11 Alternative Uses For Potatoes

As farmers claim bumper crops of Jersey Royals will go to waste because they're too big, here are some alternative uses for huge spuds

Despite the best efforts of carb-free fad diets, the potato is still a mainstay of British cuisine.

From 3am cheesy chips to your mum’s roasties, the humble spud isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

A bumper crop of Jersey Royals this year means many will go too waste because they're too big [Rex]

But with our love of potatoes has come a slight snobbery that has left farmers in Jersey in a bit of a crisis. 

A trifecta of perfect growing conditions – a little rain, some sun and mild temperatures – has left the island’s potato famers with a bumper crop of ginormous spuds that no-one wants.

Did you know there was an ideal size for a Jersey Royal? Well there is and it’s between 2-5 and 5cm.

Thanks to the lovely Channel climate this Spring, not only do farmers have double the number of spuds but many of them are twice as big as usual.

Apparently supermarket chains are refusing to buy these ginormous taters, claiming that customers complain if they’re too big.

Considering there was a potato famine that wiped out a million people in Ireland and an estimated 800 million are currently hungry in the world, this fact makes us seem rather spoilt.

Farmers estimate up to 50 per cent of the crop could go to waste, which we think is unacceptable.

For those of us at a loss for what to do with huge spuds, we’ve compiled a list of 11 alternative uses for potatoes.

And for goodness sake Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, etc - #SaveTheSpud!

Bake a chocolate potato cake. Mashed potato turns an average chocolate cake into a rich, moist mouthful of yum.

[Dying For Chocolate]

Polish cutlery. After boiling your spuds, soak your silverware in the leftover water for an hour. Wash as normal and they should be sparkling.

Remove rust. Oxalic acid in potatoes helps to dissolve rust. Just cut your chose spud in half and dip the cut side in baking soda or washing up liquid. Rub over the rusted area and watch it disappear.

Flower arranging. Cut a big potato in half lengthways, place cut-side down and use a skewer to make some holes in it. Place flower stems in the holes for an arrangement that will stay put.

Remove broken light bulbs. Removing a smashed light bulb from the socket can be a fiddly business. After turning off the electricity (VERY IMPORTANT), cut a large spud in half and push it into the remains of the light bulb. Twist, unscrew and discard.

[Rex]

Relieve tired eyes. Forget cucumber, stick two slices of raw potato on your eyes for the same results.

Remove warts. Cut your raw potato in half and rub it on the wart. Leave the potato juice, repeat daily.

Anti-aging facial. Utilise the anti-aging properties of the vitamin B6with a facemask. Peel and cut a raw potato. Strain as much water as possible using a sieve. Place the potato pieces into a blender and pulse until you make a paste. Mix the past with a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and set aside for 30 minutes. Apply rested mask to face for 10 minutes before gently rinsing off. 

Soothe sunburn. A raw cut potato rubbed gently on sunburnt skin for five minutes then rinse with cool water.

[Rex]

Make a natural toner. Using the water you strained from the raw potato, max with equal part cucumber water for a natural, refreshing skin toner. 

Make art. Cut your spud in half then let your creative side take over. Carve shapes, dip into poster paints and create a masterpiece Kandinsky would be proud of. 

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Ref:yahoo

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