Substitutes For Potatoes – What Can I Use Instead?

Potatoes are preferable when making most of the dishes. They are a popular food in many households worldwide and are available at low prices. Potatoes are a good source of carbohydrates and can be prepared in several ways. You can deep-fry, boil, bake, steam, or even sauté them. Their taste is relevant to the method you use in preparing and the type of potato used. White potatoes are more common than all other types.

Sometimes, you can run out of potatoes or simply want to get a substitute for health and diet reasons. You can replace the root vegetable with several such as jicama, turnips, and celery roots.

All these alternatives are versatile and can be prepared the same way as potatoes for great taste and nutritional value. Therefore, you do not have to do dishes with bland sides simply because you are cutting calories from your diet and potatoes are no longer fit in your dietary plan.

Potatoes- Taste, Texture, and Uses

Medium-sized potatoes contain approximately 134 calories, which is why diet-sensitive people look for alternatives. However, these tubers are rich in phytochemicals, fiber, minerals, and vitamins. These components are useful in your overall health.

Potatoes have delicate skin and are starchy. They also feel creamy when you touch them then rub your fingers. Their delicate skin makes them easy to peel and cook when baked with their skin on.

Potatoes can be sweet or crunchy, depending on the method used in preparing them. They are used as sides, snacks, and thickening stews.

However, when potatoes are consumed in excess in certain forms, they can lead to obesity. Mashed potatoes prepared with cream are an example of potato preparation that can lead to being overweight. This is how potatoes are useful in the kitchen:

●Potatoes are used in baking: you can create potato pies through baking. Some people, such as the Scandinavians, use potatoes for baking potato bread. Baked potatoes are also excellent snacks and can be used as accompaniments for savory dishes.

●Potatoes are used in thickening stews and sauces: some dishes do well when served with a thick stew. However, they cannot be thick using some ingredients. In such instances, potatoes can be used to thicken them without compromising the intended taste.

●Potatoes are used in alcohol distillation: potatoes are often crushed to extract their starch in Eastern Europe. The starch is then fermented and used in alcohol distillation. An example of alcohol made through this process is vodka.

●Potatoes are used in making commercial foods: one of the most popular ways that potatoes are consumed today is not in their fresh form. Instead, processed potatoes are available in almost every household. These potatoes can be frozen and come half prepared, so you do not have to work a lot on them. French fries and potato crisps are commonly sold, and they have high demand compared to fresh potatoes worldwide.

Other than making food, potatoes are also used for commercial purposes. Wood, textile, pharmaceuticals, and paper industries use potato starch as a binder. The starch is also used in cleaning boreholes by drilling companies.

Farmers use potatoes to feed their animals. When used in pigs, they make them fatten quickly, which can make your pigs have high demand since that is the preferred size by buyers.

Additionally, potatoes are used in making ethanol. Potato peels and other potato wastes can be fermented to make ethanol, which is used as a fuel.

Best Substitutes for Potatoes

Although potatoes have a range of uses in the kitchen, it is hard to imagine doing away with them. However, you do not have to completely change your dish as there are other vegetables you can use for substituting potatoes. The substitutes are prepared in the same way and give your dish that magical taste provided by potatoes.

However, when using these substitutes, you eat healthier food and massively cut the number of calories ingested. Let us look at these substitutes.

1. Jicama

This tuber has useful nutrients and minerals such as Vitamin C, folic acid, fiber, and potassium. This vegetable has low calories, approximately 35 per ½ cup serving.

Jicama has a crunchy and sweet taste and can be used as a snack or an accompaniment. When introducing it to your kids, you can help them have fun in selecting and preparing the tuber so they can be excited about trying it.

Jicama can be stored in a refrigerator to prolong its lifespan. Other than using a fridge, you can keep the root in your pantry, just the way you would potatoes. Do not subject jicama to moist storages to prevent it from rotting.

Unlike potatoes, jicama has rough skin, and you should be careful when preparing it to avoid cutting yourself. When you bake o boil it with the skin on, it can prolong cooking time, which is unnecessary. Additionally, it can be consumed raw and still enjoy the taste. This is how you can use jicama instead of potatoes:

●Baking jicama pies and snacks;

●Making salads to improve the flavor and enhance the presentation;

●In thickening soups and stews while maintaining the original taste of the dish;

●As stir-fries.

2. Turnips

Although turnips are perfect substitutes for potatoes, they are not tubers like the other substitutes. They belong to the Brassicaceae family. They are rich sources of vitamin K, iron, vitamin C, calcium, and fiber. Turnips have low carbohydrates and contain approximately 20 calories per ½ cup serving.

Turnips can be stored in a fridge for up to 5 days after harvesting. Remove the tips and use a food storage bag when refrigerating. Besides refrigerating, you can also store your turnips in a dry, dark, and well-ventilated pantry.

Turnips can be eaten when young and tender or when they have grown older. Your turnips are more flavorful and are sweet. When used after growing older, you realize a change in taste. Their texture also becomes woody and coarse.

Young turnips are sold ready to cook since their thin skin is edible and easy to cook. However, when using older turnips, peel the skin to avoid ruining your dish’s taste and to allow even cooking of the inner part.

You can prepare turnips through boiling, steaming, baking, roasting, frying, or sautéing. Turnips are used in main dishes as sides, in salads to add flavor, and for making snacks. This is how you can substitute potatoes with tulips:

●As turnip hash browns;

●You can substitute mashed potatoes with turnips and still enjoy the mouth-watering side;

●As baked food items, and you can use them as snacks or side dish;

●Making stews instead of using potatoes for this purpose.

3. Celery Root

It is also called celeriac. The vegetable is known for its ugly skin, and it can easily put you off. Well, its ugly appearance can give you a perception that the vegetable is not edible and probably has an awful taste. Celery has approximately 18 calories per ½ cup served, making it a healthy food for people working on shedding some weight.

Celery root has a crisp texture, and its skin is tough and wrinkled. It has an incredible taste that can be described as earthy and celery-like. However, when cooked, the vegetable improves its taste to an irresistible one that makes you want to eat more.

The root is an antioxidant, which means people experiencing horrible inflammations can use it for soothing. It is also abundant in vitamin C, fiber, manganese, potassium, and phosphorus.

For storage purposes, ensure you cut off celery from the root and store them separately. The skin on the root act as a protective shield that makes it last longer. So, do not peel while storing. Celeriac can be stored in a pantry as long as it is dry and well ventilated. Refrigeration is another alternative for storing your celeriac to prevent it from going bad soon.

Celeriac is easy to prepare and can also be eaten while raw in salads. It adds a distinctive flavor to your salad. It can also be roasted, baked, deep-fried, or boiled. Here is how you use celeriac as a potato substitute:

●In substituting mashed potatoes, boil your celery root until fork soft. You can boil when the skin is on and peel later, or peel and then boil. Mash the root and add cream for that perfect potato mash substitute;

●Substitute roast potatoes with roasted celeriac. Peel the root and oven roast at 450 degrees and serve as a side dish;

●Peel and shape celeriac into fries and deep-fry them to substitute potato french-fries. You can use them as a complementary or a snack at home.

Potato substitutes are usually available in groceries and food stores. Those bought from groceries are often fresh from the garden and have no expiry date. However, those purchased from the food stores come with a best before date. They are pre-packed while others like frozen fries come ready for cooking. Enjoy your new potato-free diet with these incredible substitutes.

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