How to choose potatoes at the market. How to choose potatoes when buying at the market or in a store for storage for the winter. Rating by appearance

Potatoes for long-term storage

If you are buying potatoes for winter storage, it is better to choose not one variety, but at least 2-3. This will make it more likely that some will last until spring, and in addition, your supplies will have potatoes for various culinary purposes. Potato varieties differ in purpose. But to establish "specialization" in appearance You can’t - you need to know the characteristics of the variety.

Buying potatoes in the store and at the market

In a supermarket, you can glean something from the inscription on the price tag or packaging. It’s good when the manufacturer writes for what culinary purposes the variety is suitable: for salad, for boiling, for frying. Now both foreign (Holland, France, Israel) and domestic suppliers often supply packaged potatoes with such explanations. By the way, the quality of washed packaged potatoes is the same everywhere; which country to choose is a matter of taste.

It’s more difficult when, instead of assigning a variety, they write: “delicacy potatoes,” “domestic potatoes,” or something like that. Then we arm ourselves with a magnifying glass and look for the “composition” column, if the label is present.

Starch content above 15% - suitable variety for puree . Below 15% - For soup and salad . Dry matter - no less than 20-24%, and reducing sugars - no more than 0.5% - such potatoes can be fried, they will not crumble in a frying pan or in a deep fryer and will not acquire a bitter chocolate “tan”. It happens that any data on the composition and purpose of a variety is missing. Then all that remains is to take the bag for testing and evaluate its qualities yourself.

At the market, many sellers can name the varieties they sell. Also useful information.

The most delicious varieties of potatoes

For mashed potatoes It is recommended to take high-starch “loose” potatoes. The puree will be tender and fluffy, although very high in calories. Varieties: Blue, Lorch, Sineglazka, Lugovskoy, Adretta, Elizabeth.

When cooking mashed potatoes, it is better to put the tubers in boiling water, and for salad - in cold water. Until the water boils, some of the starch will be washed out of the “salad” potatoes, and they will not crumble.

For soup and salad - varieties with reduced starch content. They do not fall apart when cooked and do not disrupt our weight loss program: Leader, Handsome, Alvara, Red Scarlett, Nevsky, Luck, Nikulinsky.

Soon a new product may appear in grocery supermarkets salad variety Gourmet- with dark blue flesh and a high content of antioxidants. It can also be eaten fresh.

For frying We choose varieties with a high dry matter content and the ability to “keep” starch from breaking down into sugars. Thanks to this property, potato slices retain their shape when fried. Varieties: Leader, Hope, Kolobok,Bryansk early,Zhukovsky early, Impala, Felox.

Which potatoes are better stored - washed or unwashed?

To wash or not to wash potatoes - not really important question. The same varieties, grown in the same way, are sold in washed and unwashed form. Only during washing are the potatoes sorted, removing tubers with defects and custom size. Therefore, there are practically no sick or spoiled people here. But washed potatoes are stored worse - if you need a “strategic reserve”, take unwashed ones.

What size potatoes to choose

If potatoes of the same variety are sorted by size, choose the largest one. Tubers that were ahead of their “brothers” in development had time to ripen better - they have more protein, vitamins, they are healthier and tastier.

Where do the best potatoes grow?

The best domestic potatoes grow in the Lipetsk, Voronezh, Kursk, Tambov, Tver regions, and in the Moscow region. This is a temperate climate plant; heat dramatically reduces the quality of its tubers. Potatoes brought from Bryansk, Leningrad region and from the north of Ryazan, you need to choose more pickily. In these regions there are both good and not quite suitable soils for potatoes, which produce a product of not the best quality.

Special mention should be made about the soil: when we buy unwashed potatoes, we have the opportunity to evaluate it. The worst option is sand (run your palm over the peel - you will feel hard grains of sand). On sand, the tuber is “liquid”, it is poorly stored, and darkens when cooked.

Potatoes from peat bogs can suffer from the same problems if they have been poorly cared for, but to a lesser extent. Peat can be recognized by its deep black color; when it dries, it hardly brightens, crumbles, and is present mainly in the form of dust on potato skins.

Easiest to grow good potatoes on chernozems and loams. If you see a potato with black, gray or brownish plastic “dirt” stuck to the tubers, take it boldly.

Why do potatoes turn dark when cooked?

There are many reasons for this, but we cannot identify any of them when purchasing. If farmers overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers, put the tubers in storage in too high a layer, or do not comply with temperature regime, beat and squeeze the potatoes when harvesting - they will darken during cooking, especially after they have been kept warm for a couple of days. Actually everything modern varieties are relatively resistant to this scourge, but none completely solve the problem. Better than others in maintaining an “unblemished reputation”: Lorch, Handsome, Blue, Nikulinsky.

Fairy tales and storytellers: is it possible to grow potatoes without chemicals

Potatoes require fertilizers and protection from pests and diseases. Truly organic potatoes (without the use of “chemicals”) are incredibly difficult to grow, and their cost is incredible. Therefore, all suppliers of organic potatoes are a little disingenuous. Usually they only mean replacement mineral fertilizers organic. Tubers with this technology turn out to be more tasty, but their cultivation still requires pesticides. However, there is no need to panic - the main thing is that pesticides are used correctly.

Signs good potatoes:

• dense, hard;
• does not “crack” or split when cut;
• the peel is smooth, without roughness;
• doesn't have dark spots on the peel;
• with shallow eyes.

We owe the appearance of potatoes in our lives to Christopher Columbus, who brought this crop from South America to Spain in the 16th century. In 1710, citizens of the Russian State tried potatoes for the first time - thanks to Peter I, who brought an outlandish root crop from Holland, but it was popular garden crops he only became end of the 19th century century. At first, the peasants who idolized turnips were hostile to the appearance of the new vegetable, dubbing it the “devil’s apple,” so Russian potato varieties appeared a little later, when the unusual product finally took root in Rus' and turned into “second bread.” Pleasant taste, nutritional value potatoes, as well as the high content of vitamins B and C, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and amino acids, have turned it into the most popular food in our country. It ranks second in importance after wheat, and people like to repeat: “In Rus' without potatoes, it’s like a party without an accordion” or “Potatoes are our mother, and bread is our breadwinner.”

Description of potato varieties

There are about four thousand varieties of potatoes in the world, which are classified according to different signs: ripening time, pulp density and tuber color.

Middle, mid-late and late varieties potatoes taste better than early and medium ones early varieties, because the less time it takes potatoes to ripen, the lower their starch content, and this affects the taste of root vegetables.

Based on the density of the pulp, potatoes are usually divided into four types - A, B, C and D, however, similar designations can most often be seen on imported potato packages. A is a non-boiling salad type potato with a minimum starch content, B is a weakly boiling potato variety, which is used for making chips, C is a highly boiling potato with medium mealiness, ideal for deep-frying, and D is a very mealy variety that is suitable for purees and casseroles.

It is difficult to say which variety of potatoes is the most delicious, since everyone has their own preferences and tastes - for example, Europeans value grades B and C, while Russians love class D potatoes, soft, crumbly and melting in the mouth.

Yellow potato varieties contain a lot of carotene - they are moderately sweet, not very boiled and pleasant to the taste, and the most popular among them are Rosalind, Symphony, Adretta and Vineta.

Red potato varieties contain a large number of antioxidants, do not crumble when cooked, have a delicate delicate taste and are stored for a long time, so if you do not know how to choose potatoes for the winter, buy Red Thumb, Sherry, Roseval, Rose Finn Apple or Ural “Kamensky” variety - you can’t go wrong!

White potato varieties, rich in starch and vitamin C, boil well and are juicy; among them, the most delicious are “white rossa”, “tiras”, “gypsy”, “minevra” and “erou”.

How to choose the right potatoes?

Despite the fact that large potatoes are more pleasant to peel, medium and small tubers contain much more nutrients, so if your goal is to choose a variety to store for the winter, don’t chase the size. Also pay attention to the thickness of the peel - the thicker it is, the more mature the potato is considered, which means it has a better chance of surviving until spring.

Do not buy potatoes that have turned green or sprouted, as they are full of alkaloids that can cause poisoning. Small holes on the surface of the tubers indicate that the potatoes were “tasted” by a wire beetle, brown spots are a sign of scab - a disease caused by fungal microorganisms, and deep grooves are traces of the larvae of the cockchafer.

If the nail easily cuts the tuber, from which moisture oozes, then the potato was grown using nitrates. High-quality potatoes should be hard and elastic, with a smooth skin without external defects.

The best varieties of potatoes for boiling are those with red and pink skins, as they are not very starchy and hold their shape well. Most delicious variety potatoes for mashed potatoes - round, with white skin and white pulp, as they are very crumbly, tender and boil instantly. For salads and frying, take less starchy varieties that retain their shape after heat treatment - oblong tubers of yellow and Brown with a yellow core.

You can often see on store shelves newest varieties potatoes - black, red, purple, blue and other colorful fruits modern selection. The brighter the color of the tubers, the more the potato contains useful properties and antioxidants. You can talk a lot about potatoes, but it’s better to move from words to action - boil, fry, bake, stew and prepare a variety of tasty, appetizing and healthy dishes. As they said in Rus', eat potatoes and bread and you will live to be a hundred years old!

One of the secrets winter harvesting potatoes - buy several different varieties(2-3). Thanks to this approach, some of the tubers are highly likely to survive until spring. Also, choosing from several varieties allows you to diversify your diet. Based on this rule, you can choose from medium and late ripening varieties. They are tastier than the early ones due to their higher starch content, and for the same reason they last longer.

There is an international classification that divides potato varieties into 4 subgroups: A, B, C, D, depending on the degree of density. In the domestic market, it is mainly the fourth subgroup, characterized by friability and softness, that is in demand.

The chemical composition and properties of potatoes are largely determined by color. Thus, white varieties are rich in starch and vitamin C, and are distinguished by their juiciness and softness. These include:

Red-hued tubers have a special delicate taste, do not crumble during cooking, and contain a record amount of antioxidants. Ideal for long-term storage:

• Roseval;
• red-thumb;
• sheri;
• Kamensky;
• rose-finn-apple.

The yellow color of the peel indicates its saturation with carotene. This fruit is moderately sweet and has a pleasant taste. It is recommended to stock up on the following varieties of yellow potatoes:

• adretta;
• symphony;
• Vineta.

Attention! Tubers of early varieties will be stored until November at most. Next, such a product begins to sprout, becomes soft and dries out.

Where to buy

Whether to go to a store for a large purchase or give preference to the market is a matter of individual choice. An important criterion availability can be considered for purchase complete information about the product - from the country of cultivation to chemical composition. The last characteristic will help you decide how best to use potatoes. For example, tubers with percentage Starch over 15% is better suited for making purees. A product with a starch content of 20% or more is ideal for frying. Potatoes, which contain less of this component, for preparing first courses.

In many stores, potatoes are sold packaged, with all the required information indicated. Market sellers can also provide the necessary data at the buyer’s request. However, often stores and markets offer a product with minimal or no information. In this case, the buyer can only rely on his own experience in choosing potatoes and on the seller’s recommendations.

Advice. Before making a large-scale purchase, it is recommended to buy 1-2 kg “for testing”. This way you can be sure of the taste of the potatoes.

Rating by appearance

You can understand the properties of a particular variety by paying attention to the visual characteristics of potatoes:

Presence of nitrates and other fertilizers

Most manufacturers to obtain good harvest use fertilizers. The only difference is that some use organic, while others use nitrogen, the so-called nitrates. You can check whether nitrates were used. To do this, you need to cut the fruit; if it contains nitrates, the cut will ooze. Natural potatoes are more elastic and do not release juice.

You can prepare tasty and high-quality potatoes by evaluating root vegetables in accordance with the recommendations of experts. By choosing firm fruits without damage, giving preference to a proven variety, you can enjoy delicious potatoes until the next harvest.

How to choose potatoes: video

If you do not live in a private house and do not grow your own homemade potatoes at the dacha, you have to buy it at the market and in the store. Today, potato prices are not as low as we would like, and therefore the buyer has to choose potatoes with special care every time.

Nobody wants to pay money for a product Low quality, when during cleaning you have to throw away almost half of the entire root crop.

But low-quality potatoes are found everywhere, and you can avoid troubles only by paying attention the right choice potatoes in a store or market..

How to choose potatoes at the market

1. Since you have access to a box of potatoes in stores and at the market, and you don’t buy a lot of them, try to inspect all the tubers. Preference is given to small and medium-sized potatoes. Large root vegetables are very unpredictable in terms of quality; they can turn out to be rotten, empty, or severely damaged by diseases and pests.

2. To choose potatoes on the market and not make a mistake, you need to pay attention to tubers with the most correct symmetrical shape. It is better to put damaged, “wounded” and suspicious tubers aside.

3. Pay attention to any spots, lesions or spots on the peel. Usually, underneath all these minor problems there are deep lesions that go deep into the root crop. When cleaning all these areas you will have to simply cut them off and throw them away.

4. To choose the right potatoes at the market and in the store, you will also have to pay attention to the color of the tubers. Green potatoes should be set aside. If you buy such potatoes, all green areas will have to be cut off, since they contain poison - solanine, which in large quantities is harmful to humans.

5. The next point in choosing potatoes is the most difficult to check. We are talking about the environmental purity of the product, which depends on the places and conditions of its growth. High-quality potatoes will be grown in natural natural conditions without nitrate fertilizers and other chemicals. Pressing your fingernail on the root vegetable will help you choose potatoes on the market here. If the peel bursts, it is good sign potatoes without nitrate. A bad sign would be the nail sinking into the peel, as if into soap.

6. If your task is to select the ideal tubers, set aside the wrinkled, sprouted, shriveled, twisted root vegetables. But if you still peel sprouted potatoes, cut off the thicker layer of the peel, since it is in this layer that all the unfavorable substances are located.

7. Since buying potatoes is only the beginning of their culinary journey, consider the varieties and methods of further culinary processing. For example, pink root vegetables are good for frying, yellowish ones are good for soup or cabbage soup, and white crumbly varieties make excellent purees.

8. If you are used to buying potatoes for future use and in bulk, take care of them proper storage. Potatoes are stored in dark places, preferably with medium temperature.

If a root crop is exposed to frost, it freezes and spoils. If the tuber is warm or under sun rays– it quickly sprouts, turns green, and deteriorates.

When storing potatoes in large quantities, you should periodically check them, that is, sort them out. During the selection process, it is important to eliminate rotten and damaged tubers from the total mass, as well as break off sprouted shoots and sprouts. If you don’t do this, then by spring or even mid-winter all your potatoes will sprout, turn green, rot, become soft and tasteless.