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Potatoes Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to potatoes
About potatoes
Potatoes are varied and versatile food items. They make a perfect side dish or addition to any meal. Many types of potatoes are available, and their size, color, and shape will differ depending on the type you buy. Potatoes are tuber-bearing species that form as the root of the plant underground. They come from the nightshade plant family and grow best in cooler climates. While they can tolerate a light frost, potatoes are very sensitive to heat and don't fare well in hot climates.
The potato originates from the Andes and is thought to have been cultivated many times throughout history. It can be traced back almost 2,000 years to the Incan civilization. The Spaniards introduced potatoes to Europe during the 16th century. Today, potatoes are one of the main food crops grown all over the world. You'll find a wide variety of potatoes available in grocery stores, making it easy to find the ones you want for your next meal.
In fact, around 200 types of potatoes are sold in stores in the United States, but each type falls into one of seven categories:
- Russet: These potatoes have a thick skin with a light and fluffy center.
- Red: This type of potato has a thin skin and stays firm during cooking.
- Yellow: You'll find these potatoes have a creamy texture and offer a buttery flavor.
- White: These potatoes also have a thin skin and stay firm throughout cooking, but they have a nutty flavor.
- Purple: Distinguishing characteristics of this potato variety include a unique, vibrant color and an earthy flavor.
- Fingerling: This potato provides a firm texture along with a buttery flavor.
- Petite: Because these potatoes are small, their flavor is more concentrated than that of the other, larger varieties.
Take advantage of the Instacart app or use the website to order your favorite potatoes. Once you place your order, an Instacart shopper will bring it right to your door within the same day!
In addition to the many types of fresh potatoes you can buy, you can find them in prepared or precooked forms such as french fries, hash browns, or home fries. You can buy instant or dehydrated potatoes to add to a range of dishes, and despite what you might have heard, they're made with real potatoes. Most potatoes taste great, either baked or roasted, but how you cook them largely depends on the type of potato. No matter how you like them, Instacart lets you shop for potatoes from anywhere via an easy-to-use app!
How to pick out potatoes
If you head to the store to pick up potatoes, look for ones that have good color. Avoid potatoes that are still green or have any discoloration. Make sure your potatoes feel firm and not mushy, springy, or soft. Some potatoes have eyes, or parts that grow off them as sprouts. These growths don't mean the potatoes have gone bad, so you can buy potatoes even if they have a few eyes on them.
Most people remove the eyes from their potatoes before cooking; however, they're only undesirable if they've started growing shoots. You can easily remove eyes or sprouts with a knife or a vegetable peeler. When you have an Instacart shopper choose your potatoes, they'll do their best to deliver fresh and delicious potatoes right to your desired location in as little as two hours.
Cooking and storing potatoes
Not all potatoes are created equal, especially when it comes to cooking. While some potatoes make perfect french fries, others are better suited to steaming. For example, you can prepare purple, fingerling, and petite potatoes in the microwave, but it's not recommended that you cook the other varieties this way. Red, yellow, and white potatoes make tasty additions to soups or salads, while russets are ideal for cooking creamy mashed potatoes.
Store potatoes in a cool, dark place to ensure they stay fresh longer. Depending on the type of potato you buy, you can store them for weeks or months. Once cooked, potatoes can be kept in the fridge for three to four days.
Potatoes Near Me
Buy your favorite Potatoes online with Instacart. Order Creamer Potatoes, Eastern Potatoes, Fingerling Potatoes, and more from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
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FAQs about potatoes
French fries have given potatoes a bad reputation because of the frying process they go through. Most potatoes, however, are quite good for you. In addition to being naturally gluten-free, they contain high potassium levels at 26% of the recommended daily value in a single serving. They're also high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, and manganese. Potatoes contain antioxidants as well, allowing them to help your body fight off cancer-causing free radicals. Potatoes' resistant starch content can also help control blood sugar levels and improve digestive health.
Potatoes with darker skins and flesh, such as red and purple potatoes, are the healthiest types because they contain health-boosting flavonoids and carotenoids.