When You Cut Open Purple Potatoes: Are purple potatoes supposed to be white inside?

Many people like to eat purple potatoes, but some people haven't eaten them. Today, let's discuss whether the inside of purple potatoes should be white? This question, hoping to help everyone!

Are purple potatoes supposed to be white inside?

Purple potatoes have a purple appearance on the outside. Under normal circumstances, the inside is also purple or light purple, but sometimes it can be white.

Because there are many varieties of purple potatoes, some varieties have a high content of anthocyanins and the inside is purple; a few special varieties, or affected by factors such as soil and climate during the growth process, have less anthocyanin accumulation, and at this time the inside may be whiter. Generally speaking, as long as the taste and texture of purple potatoes are normal, there is generally no big problem and they can be eaten with confidence.

How do you know when purple potatoes are ready?

Judging whether purple potatoes are cooked is actually very simple. The specific methods are as follows:

Personally, when cooking purple potatoes, I will poke them with chopsticks first. Insert the chopsticks into the purple potatoes. If they can be inserted easily, it means that the potatoes are almost cooked. The judgment basis of this method is that purple potatoes are usually relatively hard in texture and will soften only after being cooked, so that chopsticks can be inserted smoothly.

I will also judge by the appearance of purple potatoes. When the skin of purple potatoes begins to wrinkle a little or shows signs of slight cracking, it means that they may be cooked. But this method is not particularly accurate. Sometimes factors such as heat or potato size will affect the appearance. If you don't have enough experience, it is not recommended to use this method.

Finally, you can judge by the usual taste. You can cut off a small piece of purple potato and taste it. If the taste is soft and glutinous and there is no hard feeling, it means it is cooked. This method is the most direct, but it may damage the complete appearance of the potato.

Do purple potatoes change color when cooked?

Purple potatoes may find discoloration after cooking.

This is because purple potatoes contain a lot of anthocyanins, and anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that show different colors in different pH environments. Until the purple potato is boiled, it is in a relatively stable state.

But when the purple potato is cooked, its internal environment changes. If the water boiled in purple potatoes is alkaline, such as in some areas where the water is hard and contains more minerals, making the water slightly alkaline, the purple potatoes may turn blue-green. This is because anthocyanins change color in an alkaline environment.

Conversely, purple potatoes may become redder if they are cooked in an acidic environment, or if an acidic substance such as lemon juice is added when they are cooked. Because the acidic environment helps anthocyanins retain or deepen their original purplish red color.

However, this color change does not affect the taste and nutritional value of purple potatoes, which are just as delicious and nutritious.

What does a spoiled purple potato look like?

Poor-quality purple potatoes are easy to identify. The methods are as follows:

First of all, in terms of appearance, if the skin of purple potatoes has obvious black spots or mildew spots, it may be a sign of being infected by bacteria during the growth process, or starting to rot after being damp or squeezed during storage. Needless to say about mildew. Once there is mildew, it means that the potato has been eroded by mold and definitely cannot be eaten.

Secondly, if purple potatoes sprout and the sprouts grow relatively long, and at the same time the potato itself begins to shrink and become wrinkled, this also means that it may be spoiled. Especially around the eyes, it will become soft. At the same time, sprouted purple potatoes will produce solanine, which may make the body uncomfortable if eaten.

Finally, in terms of smell, fresh purple potatoes basically have no special smell, at most a little faint earthy smell. And spoiled purple potatoes will have a pungent sour or rotten smell. Once you smell this smell, don't hesitate and throw away the purple potatoes quickly.

How to choose fresh purple potatoes?

There are many ways to choose fresh purple potatoes. Here are some tips I often use:

Observe the color

The skin of purple potatoes should be deep purple. The purple skin indicates that purple potatoes contain rich antioxidants. Avoid buying purple potatoes with overly bright or dull colors. Choose potatoes with uniform color and luster.

Check the skin

When choosing purple potatoes, check the skin. The skin of good-quality purple potatoes should be smooth without depressions, cracks or black spots. If there are depressions, cracks or black spots, it may mean that the potatoes have begun to rot or be damaged.

Tap the potato

When choosing purple potatoes, you can gently tap the purple potatoes. If it makes a crisp sound, it means the purple potatoes are fresh. If the sound is dull, then the purple potatoes may not be fresh.

Check the potato flesh

You can gently scrape the surface of purple potatoes with your nails. If the scraped substance is white, it means the purple potatoes are fresh. If the scraped substance is yellow, then the purple potatoes may not be fresh.

Choose the right size

Choose purple potatoes of moderate size. Too large purple potatoes may take a long time to cook, while too small purple potatoes may cook too quickly. Generally speaking, choosing purple potatoes weighing between 150 grams and 300 grams is more appropriate.

How long do purple potatoes usually take to cook?

The cooking time of purple potatoes varies depending on the cooking method, here are some time references for common cooking methods:

Steaming purple potatoes: It usually takes about 15-20 minutes. When the purple potato is steamed to a certain extent, the skin will become wrinkled, or it can be easily inserted into the potato with chopsticks without significant resistance, indicating that it is ripe.

Boiling purple potatoes: It usually takes about 10-15 minutes to boil purple potatoes in water. When the purple potato begins to float slowly, and try it with chopsticks, if it can be easily inserted, it is ripe.

Roast purple potatoes: The time to roast purple potatoes usually takes 30-40 minutes, depending on the power of the oven and the size of the purple potatoes. When roasted for a certain amount of time, the skin of the purple potato will become scorched and feel soft inside with your hand, which means that it is baked.