Summer is here and in terms of food it is also synonymous with fresh potatoes making their entrance on the Swedes’ lunch and dinner tables.
The Swedish fresh potato, which is considered a delicacy, is only available for a limited time and usually starts to be sold in May or June, but under favorable conditions the sale can already take place in April.
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Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT
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Washed or earthy potatoes?
If you have not grown your own fresh potatoes and instead need to go to a grocery store to buy potatoes, you are familiar with the fact that they are often available in two varieties: washed or unwashed.
And every year the question of which variant is actually the best returns. In some places, it is claimed that the washed fresh potatoes get a harder skin and less flavor, while others argue that it is more difficult to determine the quality of an earthy potato.
One who recognizes the debate is Tony Gustavsson who is responsible for the control and analysis activities at Swedish Potatoes.
– There are many schools of thought regarding washed potatoes versus unwashed, regardless of whether they are fresh or stored. Some claim that you shouldn’t wash and others don’t, he says News24 and continues:
– As far as fresh potatoes are concerned, shelf life is not significantly affected in either direction if they are stored correctly. Dark and cool.
Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
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According to Gustavsson, in principle, the whole peel comes off if the potatoes are washed within three hours. If it is then stored refrigerated, it will not turn brown, nor does it need to be peeled.
– The fact that you can feel that the skin is stuck to the tuber now at the end of June is usually due to the potatoes starting to ripen and form a stable skin.
“Earthly potatoes carry mold spores”
There is also a practical reason why producers clean the potatoes.
– The potatoes are washed so that we as consumers do not have to bring soil home and then flush it down our municipal drains. The potatoes are sorted so that the damaged and green tubers are removed to increase the quality so that you don’t have to throw away so much.
In addition, the unwashed potatoes can also bring some disadvantages.
– An earthy potato also brings mold spores and more, which we don’t want in the store or in the fridge. If the storage conditions have been wet, there is often more soil and mud than potatoes in the boxes and it is unnecessary to transport this around.
So those who want to be on the safe side in terms of the risk of mold and want a more sustainable transport, may be right to choose a washed potato.
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Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
If your potatoes soften quickly or turn brown, it is probably due, according to Gustavsson, to the fact that they have been stored too hot in the store or that too long has passed from the time of harvest to the time you buy the potatoes.
And for fresh potatoes, the shelf life is calculated in days.
– Four to six days max, then it starts to give in regardless of whether it is washed or not.
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