Can you cut mold off potatoes?

Author: Mr. Tyshawn Schaefer  |  Last update: Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Tough vegetables and fruit, like carrots, potatoes, and turnips can take the mold in stride. The mold threads have a hard time penetrating deep into these dense plant foods. Trim off an inch around the mold, and eat or cook as you planned.

Can you cut off the rotten part of a potato?

The potatoes are still safe to eat, just cut the spots away. If there is an extensive amount of fusarium, this can give the potatoes an “off” flavor. These conditions are typically found in the Spring months in potatoes that have been stored since the previous Fall harvest.

Are potatoes still good if they have mold?

Yes, you can cut mold off potatoes. If a potato has small spots of mold, you can cut away the affected areas. However, if the potato is extensively moldy or has a soft, rotten texture, it's best to discard it. Mold can penetrate deeper into the potato, so cutting away the visible mold may not remove all of it.

Can you cut a bad spot out of a potato?

This. I grew up on a farm, black spot on a potato? Just cut that part out. As long as the potato is not squishy and long sprouts, you should be just fine to eat it. Just peel and cut the sprouts off.

Can you cut mold off a potato and eat it?

Tough vegetables and fruit, like carrots, potatoes, and turnips can take the mold in stride. The mold threads have a hard time penetrating deep into these dense plant foods. Trim off an inch around the mold, and eat or cook as you planned.

Can You Cut The Mold Off Food and Eat It?

Is it OK to eat potatoes with spores?

Sprouted potatoes that are still firm, have relatively small sprouts, and don't show any wrinkles or shriveling are okay to eat, as long as you cut off the sprouted parts and soft spots. However, there's still a chance you could get sick. If your potato is sprouted and shriveled up, then it's too far gone. Toss, it.

Can you cut the bad bits off potatoes?

Potatoes that have green spots or sprouts can contain toxins, so unless you can completely cut those parts out, it's best to toss them. Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place to prevent sprouting and premature spoilage.

What does mold look like on potatoes?

Black, hard, irregular-shaped bodies, called sclerotia, form on the mycelial mats on and within the stem. The sclerotia initials are round, white masses of fungal tissue. Over time, the sclerotia develop a hard, black exterior and a white interior. Sclerotia are ¼ to ½ inch in diameter and can be over an inch long.

Can moldy potatoes make you sick?

Some molds can make you sick, and others can cause allergic reactions in some people. If your potato has a little mold, it could be okay, but if it's starting to look like a dandelion gone to seed or a "Star Trek"-esque tribble, you're definitely going to need to throw it out.

When should you not eat a potato?

Here's how you'll know if your sprouting potatoes are safe to consume: Generally, if your potatoes have turned mushy or soft and are beginning to wrinkle or shrivel up, it's time to say see-ya, spud. If a potato is turning green and starting to smell, it's also time to say farewell.

Can you cut mold off vegetables?

Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce). Small mold spots can be cut off FIRM fruits and vegetables with low moisture content. It's difficult for mold to penetrate dense foods.

Are all potatoes bad if one has mold?

It's safe to say that if your potatoes growing any amount of mold, they're no longer safe to eat. (And no, you can't just cut the mold off, because the tiny invisible spores could already be growing elsewhere in the tuber.)

What temperature kills mold spores in food?

Most yeasts and molds are heat-sensitive and destroyed by heat treatments at temperatures of 140-160°F (60-71°C). Some molds make heat-resistant spores, however, and can survive heat treatments in pickled vegetable products. These molds, however, require oxygen to grow.

What happens if you eat the bad part of a potato?

The type of glycoalkaloid found in potatoes is called solanine, and if enough of it is consumed, it can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, paralysis, coma and in rare cases, death. A small amount of green on a potato chip for example doesn't necessarily equate to these symptoms.

Can I just cut mold off potatoes?

It is okay to cut mold off of hard cheeses and hard fruits or vegetables like apples, potatoes, onions or cauliflower. Just be sure to cut away at least 1 inch as surface mold is more than what you see. It actually has hyphae or roots which can penetrate deeper into the food.

How to deal with moldy potatoes?

If food is covered with mold, discard it. Put it into a small paper bag or wrap it in plastic and dispose in a covered trash can that children and animals can't get into.

Can you cut bad spots off potatoes?

Yes it's fine. It should not affect the quality of the potato contrary to what another redditor has stated. "Cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot (keep the knife out of the mold itself so it will not cross-contaminate other parts of the produce).

What happens if you cook a bad potato?

Solanine and chaconine can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Some people might also experience headaches, flushing, confusion, and fever. There have been a few cases of death from eating toxic potatoes.

Is it safe to eat potatoes with black spots inside?

Black spots in potatoes are mostly attributed to internal bruises or the result of sugar concentrations brought on by any of several pre or post-harvest conditions and are generally harmless.

How common is solanine poisoning?

Though fatalities from solanine poisoning are rare, there have been several notable cases of human solanine poisonings. Between 1865 and 1983, there were around 2000 documented human cases of solanine poisoning, with most recovering fully and 30 deaths.

How do you cut spores off potatoes?

Thankfully, removing the sprouts from a potato is easy. You can snap them off by hand, or use veggie peelers. "[Vegetable peelers] are great because they have sharp tools to dig out the eyes and base of the sprouts while also having a peeler to use after they're cleaned up," said Silness.

How to know when potatoes go bad?

To tell if a raw potato is bad, look for a soft texture, wrinkled skin, or a bad smell. To tell if cooked potatoes are bad, check for a strong foul odor or visible mold. If your potato has sprouted, you can still eat it. Just cut the sprouts off and you're good to go.

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