If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Will someone tell Ciao!
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Will someone tell Ciao!
Member since:29.07.2007
Reviews:207
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The good old British spud, I've never met anyone yet who doesn't like a potato. They can be boiled, baked, mashed, roasted, steamed cooked in or out of their skins or turned into a chip. Best of all they are so healthy.
The potato was introduced to Europe in 1536, once it became established it became an important food staple and field crop. However because of the lack of genetic diversity, few varieties were introduced which left the crop rather vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a fungal disease known as late blight, spread rapidly through Western Ireland resulting in the Irish Famine.
There are over 150 varieties in the UK alone; I'm not going to name them all but they include: Argos, Arran pilot, Arran victory, British Queen, Carrera, Cosmos, Derby, Duke of York, Red Duke of York, Edzell blue, Gloria, Golden wonder, International kidney, Isle of Jura, Majestic, Lady Balfour, Marris piper, Mona Lisa, Mozart, Record, Red King
Edward, Red star, Rocket, Rodeo, Romano, Sunrise, Swift, Ulster Chieftain, Ulster sceptre, Victoria, Vivaldi, Winston & Yukon gold. I suggest asking for a kilo of Mozart or British Queens next time your in Tesco & see the reaction you get!!!
Potatoes are nutrient rich loaded with vitamins & minerals, they are virtually fat free & when you cook them in their skins they are a great source of fibre. A spud baked in its skin contains more fibre than two slices of wholemeal bread. They also have advantages over rice & pasta.
THE GREAT BRITISH SPUD v RICE. Potatoes are a source of carbohydrate & a very digestible one too; this is the body's fuel. Getting your carbs from a spud has a clear advantage over rice; there is 13 times as much fat in a bowl of rice compared to a spud. Potatoes also contain more fibre, folate & iron than rice. Potatoes contain vitamin C, whilst rice doesn't. In a typical 100g serving of rice it would contain 138k of calories compared to 72k in the potatoes. It would also contain 1.3g of fat compared to 0.1g in the potatoes. Advantage the spud.
THE SPUD v PASTA. It's a similar story with pasta, there is five times as much fat in a bowl of pasta than the potato & once again more fibre, folate & iron is evident in the pasta than the potato. Just like rice, there is no vitamin C in pasta unlike the potato. In a typical 100g serving of pasta or potatoes, the pasta would contain approx 86k of calories, the spud only 72k. In the same serving pasta would contain 0.5g of fat with the potato recording 0.1g. Advantage the spud.
A typical serving of potatoes contains approx the following daily values: Vitamin C 44%, vitamin B1 16%, Vitamin B6 29%, Potassium 22%, Iron 20%, Fibre 14%, Magnesium 11%, Folate 16%, Calories 6% & Fat 0.7%. This in turn creates strong bones & teeth (not false teeth I may add!), a healthy nervous system, controls blood pressure, maintain low calories, keeps the blood healthy, releases energy, provides fuel for the brain & keeps the bowels moving.
Sweet potatoes are actually better for you than normal potatoes but they are not to everyone's liking. However they do contain per 100g serving, 20.1g carbohydrates, 4.2g sugar, 0.1g fat & 1.6g protein. Nearly 80% of sweet potatoes come form China, they can only grow where the average temperatures are about 24degrees centigrade & where there is no likelihood of frost. Sweet potatoes have a loyal following, in Benton Kentucky & Gleason Tennessee they celebrate 'sweet potato day' one day every year, sounds like a right wheeze!!
Potatoes are ideal if you are trying to lose weight but things can go all wrong if you add certain toppings to potato. Potatoes will give you that 'full up' feeling quicker than many foods which can be an advantage when slimming. Apparently it is also a well known myth that potatoes be excluded from a GI diet. A healthy baked potato with a high GI can be offset with a low GI topping such as baked beans.
10 SPUD TIPS 1, Don't store your spuds for too long, buy fresh & use as soon as possible for the best flavours.
2, Most of the goodness in a spud is found just below the skin, cooking the spud in its skin retains most of the fibre content.
3, If you peel a spud cook it right away, don't store spuds minus their skins as you lose their natural nutritional content. That includes leaving them standing in water in a pan for any length of time.
4, New spuds have an abundance of vitamin C, as much as 26% of your daily intake on a 175g portion.
5, Steaming spuds preserves the nutrient content more than other methods.
6, Aim for low fat toppings on your baked spud, these include low fat coleslaw, tuna, cottage cheese or baked beans. My favourite is normal cheese & chopped bacon, stuff the calories!!! Avoid butter.
7, When mashing your spuds try to use skimmed milk as it's healthier than butter.
8, If you're making home made chips go for chunky ones, the larger the chip the less oil they will absorb & thus you lose fewer nutrients.
9, Rather than add salt to your chips, add herbs or spices. Chips retain more vitamin C as less soaking in water is involved in the cooking process.
10, Try dry roasting your spuds in a very hot oven without any oil or spray the spuds with a light covering of oil.
One last tip I would recommend is to avoid having instant mash out of a packet. Ugh!! Happy eating.
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I enjoyed reading this review, loved the title too - lol.
carcraig 08.10.2008 21:48
I went out with a Tattie Farmer for a while (he grew the variety Record which were used for making crisps) and I got all the free potatoes I could eat (until we broke up!) Nice one, Caroline xx
greenierexyboy 07.10.2008 23:03
When you started listing types of potato, I was irresistibly reminded of how Clement Freud plays 'Just A Minute'.
Advantages: The taste of home grown spuds is worth all of the effort Disadvantages: A bit more effor required than collecting them from the supermarket
yorkie2 09.06.2001 ·
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