Potato is perhaps the only plant species that can be consumed by people of all ages from 7 to 77.
Things to consider when buying potatoes and onions from the market;
When buying potatoes from the market, potatoes with green or light green skin color should never be bought, regardless of the period.
If the tuber of the potato stays in the sun just like the other leaf and stem parts of the plant, or if the tubers appear on the top of the soil while in the field, the sun-exposed parts turn green because they carry out photosynthesis. Therefore, green potato tubers are not healthy .
Green-colored tubers contain harmful compounds called glycoalkaloids and have harmful effects when consumed by humans. When purchasing potatoes, tubers with yellow or white outer skin color should be preferred.
Again, tubers with grown sprouts should not be taken from the market or from the greengrocer. Because the tubers, whose shoots have grown considerably, are the tubers that have waited for a long time, and these tubers are now active to develop new plants. As much as possible, tubers without sprouts or eyes on the outer shell of the tuber should be preferred.
Another important issue in potato tubers is that if the inner flesh color of the tuber, that is, the color of the part we consume (eat) is yellow, the protein content is slightly higher than the white one. The higher the dry matter ratio in yellow or white potatoes, the more suitable it is for frying.
Most of the potatoes sold in the market in our country are edible potatoes. Cooking potatoes generally absorb oil more than fried potatoes when fried, or they partially darken during frying. It is always healthier to consume potatoes, not as frying in general, but by adding them to especially juicy dishes. However, it is nutritious as long as it is not consumed continuously in french fries.
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Onion, on the other hand, is usually bought with potatoes in shopping, and it is necessary to pay attention to some issues when buying onions.
When buying onions, green outer skin color should not be preferred as in potatoes.
The most important point to be considered while buying onions is that the onions to be bought should be round, spherical, medium-sized for salads, and large and round for meals.
There are sometimes small, deformed onions in the market. These onions should be consumed as little as possible unless necessary. Because the first of these onions is usually very bitter in taste and it is difficult to consume fresh, but it can be put into food. This type of deformed onions often have a bad taste, and they may be onions taken from male plants during production, and they will be misshapen, small and crooked.
In addition, onions that are not properly shaped should be consumed without waiting for a long time in the crisper at home, otherwise they can spoil quickly. When buying dried onions, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the onions we buy are not freshly harvested as much as possible. Newly harvested and insufficiently dried onions can spoil quickly. This subject does not include large, fresh skinless or quick-peeled, first-season scallions.
Early, early onions are both sweet and delicious and can be easily bought and consumed. In periods when onions are expensive in the market, deformed onions are sold first and then the main, round onions are presented to the market.
Sources
Ercan ÖZKAYNAK