Russet potato

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Name Variations

 * Idaho potato
 * baking potato
 * chef's potato
 * Burbank potato

About Russet potato
Russet potatoes have thick brown skins and white flesh that has a dry, mealy texture when cooked. They are ideal for baking, mashing, or frying.

One of the most popular potatoes, and also known as a Burbank potato, this is oblong in shape with brown skin and white interior. These potatoes can weigh more than a pound each and are best when prepared by baking or boiling. Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrate, potassium and Vitamin C. Recommended storage: 45-50'F. Keep cool, dry and dark. Potatoes exposed to light or stored in extremes of temperature (cold or hot) can develop elevated levels of a naturally occuring alkaloid called solanin. Its presence can be detected by green coloration. Cutting away the green spots removes most of this substance which can be toxic.

Although potatoes were called "potatoes of the Virginia" by early English botanists, they were in fact from South America, not Virginia. The first mention of potatoes in North America comes in an account of Scots-Irish settlers in Londonderry, New Hampshire during 1719. Potatoes were used for food and as animal feed. The first potatoes planted in Idaho were in 1836 but it was not until after the development by Luther Burbank of the Russet potato that potatoes became a major Idaho crop, at the beginning of the 20th century. While potatoes are grown commercially in at least 35 states, most potatoes are grown in northern, cooler states: Idaho produces 30% of the U.S. total, Washington, 20%, other leading producers are Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Colorado, and Oregon.the source of potato's introduction into the British North American colonies.

The Idaho is considered by many to be the best variety of America's most popular potato for baking, the russet. Though some russets grown elsewhere are commonly called Idaho potatoes, many Idaho government officials are pushing to make the name exclusive to spuds grown in local soil.