Produce

Potatoes (Whole)

A green tinge developing under a potato's skin, from light exposure triggering chlorophyll production alongside a natural toxin called solanine, should be cut away and discarded rather than eaten.

Different potato varieties suit different cooking methods based on their starch content — a starchy russet is ideal for baking and frying, while a waxy variety like a red potato holds its shape better in a potato salad.

Potatoes are a member of the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, a botanical relationship that occasionally surprises people given how differently these vegetables are used in cooking.

The potato originated in the Andes mountains of South America, where indigenous peoples cultivated thousands of distinct varieties long before European contact, and its introduction to Europe in the 16th century eventually made it a dietary staple across much of the continent, most famously (and tragically) in Ireland.

The Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s, triggered by a potato blight that destroyed the crop several years running, illustrates just how dependent a single-crop diet had become in parts of Ireland by that point, and it remains one of history's starkest examples of the risk built into over-relying on one staple food.

A potato's skin carries a meaningful share of its fiber and several nutrients, which is why many recipes for a baked or roasted potato specifically call for leaving the skin on (scrubbed clean) rather than peeling it away, treating the peel as a genuine part of the dish rather than mere packaging.

The Russet, the classic starchy baking potato behind most French fries, differs from a sweet potato in more than just name — the two aren't even in the same plant family, with a Russet belonging to the nightshade family and a sweet potato belonging to the morning glory family, despite both being commonly called "potatoes."

Idaho became closely associated with Russet potato production thanks to the state's volcanic soil and favorable climate, both genuinely well suited to growing the variety at scale, which is part of why "Idaho potato" became an informal shorthand for a high-quality baking potato well beyond the state's own borders.

Fingerling potatoes, small and elongated with a naturally waxy texture, get their name from their rough resemblance to a finger rather than from any specific botanical classification, and their firm texture holds up particularly well roasted whole or sliced into a potato salad without falling apart the way a starchier variety would.

A potato that's begun sprouting eyes but is otherwise still firm can still be used once the sprouts and any surrounding soft or green tissue are cut away, though a potato that's gone soft, wrinkled, or significantly sprouted throughout has degraded past the point worth salvaging for the small amount of usable flesh that would remain.