5 ms·

This is one of those "life facts" that I wish we were taught in school, because it's potentially dangerous but doesn't seem like it. I learned about it in my 30

This is one of those "life facts" that I wish we were taught in school, because it's potentially dangerous but doesn't seem like it. I learned about it in my 30s when a partner told me to be careful of the green sprouting potatoes I was about to cook.

msrenee 5y ago
The green parts are really bitter. I always figured that was the reason you don't hear much about people being poisoned by green potatoes. They taste nasty enough that it's usually just not a problem.
Hendrikto 5y ago
I, for one, am glad this isn’t disseminated widely. There may be a theoretical risk, but it’s minimal, and food waste is a much larger problem. I always eat my sprouted potatoes.
kergonath 5y ago
> This is one of those "life facts" that I wish we were taught in school, because it's potentially dangerous but doesn't seem like it. It really isn’t. You need to eat absurd amounts of stuff you’d not want to eat instinctively (green skin and sprouts). Remove those and there is nothing to be afraid of. On top of that the chemicals in question are very bitter. You wouldn’t eat them even ignoring the visual cues. Same for courgettes [zucchini] and tomatoes. Yes, the plant has some toxic compounds. No, it’s not really dangerous (though the risk is higher with courgettes than either tomatoes and potatoes, but bad courgettes are very bitter).
- morelisp 5y ago
  Bad courgettes can get you quite sick with even just a bite or two, I wouldn't minimize the risk there. (And even worse if you e.g. pickle them / use them in a soup which masks the flavor at first.)
- throwaway984393 5y ago
  I'm literally saying I didn't know I shouldn't eat the green parts for 30 years, and your response is "Remove those and there is nothing to be afraid of." I didn't know to remove them for 30 years!!
  - kergonath 5y ago
    Yeah. What I am saying is that they are gross, and bitter. So most likely is, you’d have removed them without knowing a thing about them or, having left them, you wouldn’t have eaten them because the taste would be bad. And had you eaten them anyway, you’d be in for a mild stomach ache. Long story short, it is not very dangerous, even if you are completely unaware.

msrenee 5y ago

The green parts are really bitter. I always figured that was the reason you don't hear much about people being poisoned by green potatoes. They taste nasty enough that it's usually just not a problem.

Hendrikto 5y ago

I, for one, am glad this isn’t disseminated widely. There may be a theoretical risk, but it’s minimal, and food waste is a much larger problem. I always eat my sprouted potatoes.

kergonath 5y ago

> This is one of those "life facts" that I wish we were taught in school, because it's potentially dangerous but doesn't seem like it. It really isn’t. You need to eat absurd amounts of stuff you’d not want to eat instinctively (green skin and sprouts). Remove those and there is nothing to be afraid of. On top of that the chemicals in question are very bitter. You wouldn’t eat them even ignoring the visual cues. Same for courgettes [zucchini] and tomatoes. Yes, the plant has some toxic compounds. No, it’s not really dangerous (though the risk is higher with courgettes than either tomatoes and potatoes, but bad courgettes are very bitter).

morelisp 5y ago
Bad courgettes can get you quite sick with even just a bite or two, I wouldn't minimize the risk there. (And even worse if you e.g. pickle them / use them in a soup which masks the flavor at first.)
throwaway984393 5y ago
I'm literally saying I didn't know I shouldn't eat the green parts for 30 years, and your response is "Remove those and there is nothing to be afraid of." I didn't know to remove them for 30 years!!
- kergonath 5y ago
  Yeah. What I am saying is that they are gross, and bitter. So most likely is, you’d have removed them without knowing a thing about them or, having left them, you wouldn’t have eaten them because the taste would be bad. And had you eaten them anyway, you’d be in for a mild stomach ache. Long story short, it is not very dangerous, even if you are completely unaware.