Peeling Carrots and Potatoes

[Nyboy]

While rushing to get ready for work, I threw a roast some carrots, potatoes and mushrooms with seasons in a crockpot. My mother seemed to peel every vegetable she cooked. I hate peeling and just washed before putting in crockpot. Now back of my mind is some thing about potato skins being poisonous, maybe that just to dogs. Do you have to peel any vegetable to make safe to eat ?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Unless someone knows something different specifically for dogs, I think what they are talking about are GREEN potato skins and GREEN potatoes. When sunlight hits potatoes they turn green and produce a substance that is toxic to people, dogs, chickens, and lots of other things. The way I understand it the green itself isn't the big problem, that's just photosynthesis. But it is a sign that solanine is also being produced. Of course dosage has something to do with it but for some people or animals sensitive to it, it doesn't take a lot of solanine to really mess you up. It can even be fatal.

I see this all the time over on the chicken forum. Potatoes or potato skins are poison! Henrietta pecked a white potato, she's going to die! OMG, she's going to die!!! No she's not. Even if the potato is green one peck isn't enough to cause problems because of the dosage. If the potato is not green it's not a problem at all. When I harvest my potatoes I toss some of the small ones to my chickens, they love them. But I don't give them any green potatoes and I don't eat green potatoes myself. I suspect green potatoes is the basis for no feeding potatoes or potato skins to dogs.

I've had potatoes served in nice restaurants, and maybe some not so nice, served mashed up but not peeled. That's generally new potatoes I think. Some potato salad recipes I make call for the potatoes to not be peeled. I only use new potatoes for these.

When I harvest carrots, I wash them well, peel them, and freeze them in serving size pieces. I save the carrot peelings and use those in place of carrots when I make chicken broth.

I imagine there are some vegetable skins that are unsafe, there are an unbelievable number of veggies out there so about anything is possible. Off the top of my head I can't think of any but we have some clever people on this site, maybe someone can. Some skins can have an appearance or texture that make them unappetizing (like beets) but often the skins have a concentration of vitamins or minerals, they are the most nutritious part of the veggie.

 

[digitS']

Banana peels ... oh, you said vegetables. Shoot, some folks eat zucchini, skin and all! I'll be mixing up my fruits and veggies .

I wonder about eggplant.

The purpose of eating fruits and vegetables is to gain nutrition. Mom used to talk about those vitamins in the skin of an apple but if I would not eat the unpeeled apple, I wasn't gaining any of its nutrients.

I learned just a few years ago that I prefer the texture of tomato sauces and soups if I leave the skins on and run this fruit/vegetable through the food processor. I like it better. I think I learned that by being lazy and not enjoying the blanching and peeling .

Hate is too strong of a word. Maybe I don't love apples but I sure like to eat them. I was trying to eat all of them so as not to have any for Apple Upside Down Cake but DW bought more!

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Steve, I grow the Japanese style eggplant. The skin is pretty thin and can be left on. The big round eggplant, I peel those. The skin is tougher.

 

[aftermidnight]

As to potatoes, I peel for mashed potatoes but when I make chips,(french fries to you guys) I leave the skins on just scrub them well before slicing and soaking in cold water to get rid of some of the starch. Baked, we eat skins and all, love those crispy skins with a little butter or for us Becel marg. I've always cooked beets and slipped the skins off but our kids leave them on, especially when they do a veggie roast. Carrots, sometimes I peel, sometimes I just scrub. Now rutabaga, definitely peel, then dice, when cooked a sprinkle of brown or white sugar, a dollop of marg. and a generous sprinkle of dill weed, do the same with carrots some of the time.
Annette.

 

[ninnymary]

While rushing to get ready for work, I threw a roast some carrots, potatoes and mushrooms with seasons in a crockpot. My mother seemed to peel every vegetable she cooked. I hate peeling and just washed before putting in crockpot. Now back of my mind is some thing about potato skins being poisonous, maybe that just to dogs. Do you have to peel any vegetable to make safe to eat ?

Did you add spring, summer, fall, and winter to it?

I don't peel eggplant nor red potatoes. I do peel russet potatoes and carrots. I don't think it's necessary to peel these veggies, I just think they look prettier if you do, haha

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I second what Ridge said about potatoes and solanine.
Also, the solanine is throughout the entire potato, you can't get rid of it by peeling the green off, as I used to think.

Green eggs and ham are okay, but not green potatoes.

I don't peel, just scrub. Except mashed potatoes, I like them rustic, dh has a problem seeing all that roughage in there, so I peel them for him.

 

[ducks4you]

No, you can use a vegetable brush and really clean the outside of your carrots and potatoes. What to watch for it green on potatoes. Just chop any green parts off and compost. Many recipes called for potatoes with the skins on.

 

[Carol Dee]

It was the thing to do when our Mom's where cooking. But now science says the most nutrients are in the skin or just under the skin and lost when peeled. I only peel potatoes that are getting mashed. (But do like the ones I get at restaurants with garlic and some skins in.) So you did good. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[thistlebloom]

No, you can use a vegetable brush and really clean the outside of your carrots and potatoes. What to watch for it green on potatoes. Just chop any green parts off and compost. Many recipes called for potatoes with the skins on.

Please be careful with those spuds Ducks. The solanine is in the entire potato, not just the green skins. As Ridge said, the green is just an indicator that it's present.