Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-23
Table
and
Kitchen.

Marquette Building, Chicago. All
rights reserved by Banning Co., Chi
cagO).
SOME FACTS ABOUT THE PoTA-
TOES.
The commonest and in many re-
spects the most important of our
vegetable foods is the white potato.
Like mary other useful foods as little
understood. and as badly treated in the
hands of the philistine, it has been
greatly traduced. All attempt to ostra-
cize the .,otato has met with failure:
end for three hundred years this tuber
has continued to increase its popu-
larity until now it is regarded one of
the most important of our staple
articles of diet.
The value of the potato as a food
stuff lies in it's starch, and herein also
lies it's vulnerable point of attack from
those who see no good in it, but regard
it as one os the constant sources OF
evil that endanger health. To under
stand this constituent part of the po-
tato and know how to put 1t to avail
able food use is so simple that all VINO
run may read it in one short lesson IL
they will, and yet the most jealous oe-
fender of the potato is generally us
worst foe, for by careless and Wretched
modes of cooking they are made what
their enemies claim. unfit for human
food"
Putting individual experiences ana
results from it's use as food aside, let
lis learn it's true value to mankind III
general under the favorable condition
of good cooking, which is, of course,
SYNONYMOUS with proper methods.
From the best authorities we have
the statement. first. that owing to the
high percentage of starch POTATOES
stand in the front rank Of food plants
that produce the greatest amount OIL
food to the acre. This circumstance,
coupled with the fact that they are u
garden as well as field plant, anu
may be successfully grown in the poor
mans patch, makes them we'll worth
considering as a universal food, sup
plving starch in convenient and very
palatable form.
The Composition Of the Potato.
Generally speaking we divide the po-
tato into two parts, the solid SUD
stance and the juice.
Every housewife can obtain a very
simpIe. clear object lesson in her own
home, if she will but follow this ex-.
plicit demonstration. Select; we'll
developed but not overgrown potato
one that is firm and hard and rather
heavy for it's size. With sharp knife
emf this across and closely examine the
emf surface. She will notice three dis
tinct layers: the first, the outer skin
(solanine), which is destroyed in COOK
ing in q well-conditioned potato. bu'
IT is the presence of this poison in the
water in which potatoes nave peeh
boiled that renders it unwhoiesoihe
and useless for any culinary purpose.
Young potatoes and potatoes tnal
have been exposed to light ana ram
until they become green and pltter'
- are great offenders in this respect, anu
while much of the mischief may pc re-
moved from the young potatoes ny
keaping them in cold water Tor some
time, the long exposed potato is not So
easily reclaimed and is most UNI
wholesome. The second layer directly
inside the skin is quite broad. rms IS
the "fbro- layer. In TINS
hand or zone is found the small
amount of pigment which turns
orcen when exposed to light and ram,
and gives the potato the color and BIT
tor taste we have already described
Ttis LAYER constitutes S1a per cent. OF
the entire tuber. The skin or outer
rind forms 2k per cent. of the whole,
while the third part or core or ilesn
makes up the rest of the bulk, which
is so per cent. While space will not
hermit of too much detail. 1T must De
clearly understood that in the second
or fibro-vascular layer we have con-
siderably more proteid and minerai
matter than in the flesh or core, ana
when the potatoes are pared ever so
carefully and intelligently we lose
large percentage of these valuable
substances And this also makes
plain. even to the unlearned, the Will
full waste practiced in nine Kitchens
out of every ten. The scavenger VINO
picks out the potato parings from the
average waste pail is the gamer
thereby. but better feed the lowly by a
more elevating method. In fact best
give him the whole potatoes.
AS a Tissue Builder.
While the potato is rated as tissue
builder, it's value for this purpose
must not be over-estimated for the
reason that all the heterogeneous matter
present is not in the fern of proteld.
Less than so per cent. of the whole
amount of the heterogeneous matter OF
the potato is contained in the proteios'
the remainder being present IN inc
form of ammonia compounds and salts.
The potato that is "waxy wheh
cooked is richer in oroteids. for the
coagulated proteid holds together.
Young potatoes are noticeably more
waxy and solid, as they contain more
mice and less starch. The uniformed
starch and immature cell-tissue OF the
new potato make them rather unsafe
if eaten Unfortunately. The richness
of the potato in starch--it contains
from IS to 10 per cent.-makes 1t OF
great commercial value for many pur-
poses other than food While potatoes
are no more deserving of condemna-
ton than other food substances, they
must be avoided in certain diseased
conditions on account of their aptness
10 undergo fermentation. The starch