Florentina Lewis
Fried potatoes, mashed potatoes or fries: We like to put the yellow potatoes on the table. But are potatoes fresh best or should you reheat them the next day because they are healthier then?
Now, in autumn, they are available fresh from the field again: potatoes. They can be prepared in countless ways, taste delicious and fill you up. But is it true that potatoes from the day before are healthier than freshly cooked ones?
Are yesterday’s potatoes healthier?
There is actually something to this rumor. Because if you let boiled potatoes cool down and put them in the fridge overnight, some of the starch they contain changes their structure. The resulting indigestible, so-called resistant starch is good for the intestinal flora. It is only broken down in the large intestine.
The potatoes from the day before can even help you lose weight because our body absorbs fewer calories from them and the indigestible starch keeps you full for longer. Important to know: The effect is retained even when the potatoes are reheated.
However, if you get flatulence easily from foods that are difficult to digest, you should eat potatoes fresh.
Incidentally, the same effect applies to pasta, legumes and rice: if you store them in the refrigerator and heat them up the next day, the satiety effect lasts longer.
It is important not to leave potatoes, rice and noodles for long after cooking, but to put them in the fridge as soon as they have cooled down. Otherwise, bacteria can form.
Important: Warm up the potatoes properly
To prevent possible bacteria, you should heat potatoes evenly. Therefore, do not heat up potatoes in the microwave, but in a saucepan. Be sure to heat them above 70 degrees and for several minutes.
Potatoes from the day before taste particularly delicious as fried potatoes, potato pancakes and in potato salad.
