Contrary to what Mr and Mrs potato head shows us, potatoes do not have genders.
Potatoes are asexual crops; a single potato plant is responsible for producing and developing new potato plants. Potato plants don’t possess a female or a male part but have both female and male organs. This asexuality manifests when its flowers are ready for pollination.
Potato flowers are self-pollinating, which means that the pollen from the anther of a potato flower settles on the stigma of the same flower.
So, Do potatoes have genders? Let us talk more about this deliciously versatile crop that is potato.
Do potatoes have genders?
Potatoes do not have genders. As we mentioned earlier, potatoes are asexual, self-fertilizing crops; potato plants have both male and female organs, making it possible for them to self-pollinate. For self-pollinating plants, pollen from the anther is deposited in the same plant’s stigma. The basic idea of self-pollination or fertilization is that the sole duty of reproduction rest on an individual plant alone.
What benefits are in potatoes?
Health benefits
- Potatoes are packed with antioxidants like phenolic acid, flavonoids, and carotenoids that help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart issues.
- Potatoes help with digestion. The butyrate resulting from the breakdown of resistant starch found in potatoes helps reduce inflammation in the colon.
- Potatoes are nutrients and vitamin-filled. Potatoes boast nutrients like magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, manganese, folate, and niacin. While vitamins B6 and vitamins C are found in potatoes as well.
- Well-baked or mashed potatoes can significantly reduce blood sugar levels.
- Potatoes are low in cholesterol, so they help lower cholesterol levels.
- Vitamin B6 in potatoes has been linked with positive neurological health.
- Iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus in potatoes help strengthen bones.
Skin benefits
- Potato juice helps remedy sunburns.
- Potato juice makes an excellent addition to your exfoliant.
- A raw potato eye mask helps eliminate puffy eyes or dark eyes.
- You can significantly decrease aging lines on your face with raw potato juice.
- A potato and curd face mask can reduce dryness. Do this by mixing grated raw potatoes and ½ teaspoon of curd and applying to your face for about 25 minutes before rinsing with cold water. Constantly applying the potato and curd face mask should do the trick.
How to make baked potatoes – a step-by-step guide
You’ll need potatoes, freshly ground black pepper, a wire rack, a pastry brush, olive oil, and kosher salt.
Guide
- 1. Hear the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2. While the oven is heating, put a wire rack on your baking sheet.
- 3. Poke holes on the sides of the potatoes with a fork.
- 4. Leave the potatoes in the oven to bake for approximately 25 minutes till they become wrinkly.
- 5. Take out the potatoes from the oven and brush the potatoes with olive oil using a pastry brush. Do this on a separate tray or dish.
- 6. Sprinkle some kosher salt on the potatoes, place them on the baking sheet, and put them back in the oven to cook for another 20 minutes. (Ensure you put the side previously facing downward, upward for all-around cooking).
- 7. When the inside of the potatoes begins to feel mushy or cooked, take them out.
- 8. Open up the potatoes by slicing vertically and adding your pepper and other preferred seasonings.
Read also: How To Fix Undercooked Potatoes
How to make mashed potatoes – a step-by-step guide
You’ll need a cup of milk, salt, pepper, two pounds of peeled and quartered baking potatoes, and two tablespoons of butter.
Guide
- Boil the potatoes in a pot with salted water for about 15 minutes till the potatoes are soft but firm, then remove the water.
- Place butter and milk in a small skillet or saucepan till the butter melts.
- Blend the milk-butter mix with the potatoes in a blender or electric beater till it assumes a smooth consistency.
- Add salt and pepper.
How to dice potatoes – a step-by-step guide
You’ll need a knife, a chopping board, and your potatoes.
Guide
- 1. Slice your potato/potatoes in half.
- 2. Lay each half of the potato flat on the cutting board.
- 3. Vertically slice each half of the potato into three or four long potato sticks.
- 4. Flip the long potato sticks horizontally or width-wise and cut them into cube-like pieces.
How long does it take to bake potatoes?
Baked potatoes can take anywhere between 35 minutes to an hour to cook.
How long does it take to bake potatoes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit?
Potatoes baking at 400 degrees Fahrenheit should take about 45 minutes to cook.
How long do potatoes last?
The shelf life of potatoes depends on if they have been cooked and how they are stored.
Raw or uncooked potatoes can last for a week to three months in a cool environment like a pantry and up to two weeks at room temperature.
Raw, cut potatoes marinated in water can stay up to 24 hours before spoiling.
Mashed, boiled, and baked potatoes can last for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
Cooked potatoes can last up to a year in the freezer.
How to tell if potatoes are bad
Raw or uncooked potatoes
If raw potatoes begin to smell musty or moldy, they might be spoilt.
If raw potatoes are soft, squishy, or wrinkled, they are rotten and shouldn’t be eaten.
A dark blemish or mold on the skin or the flesh of potatoes is a tell-tale sign of spillage.
Cooked potatoes
A foul or rotten smell is a sign of a bad potato.
The presence of mold tells a rotten story about cooked potatoes.
If the potatoes have a slimy feel, they have probably spoilt.
