From mashed potatoes to french fries, potatoes are already one of the most versatile vegetables on your dinner plate, but their uses don’t end there. Next time you have a bag of spuds, try some of these unique potato ideas like baking desserts, cleaning your home or upgrading your beauty routine.
In honor of National Potato Day on Aug. 19, 2024, get ready to make all of your favorite potato recipes. Delicious, nutritious, affordable and easily customized, potatoes are perfect for dozens of meals. But potatoes also have many other uses, both on and off the plate.
A high moisture content and starchiness make potatoes a unique ingredient in sweet treats and baked goods. They have also long been used as natural remedies and chemical-free cleaning agents. Folklore recommends rubbing a cut potato over a bruise or sprain, but modern science has also shown that the vitamins, acids and starch in potatoes are useful for everything from clearing acne-prone skin to removing rust.
When you store potatoes properly, they should last for several weeks. In the unlikely event that you have extra, you can always freeze mashed potatoes or try out these alternative uses.
Sweetening potatoes: Baking and candy making with potatoes
Potatoes have a mild flavor, making them adaptable to sweet and savory dishes. According to Felix Instruments, potatoes are about 80% water, which can lend moisture to baked goods. Potatoes are also high in starch, a complex carbohydrate, that retains moisture and can be used as a thickening agent, much like other starches.
Potato candy is a simple, nostalgic treat. Mix mashed potatoes with powdered sugar to create a dough-like consistency. The starch in the mashed potatoes helps hold the mixture together. For authentic potato candy, you’ll add a layer of peanut butter for flavoring and roll the dough into pinwheels. The result is a soft, sweet candy with a salty, peanut butter flavor. The taste of mashed potatoes disappears in this recipe.
You can also add mashed potatoes and the water you boiled the potatoes in to bread. A loaf of potato bread is the perfect base for sandwiches. The potatoes make the bread soft but not crumbly, and they bring a depth of flavor to otherwise plain bread.
Spudnuts, or potato donuts, have origins in German baking. Like bread, spudnuts use mashed potatoes. After deep frying, the outside will be slightly crispy with a fluffy interior. For a recipe that uses raw potatoes, try chocolate potato cake. Raw, shredded potatoes provide moisture for the cake, but the taste is covered by the chocolate.
When mixed with other flour alternatives, potato flour works well for gluten-free baking. The starchiness means that potato flour holds water well, yielding a tender crumb in breads, cakes, cookies and more.
Clean your home with potatoes
Potatoes are mildly acidic as a result of the oxalic acid they contain. Medical News Today explains that oxalic acid naturally occurs in many fruits and vegetables, including potatoes. When eaten, it is harmless in low quantities. It is also incredibly effective as a non-toxic cleaning agent, cutting through grease, stains and other grime.
Unusual uses for potatoes in household cleaning
Potatoes make an excellent natural glass cleaner. Their acidity and the slight abrasiveness removes dirt and buildup from windows, shower doors and other glass surfaces. Simply cut a potato in half, rub it over a glass surface and wipe off any streaks with a clean cloth.
As a bonus, the starchy layer left behind by the potato will prevent glass from fogging up. Farmers’ Almanac explains that the starch creates a barrier between the glass and moisture in the air, keeping condensation from forming. Try rubbing a potato over your car windshield before a freeze, or apply a potato to eyeglasses, bathroom mirrors and other surfaces that typically fog up.
The same properties that make potatoes great for cleaning glass make them ideal for polishing. A cut potato can gently polish leather shoes and the moisture can help nourish the leather.
You can also polish your silver with potato water. After boiling potatoes, apply the water left behind to silverware and silver dishes by dipping a rag in the cooled water and rubbing it over the silver. For more intense stains, soak silver items in the potato water for an hour.
Cleaning in the garden with potatoes
The oxalic acid in potatoes will also dissolve rust. In fact, commercially available oxalic acid is a frequent solution for rust removal, but potatoes work as well.
CORECHEM Inc. describes how oxalic acid causes a chemical reaction in the iron oxide that causes rust. The two combine to create iron oxalate, which is water soluble and will simply wash away. Use this to maintain your garden tools, cast iron skillets or other metal items that might develop rust.
To remove rust with a potato, slice the potato in half and dip the cut end in salt. The salt provides an abrasive layer that will help scrub away rust. Rub the salted potato on the rusted tools, then spray them down with water. Depending on the amount of rust, this process might take several potatoes and a few rounds of scrubbing.
DIY beauty hacks with potatoes
Potatoes can be a part of your beauty routine as well. The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Research notes that potatoes contain vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium and iron. These nutrients are often found in beauty products like face washes, toners and moisturizers. With a potato, you can make your own DIY facial treatments.
For a spa-like treatment, cut slices of potatoes and place them over your eyes. Like cucumbers, the vitamins, moisture and coolness will help reduce puffiness and dark circles around your eyes.
You can also apply potato juice as a toner or spot treatment for your face. The mild acidity will clear and brighten the skin. Harvard Health Publishing notes that vitamin C is also an antioxidant that can reduce wrinkles and limit sun damage when used alongside sunscreen.
Get more out of spuds with the natural benefits of potatoes
Whether for National Potato Day or year round, potatoes are a valuable staple in any pantry. Stock up on potatoes or grow your own. Even if you have limited space, potatoes are a great crop to grow in containers.
An ample supply of potatoes will always be ideal for savory dishes like fries, mashed potatoes and hash browns. This year, try using potatoes in innovative ways as well. For cleaning, health, beauty and baking, potatoes can be the perfect, low-cost hack to clean and healthy living.
Kristin is a goat wrangler and food preserver who shares her knowledge of all things homesteading at MrAnimal Farm. She helps people learn how to garden, preserve food, and raise chickens and goats even if they don’t have much space and are just getting started.