When conditions are correct, potatoes sprout. If your potatoes are in a well-lit kitchen, in a basket with onions, or on the counter after being in the fridge, they'll develop "eyes."
You may be tempted to store potatoes in the coolest room in the house, but never in the fridge. Cooked carbohydrates become sugar and release harmful compounds.
It depends. Cutting off sprouting potatoes with a kitchen knife or potato peeler may save them. Throw away potatoes with big sprouts and withered or wrinkled skin.
Follow the same food safety precautions for sprouting potatoes as other maturing produce: When in doubt, discard. Sprouting potatoes should be discarded, according to the National Capital Poison Center. Because sprouts indicate that your potatoes have more harmful poisons than fresh ones.
All potatoes have solanine and chaconine, natural poisons. These poisons normally increase, especially in light. Potato skin and sprouts contain these poisons, while the white meat contains less.
These toxins can cause vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, headache, and fever in numerous servings of any potato recipe. Most symptoms are modest, but some are severe.
Peeling potatoes before cooking reduces pollutants. Dig out spouts with a small knife or potato peeler with an eye remover.
Removal of eyes and sprouts may lessen the chance of absorbing poisons, but not completely. If the sprouts aren't removed, cooking may not remove all the toxins—and we don't suggest eating raw potatoes!