Potatoes are the number one vegetable eaten across the country and are one of the most versatile and nutritionally dense foods available. Originating in the Andean Mountain region of South America, once imported to Europe, they became a staple crop there and led to great population increases. Since the 16^th century, potatoes have risen to become the fourth largest crop cultivated in the world behind rice, corn, and wheat. There are thousands of varieties known, though a handful are readily available for purchase.

Potatoes are broken into two distinct categories for cooking purposes: starchy and waxy. Starchy potatoes are great for frying and whip nicely to become fluffy and hold lots of flavorful ingredients like cream, butter, and roasted garlic. The starchy variety that is most widely available is the Russet potato. Waxy potatoes are those like Redskins, Yukon Golds, and White potatoes, which perform better in soups, stews, and other liquid applications because they hold their shape better, and do not crumble. This is a general rule, and there are certainly recipes where one is used where another kind might be typical.

• Look for potatoes that are firm and fairly smooth. Avoid potatoes with sprouts, green or dark areas, or wrinkled skin.

• Potatoes will keep for up to two months in a cool, dry, dark place that is well ventilated. Do not refrigerate or wash potatoes before storing.

• Although they can freeze well as part of a stew or other prepared dish, do not freeze uncooked potatoes.

• Scrub potatoes with a vegetable brush before preparing, then cut out any bad spots, sprouts and green areas.

• If cooking whole, poke a few holes in the skin—steam can make your potato ‘pop’.

• Always store cooked baked potatoes in the refrigerator. Don’t eat potatoes left on the counter overnight as they may be unsafe to eat.

According to the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension Service, "Potato tubers are specialized stems of a potato plant, and tubers that are exposed to light, will naturally turn green. The green is nothing more than chlorophyll, a harmless compound found in all green plants.

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.

Pink spots on potatoes may be a result of a disease called "pink eye."

What does pink eye look like? External pink eye symptoms are often accompanied by brown patches in the tuber flesh immediately underneath the skin. Browning due to pink eye can resemble browning due to other disorders such as internal brown spot or heat necrosis, but these other issues tend to occur deeper in the tuber (i.e., inside the vascular ring), rather than just underneath the skin.

How do I salvage potato tubers affected by pink eye? Once pink eye symptoms develop, they are permanent.  If symptoms are minor, tubers may still be usable. If you find this issue in your potatoes, they should be safe to cook and eat as long as you cut out those pink and brown portions.

Botulism is a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, a rod-shaped organism that grows best in low oxygen conditions. Foodborne botulism is caused by eating foods that contain the toxin. In 1997 an outbreak occurred in Texas affecting 17 persons. The outbreak was caused by restaurant-prepared skordalia, a potato-based dip. The skordalia was prepared with potatoes that were wrapped and baked in aluminum foil, then left wrapped in the foil at room temperature for several days.