Brilio.net - Potatoes are a versatile food ingredient and can be used in various types of dishes. Starting from a source of carbohydrates or even snacks that can be made with potatoes. Apart from being easy to process, potatoes also have a neutral taste that easily absorbs spices and other flavors.
On the other hand, potatoes also contain high nutrition, so they are often consumed. Reporting from health.ucdavis.edu, potatoes are rich in vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. There are also other main nutrients in potatoes, namely potassium and electrolytes which help the performance of the heart, muscles and nervous system.
The many benefits of potatoes make this food ingredient often chosen as a daily menu. Apart from that, it is easy to process, one of which is by boiling. Basically, boiled potatoes can be consumed directly or processed into various other menus.
Unfortunately, there is one problem that many people often experience when boiling potatoes, namely that the color can change. When boiled, potatoes usually turn black. This occurs due to excessive oxidation which causes the color to change.
So that boiled potatoes don't turn black , you can copy the trick shared by TikTok user @melizah615. Through one of the uploaded videos, he admitted that he only relied on one kitchen ingredient to prevent oxidation in potatoes when boiled. Reported by BrilioFood from TikTok @melizah615 on Monday (15/7), the kitchen ingredient in question is vinegar.
photo: TikTok/@melizah615
How to use it is also quite easy. First of all, boil water in a pan until it boils. While waiting for the water to boil, wash and cut the potatoes according to your taste. If necessary, you can also peel it first, OK?
photo: TikTok/@melizah615
Then, when the water has boiled, add the chopped potatoes. Then add a little vinegar to the potato cooking water. According to TikTok user @melizah615, this vinegar can help potatoes stay beautiful, bright and not change color.
photo: TikTok/@melizah615
So, after adding vinegar, boil the potatoes as usual until cooked. When it's cooked, remove from heat and drain. Potatoes that are boiled with vinegar will usually remain a beautiful and bright yellow color.
Basically, the acid content in vinegar plays an important role in preventing oxidation. According to chowhound.com, potatoes tend to contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, which interacts with oxygen in the air and causes potatoes to turn black when cut and exposed to air. Well, the acidity of vinegar lowers the surface pH of potatoes, thereby inhibiting the activity of this enzyme and preventing discoloration.
On the other hand, the acid in vinegar helps maintain the cell structure of potatoes. When potatoes are boiled, their cell walls can experience damage which allows enzymes and other compounds to mix and react, which can also cause discoloration. By adding vinegar to the cooking water, the cell structure of the potatoes is better protected, so the potatoes still look bright and don't blacken easily.