Soaking your spuds is a healthy decision

A wet potato is a healthful potato, according to British researchers.

Rinsing or soaking raw French fries in water before frying might reduce levels of acrylamide in the crunchy product, according to a team led by investigators at Leatherhead Food International, a food and beverage research and consulting company. The study appeared online earlier this month in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Acrylamide, which is created in small amounts during production of French fries and potato chips, has been linked to cancer in rodents, and some researchers believe it might be carcinogenic to humans as well. The Brits found that soaking potatoes for two hours reduced acrylamide levels in fries by 48 percent. Simply washing the potatoes, or soaking them for 30 minutes, reduced acrylamide by 23 percent and 38 percent, respectively.

This outcome isn’t surprising, says Barry Swanson, a food science professor at Washington State University. Rinsing and soaking the spuds reduces levels of sugar – one of the chemicals that reacts, upon frying, to form the acrylamide.

Scientists still debate the health consequences of acrylamide, Swanson adds, but largely agree on another point: Overdosing on the salt and fat in fries isn’t good for you. “Don’t worry about the acrylamide in the French fries,” he says. “Just cut down on the portion.”