The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-02-21
ALRATlON AND USE
OF POTATOES AS FOOD
Perform Important Function In Keep
ing Body Tissues Alkaline Meth
DDS of Preparation.

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The general use of potatoes in the
average family and the better Gus
toms prevailing in many homes in
preparing the tubers for food are
based on sound economic and dietetic
reasons, according to the specialists
Of the Office of Home Economics of
the United States Departm ent of Ag-
risulture. Studies of the prepara-
ton and use Of potatoes as food are
reported in the Department of Ag-
riculture Bulletin No. 468, recently
issued.
Potatoes are easy to cook in a va
riety of ways. From the point of
view of dietetics, they furnish starch
in one readily digestible form, con-
tain mineral substances of import
ance to the body, and-a fact less
generally known-tend to make the
tissues and fluids of the body aka
line, so counteracting the tendency
meats, eggs, fish, and like foods to
create acid conditions. Since the
body does it's work best when it's
condition is either neutral or slightly
alkaline, potatoes, like most vege-
tables, perfor man important func-
ton to the diet besides furnishing
producing material. This
scientific fact justifes the custom
that is prevalent in many families of
serving goodly supply of potatoes
or other vegetables with each help
ing of meat.
Potatoes, however, while valuable
addition to mixed diet, alone are
not suited to meet the needs of the
body because of their poverty in pro-
teins and fat. Of these latter i'm
portant elements protein is furnish
ed in meats, eggs, fish, milk, beans,
and similar foods, and fat in butter,
bacon, table oils, and the fats and
oils used in cookery
Greater care than commonly is ex-
ercised should be taken in peeling
potatoes. Very often 20 per cent of
the potato is pared away. This re-
suits not only in the waste of con-
siderable potato but also in the loss
of one of the most valuable portions
of the tuber, since the soluble min
eral salts are present in the materia!
near the skin, which would be re-
moved and thrown away. These salts
can be preserved by more careful
removal of the skin, as by Swallowing
pairing or rubbing, and also by boil
ing or baking the potatoes in their
jackets.
Pairing before boiling, however,
may be the most desirable method
OF cooking potatoes which through
an undue exposure to light may have
acquired bitter taste, or those
which have been kept until late in
the spring, since in this way more
of the disagreeable flavor is elimin-
ated. Such potatoes may also be
soaked before cooking.
While these methods may be de-
sirable with potatoes which have
been exposed to light, they result in
the loss of considerable food value
without compensating advantages
when applied to the new or well-ma-
tured potatoes. If such potatoes are
boiled after pairing, they ysould be
dropped into boiling water instead
Of being placed on the stove in cold
water. By the latter method there
is twice the loss of protein, or tissue
building elements, resulting from the
former. The loss of mineral matter
is about the same by each method
There is no loss of starchy material
in boiling unless portions of the tu-
Der break off,
Practically the only loss when po-
tatoes are baked in their skins is of
the water which escapes as steam
The more or less common custom of
pricking holes in the skin of baked
potatoes or breaking them is explain
ed by the fact that unless the steam
which is formed inside the skin is
allowed to escape it will change back
into water and produce sogginess.
Potatoes which have turned green
and sprouting tubers have present
considerable quantity Of solanin, an
acrid poisonous substance which,
though not dangerous in the quanti-
ties ordinarily met with, gives dis
agreeable flavor. 1t is best, there
fore, to avoid such potatoes or to