# How dangerous are sprouting potatoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144 "2024-12-25T05:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/1 "2024-12-25T05:01:52Z")
I read both that you can break off the sprouts and peel, and that they will be fine, and also to be cautious and discard. We won 10 kg (22 lbs) and don’t use them that quickly. Normally, I only buy enough for what I’m planning on cooking. We’ve managed to get through most of them, but the remaining have small sprouts. I found a picture online which gives the level. [![](https://www.tasteofhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1203179545.jpg?fit=300,300&webp=1) ](https://www.tasteofhome.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GettyImages-1203179545.jpg?fit=300,300&webp=1) Looking at older threads, > [@Disposal of sprouted potatoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disposal-of-sprouted-potatoes/656111/15): > > i recall some archeologists doing some core sampling in garbage dumps. i think they brought up corn kernels in a layer with 50 year old newspaper (which is how they dated that depth). i don’t have a cite or more specifics that i recall. to decompose rapidly takes oxygen. if it is sealed in a landfill there is no oxygen, it will decompose over a geological length time period. landfills don’t allow yard waste or large quantities of organic matter. they will often have composting programs for t… This talks about how to discard them, but several posters say it’s OK to dig out the sprouts, peet and eat. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/2 "2024-12-25T05:09:23Z")
Those should be fine. I’ve eaten potatoes at that level many times and (stops to check) I’m not dead yet. I’ve heard that when they turn green under the skin is when there is a problem. [https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Are-green-potatoes-dangerous#:~:text=To%20be%20safe%2C%20it%20is%20best%20to,the%20skins%2C%20shoots%20and%20any%20green%20color](https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Are-green-potatoes-dangerous#:~:text=To%20be%20safe%2C%20it%20is%20best%20to,the%20skins%2C%20shoots%20and%20any%20green%20color); > However, when potato tubers turn green there is usually an increase in a glycoalkoloid compound called solanine. Consequently, it is important to store potatoes in the absence of light to prevent greening. Tubers with a high concentration of solanine will taste bitter, and can be harmful if eaten in large quantities. To be safe, it is best to not eat the green part of tubers." You do not need to discard green potatoes. Just peel the skins, shoots and any green color; that is where the solanines concentrate. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/3 "2024-12-25T05:48:32Z")
They’re fine. Go ahead and cook them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/4 "2024-12-25T05:49:41Z")
I agree. Pick off the eyes, and use them as usual. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/5 "2024-12-25T06:23:05Z")
Thanks. In Taiwan, they usually discard them so my Taiwanese wife was worried. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/6 "2024-12-25T09:39:25Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’ve heard that when they turn green under the skin is when there is a problem. As a broad rule if that happens to either the food or consumer, then we should stop and re-evaluate. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/7 "2024-12-25T10:25:16Z")
I’ll knock off the sprouts if they’re small and not too many, and use the potatoes like normal. Look for green in the skin and maybe discard. My real test is squeezing them - any rubbery ones I reject and throw in the composter, no matter what the sprout or green in the skin situation is. When in doubt, throw it out. I recently came into a bag of russetts that I know I’ll not be able to get thru before they spoil. I found online it’s possible to freeze them for later use: [How to Freeze Potatoes](https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-freeze-potatoes/). So far I’ve prepred and frozen some steak fries and plan to try them in the air fryer. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/8 "2024-12-25T12:29:13Z")
I’ve been knocking sprouts off for 50 years with no I’ll effects, however potatoes are cheap so you can toss them out and by fresh ones if you’re nervous about it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/9 "2024-12-25T14:52:15Z")
I’ve peeled and eaten plenty of potatoes with green under the skin, with no adverse effttssjff. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/10 "2024-12-25T15:01:52Z")
Non-irradiated potatoes sprout pretty rapidly if you don’t eat them right away. I’d say about three quarters of the potatoes I cook have small buds on them. I do discard those with green under the skin. Most will be fine if the green is well pared off, but I have ruined a dish with some that made the whole dish bitter. It’s solanine, a toxic alkaloid. You won’t eat enough to make you sick as it tastes really terrible, but like I say, you can ruin a dish if your potatoes are going green. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/11 "2024-12-25T17:54:43Z")
The standard cheap peeler has a pointed end just for cutting out the sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/12 "2024-12-25T18:42:23Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Non-irradiated potatoes sprout pretty rapidly if you don’t eat them right away. Depends on the variety and the storage temperatures, as well as on how long it’s been since harvest. Some varieties will keep six months or more under good storage conditions before sprouting. If your potatoes are sprouting soon after you buy them, they were probably on the old side to start with. In late winter older ones may be all you can find to buy, though if they’re good storage varieties that were kept under the right storage conditions they may still be good for a while. As others have said: just remove the sprouts and any green areas – sometimes the green is only right under the skin, sometimes it’s gotten deeper in. The green is a response to light exposure; store your potatoes in the dark, or else they’ll start to green; and avoid buying any that are already green. Potatoes with longer sprouts may have become somewhat mushy, as the moisture and nutrients in the potato start to move into the sprouts. They’re still edible in the sense that they won’t hurt you, but may not taste as good, because the texture starts to become off. Potatoes that only have short sprouts are generally still fine. Remove any sprouts from potatoes you’re not going to cook yet, also: they’ll eventually start sprouting again, but removing the sprouts while they’re short delays the processes that ruin the texture. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/13 "2024-12-25T22:27:19Z")
We just ate a load of latkes made from sprouted potatoes. They were great. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/14 "2024-12-25T22:43:27Z")
Remove the sprouts and peel the potatoes if you’re in doubt. Sprouts are not as big a concern as green skins, which also don’t taste good. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/15 "2024-12-26T00:05:56Z")
There’s a song about 'taters that have done gone to sprout, but that probably wouldn’t be suitable for this part of the board. 😀 I’ve eaten potatoes like the ones shown with no problem (with the sprouts knocked off, of course), but it’s more fun to put the potato in water to see how much it will grow. One time I managed to get one to flower. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/16 "2024-12-26T00:52:57Z")
If it was a couple months later and I got some sprouted potatoes, I’d plant them in a pot on my porch, and harvest them a few months later. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/17 "2024-12-26T01:20:52Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Non-irradiated potatoes sprout pretty rapidly if you don’t eat them right away. Where are you finding irradiated potatoes? I thought that irradiated food wasn’t normally sold, at least not in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/18 "2024-12-26T01:31:14Z")
When I notice potatoes starting to sprout, I go through the entire bag and remove all of the sprouts, even though I won’t be using those potatoes for several days. The sooner the sprouts are removed, the less the potatoes are degraded. I don’t bother with a tool, just use my fingers. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/19 "2024-12-26T03:02:20Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > 🎵 > _If it was a couple months later_ > _and I got some sprouted po-tater_ > _I’d plant them in a pot on my porch and harvest them a few months later_ > 🎶 Sorry, back to the spud talk. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2024, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144/20 "2024-12-26T03:09:59Z")
If you keep your potatoes in the dark, they dont sprout as fast. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-sprouting-potatoes/1012144.md?page=2)