?

I am thinking more like what I do with jicama a lot. Spritz fresh lime juice on jicama slices and sprinkle with ancho chile powder... or some such thing... a flavored vinegar and herbs, maybe.

[Squeat Mungry]

Not that anyone asked me (oh wait -- you did), but the idea of eating a raw potato is freaking me out!

That said, I have seen some fairly weird practices in my own family. My mother and her mother and sisters used to eat oranges and even lemons whole -- rind, seeds and everything!

Cheers,

Squeat

[slkinsey]

I remember seeing in an old biology textbook that a raw potato is only about 15% digestible. It's not exactly my thing, but as long as it's not green it probably wouldn't hurt you.

jariggs,

I set out to debunk you, but in the end I can't really tell if the 15% is true or not. Found an interesting link about how much nutrition is available in a raw potato, though: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Jun20...50086.Bc.r.html

FWIW, raw potato starch is not digestible by humans.

[Mudpuppie]

FWIW, raw potato starch is not digestible by humans.

But it's so crunchy and good!

Don't care if I can digest it or not. Ha.

[fifi]

slkinsey is correct. A lot of raw plant matter is like that. But raw potato is just a snack with a nice crunch and should be investigated as a vehicle for eating other lovely things... aioli maybe?

Kinda makes you wonder about the raw food movement.

[ExtraMSG]

I remember seeing in an old biology textbook that a raw potato is only about 15% digestible. It's not exactly my thing, but as long as it's not green it probably wouldn't hurt you.

jariggs,

I set out to debunk you, but in the end I can't really tell if the 15% is true or not. Found an interesting link about how much nutrition is available in a raw potato, though: http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/Jun20...50086.Bc.r.html

FWIW, raw potato starch is not digestible by humans.

That could be a good thing. So how many digestible calories does a raw potato have? Maybe it's a good snack item instead of the fried potato chips you could eat raw potato chips. Atkin's friendly potatoes the natural way.

[Mudpuppie]

Kinda makes you wonder about the raw food movement.

Actually, that was addressed in the first link I found: http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawfoods.html