Is it OK to eat green potatoes?

This week’s reader question comes to me from Lisa Neuls who asks:

“Is it alright to peel/cut the outermost green layer of the potato and still eat the inside white core?”

If the potato has a lot of green or tastes bitter, it’s best to discard it. If not, peel and cut out any green parts and eat the rest of the potato.

The green color is caused by the presence of chlorophyll, which the potato produces when it is exposed to light. The concern with green potatoes is not actually the colour, but the presence of a compound called solanine that develops in the same area along with the chlorophyll. The bitter taste associated with green potatoes is caused by the solanine, not the chlorophyll. Solanine is toxic, it’s also usually high in potatoes that are diseased with potato blight, and is the reason why potato leaves should not be consumed.

The concentration of solanine is greatest in the peel or directly beneath it. Peeling is an effective way to removing most of the affected tissue. Steaming or cooking water will also reduce any solanine in the potato. Storing potatoes in a cool dark place will also help to keep them from turning green and developing the compound.

Feel free to ask me any of your food-related questions. I pick a question once a week and post the answer in my blog. You will find a lot more answers to cooking questions under the Foodies Ask category of my blog.

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