5 Ways to Eat Potatoes: Delicious and Nutritious.

This year, a popular way to prepare potatoes in restaurants has been to deep-fry them and then add seasonings like chili. While this is very tasty and goes well with rice, it causes most of the potato's nutrients to be lost, and the excessive oil is not good for your health. So, how can potatoes be both delicious and nutritious? Nutrition experts have recommended the following potato recipes for us.

First place: Steamed potatoes.

Steaming is the most ideal cooking method for potatoes, as it has minimal impact on their nutritional value and preserves their natural aroma. Research shows that after steaming, potatoes lose very little vitamin C, with a retention rate of over 80%. Furthermore, carbohydrates, minerals, and dietary fiber are not lost, and the starch granules are fully gelatinized, making them easier to digest and break down in the body without burdening the stomach and intestines.

Cooking tip: Steaming whole potatoes with their skin on results in even less nutrient loss, especially for vitamin C, making it the best way to eat them.

Steamed Potatoes

Second place: Mashed potatoes.

Mashed potatoes are made by steaming potatoes and then mashing them, resulting in a soft texture that is more suitable for the elderly and children. When combined with other ingredients properly, they can also be a therapeutic dish for people who need to control their weight, blood sugar, or blood pressure. However, some improper pairings can ruin the nutritional and health benefits of mashed potatoes. For example, the "creamy mashed potatoes" in some fast-food chains contain large amounts of margarine, artificial colors, flavorings, and sugar, which significantly diminish their nutritional value.

Cooking tip: Yogurt and nut mashed potatoes are recommended. Not only do they taste great, but adding yogurt and nuts also supplements protein and minerals, making them more nutritious and a great snack. You can use walnuts, cashews, or peanuts.

Yogurt Mashed Potatoes

Third place: Braised potatoes.

Cutting potatoes into large pieces means less surface area, so water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are lost to a lesser extent. However, some people deep-fry the potatoes before braising them, which, while improving the texture, destroys many valuable nutrients.

Cooking tip: Potatoes braised with beef is a perfect match. Potatoes lack minerals like iron and protein, which beef is rich in. Conversely, beef lacks carbohydrates and vitamin C and contains cholesterol. Potatoes not only compensate for these deficiencies but are also rich in dietary fiber, which can reduce the body's absorption of cholesterol.

Braised Pork with Potatoes

Fourth place: Stir-fried potato slices.

Cooking thinly sliced potatoes will cause some nutrient loss. However, since stir-frying potato slices generally takes a short time, this can to some extent make up for the deficiency.

Cooking tip: Do not soak potato slices in water before stir-frying, as soaking will cause more nutrient loss.

Celery Stir-fried with Potato Slices

Fifth place: Stir-fried potato shreds.

Cutting potatoes into very fine shreds leads to significant nutrient loss. Moreover, most people soak potato shreds in water before stir-frying, and some even blanch them and then rinse with cold water. These practices cause rich vitamin C and inorganic salts like potassium and magnesium to dissolve into the water and be lost. Furthermore, because stir-fried potato shreds have many cut surfaces and a large surface area, they will also absorb more oil.

Cooking tip: Add vinegar early. This not only enhances the flavor but also improves the absorption rate of nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamin C. Add salt later. First, salt will make the potato shreds softer, and second, it will increase the loss of vitamin C. If salt is added too early, it will also increase sodium intake.

Quick-fried Potato Shreds with Mei Gan Cai