Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-02-06

teri / per cent fri, 1874 per cent car
bo-hydrates principally starchb and
nor cent ash or mineral matter. Of
the carbohydrates A per cent is maze
nm of crude fiber and materials. which
in some Of their notifications consu-
,nte the cell walls OF plants and gives
them a rigid structure. These ngures,
like others for composition Of food
materials, represent general averages
from which there are wide variations
individual specimens. Though the
skin. cortial layer and flesh diner
somewhat in composition, they all re-
semble more or less closely that OF the
whole Tuber.
When potatoes are stored they I'M
dergo shrinkage. According TO tests
made at the Michigan agricultural ex-
neriment station, this amounted 10
11.5 per cent when they were Kept In
storage from Sept. 30 to May /. This
shrinkage is probably due to loss OF
water by evaporation.
The potato contains some protein
but as the principal ingredient In 1t Is
starch it may be properly ciassed as
carbo-hydrate food. AS in the case
with all carbohydrate foods, 1t Is
chiefly valuable In the diet TO supply
the body with energy. The potato has
fuel value OF 385 calorics to the
pound-that is, when burned in the
body. as all foods must be to be util-
lied IT yields energy equal to the
amount named
Cooking the Tubers.
The principal ways of cooking po-
tatoes are baking, boiling and frying,
or some modification of these process
SEES. The objects sought are principal
ly to soften the tissues and render
them more susceptible to the action of
the digestive juices and to improve the
flavor.
lust why cooking changes thefiavor
as IL does has apparently never been
made the subject of investigation. In
potatoes as In other foods, the cooked
starch is more agreeable to the taste
than raw In the raw potato the Sc
parate starch grains are inclosed IN
cells with walls composed of crude
fiber a material resistant to digestive
juices. If potatoes were eaten raw the
digestive juices would not reach the
starch as easily unless the cell walls
ahppened to be ruptured mechanically,
as in masticatlon,
l. ..h W
tatoes should not be peeled before
cooking and placed directly in hot
water and boiled rapidly less loss OF
material is sustained than when they
are cooked in water cold at the start.
The wholesomeness of potatoes cooked
In different ways is largely matter
which each must decide for himself
the general experience being that for
men in health most Of the methods
followed are satisfactory.
When They Are Injurious.
Although under ordinary circum-
stances potatoes are unquestionably a
wholesome food for most persons, ILL
ness is sometimes caused by eating
them. There are undoubtedly some
persons In health with whom potatoes
do not agree, just as there are those
who cannot eat strawberries without
distress. This is due to personal idi-
osyncratic and not to the harmful
character OF the food.
Cases of actual poisoning 10y po'
tatoes. however. are by no means IN
known So far as can be learned the
abnormal symptoms in such cases
were caused by the presence of so
lanin in the potatoes. Several years
ago 357 soldiers in battalion of the
Austrian army showed symptoms OF
solanin poisoning, The potatoes used
| for food We're examined Those which
were fresh contained small amount
of solanin, while those which had
sprouted contained much more. still
| larger amounts being found in the
sprouts than In the tubers themselves
The potatoes undoubtedly caused the
| poisoning in this case.
| Potatoes year old which have lain
| In cellar and shriveled and small pc
tatoes which have sprouted without
being planted are considered special
ly dangerous and should not he eaten
| If perfect fresh potatoes contain any
solanin the amount is so small that II
does not cause harm Washington
| Times.