Potatoes are a staple for many countries across the world, and it’s a good source of protein, carbohydrates, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and iron. Despite being good to eat, you’ll be surprised at the different ways people have used this root crop over the years. Since potatoes are relatively cheap in the market, you may want to try some of these surprising uses for yourself!
POTATOE RECIPES..
• Mashed potatoes – Cook potatoes with their skin peeled off and then mash them, adding milk, butter, salt and pepper. You could also use mustard, egg yolk, nutmeg, grated cheese, olive oil.
• Fried potatoes – Heat the potatoes in hot oil then lower the temperature and leave to cook, stirring frequently.
• Chips Peel, cut and dry the potatoes. Cook them in hot oil.
• Potato salad – Cook the whole potatoes, peel skin, slice them, pour the dressing (olive and vegetable oil, salt, pepper, vinegar) over. You could add sliced onion for better taste.
• Roast potatoes – Cut potatoes into small chunks and place in a well-oiled roasting tin that has been preheated in the oven. Cook until they’re golden and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.
• Baked potatoes – Prick and cover the potatoes in aluminum foil, then bake in the oven at 200°C. Remove the foil and pop the potatoes under the grill for 10 minutes at the end to make the skin nice and crispy.
• Hash browns – Grate the raw, peeled potatoes into a bowl. Mix in grated onion, salt, pepper and beaten egg. Heat some oil in a frying pan and spoon in portions of the mixture. Make into shapes about 1cm thick. Flip once they’re browned and crispy.
• Potato wedges – Scrub the potatoes and cut them in half lengthways, repeating until you get even wedges. Place in a bowl with olive oil and stir until coated. Place onto a baking sheet and bake at 200°C for about 30 minutes until golden brown and cooked throughout.
Home & Garden Potato Uses
• Remove glue on hands
• As a shoe polish – Rub a raw potato on your old, dirty shoes before polishing them.
• As a polish on silverware – Boil potatoes in some water and remove the potato from water. Place your silver ware in the water for an hour. Silver ware will glaze.
• Extract salt from over salted soups and pottages – Toss in some large sliced potatoes while still on the stove. In about 5 to 10 minutes the potato slices absorb the excess salt. Then remove them from the pot or bowl.
• Keep glasses clear – Rubbing a potato on the glasses can prevent them from fogging up in the early morning.
• Root geraniums – Just take a potato and cut a hole down through it but not all the way through. Push a geranium stem into the potato and plant the whole thing in potting soil. Soon you will have a new geranium.
• Re-plant potatoes to make more potatoes
• Use potato peelings compost
• Remove Berry Stains – A piece of raw potato rubbed on stains will take them off. If the problem is really bad, dip the cut potato into lemon juice before using it.
• Remove stains on hands – Just rub your hands with a potato.
• Clean rusty knives – Use a raw potato dipped in brick dust.
• Clean carpets – Grate a raw potato and rub over the surface of the carpet and finish off with a clean cloth, wrung out with warm water.
• Clean dresses – Grate two raw potatoes into a pint of cold water; strain through a sieve; add another pint of water and let it settle; then pour the clean part into a bottle. Dip a sponge into the water and rub the soiled garment carefully, afterward rinsing with clear water.
•Potato juice as cure. Potato juice may not sound like the yummiest thing in the world, but it’s touted as a very effective cure for different ailments. It can help alleviate pain caused by ulcers, as well as spasmodic upper body pain. Potato juice also helps heal sprains, gout, sciatica, heart burns, and bruises and flush out toxins in our body. That’s a lot of ailments that potato juice can help curing or relieving! To prepare potato juice, simply pop in cleaned potatoes with their skins on in the juicer, and that’s it. They are usually bland, but you can add celery or carrots to make the potato juice more delicious.
•Skin care. Potatoes can also help you with your skin problems. Acne, blackheads and whiteheads can be treated using potatoes in two methods. The first method is to simply cut a potato in half and rubbing the inside part of it on the affected area. Leave the juice on for half a minute and rinse. The other method is to make a face mask. To make the face mask, blend the potatoes in the blender and apply the paste on your face. Leave it on for 30 minutes and rinse off.
•As an anti aging agent
Wash your face daily with potato juice (raw potato can be ground with water) which prevents wrinkles on face and make your face glow.
• Medicine for skin burn
Take a raw sliced potato and make it as a paste by mixing water. Apply the paste on minor skin burns to relieve pain.
•Medicine for headache
Take a half sliced raw potato, and rub it on your temples to get relief from headache.
• For tired eyes
Place two round slices on your eyes to reduce the tiredness of your eyes.
• Remove glue on hands
Potato can remove glue from hands. Use Potato to wash hands when you find it hard to remove the stickiness on hands after handling some sticky vegetables like pumpkin.
•As a shoe polish
Rub a raw potato on your old, dirty shoes before polishing them. They should come out nice and shiny.
• Act as a sleeping pill
Potato prevents the action of acids in our stomach that disturb our sleep. Take a boiled and mashed potato with milk before sleeping to have a peaceful sleep.
• As a polish on silverware
Boil potatoes in some water and remove the potato from water. Place your silver ware in the water for an hour. Silver ware will glaze.
• Extract salt for curry, soup
If you found excess salt in curry or soup, toss some large sliced potatoes into the curry pot or soup bowl, still on the stove. In about 5 to 10 minutes the potato slices absorb the excess salt. Then remove them from the pot or bowl.
• Keep glasses clear
Rubbing a potato on the glasses can prevent them from fogging up in the early morning.
• Make a decorative stamp
A potato can provide the right medium for making your own stamp for decorating envelopes and holiday cards. Cut a potato in half widthwise. Carve a design on one half. Then start stamping as you would with a wooden version.
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Ammarah
Radio Islam
+27118547022
ammarah@radioislam.co.za
www.radioislam.co.za
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