The Secret Superfood of Thanksgiving
Key topics
The humble spud takes center stage as commenters weigh in on the "secret superfood of Thanksgiving," with many jumping to declare potatoes the unsung hero. As the discussion fries up, some argue that processing is the real culprit, with oven-baked fries being a relatively healthy option, while others counter that processing is processing, regardless of who's doing it. The thread simmers down to a consensus that boiled, baked, or roasted potatoes are a great way to enjoy them, with some sharing specific cooking tips to avoid forming acrylamide and maximize flavor. With potatoes being a staple crop globally, it's clear that this "secret superfood" is already a beloved ingredient in many cuisines.
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- 01Story posted
Nov 28, 2025 at 4:16 PM EST
about 1 month ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Nov 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM EST
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7 comments in 0-2h
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Nov 29, 2025 at 10:14 PM EST
about 1 month ago
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I honestly think home cooked potatoes are going to be perfectly fine in most ways.
It's baffling how for some people, the only way they can explain why chips are unhealthy is "industrial process", when the explanation is pretty obvious: thin slices means more surface area, which means more oil absorption and burnt bits.
One of the things I'm surprised they didn't mention is cooling. Cooling converts the starch in rice, potatoes, and pasta into resistant starch (and it stays resistant when you reheat it because nobody really likes eating cold potatoes). Starch normally gets processed by the small intestine into glucose but resistant starch is digested in the large intestine, so glucose levels don't spike. There are a number of other benefits described in the articles below:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26693746/
https://hopkinsdiabetesinfo.org/what-is-resistant-starch/
Test for doneness by eye (if the skin has broken, they're probably done - possibly even slightly overdone, but it won't be a huge problem) and fork (when done, the fork will easily go in, with consistent minimal resistance, but actually they're typically ok to eat after 25 minutes even if they don't quite pass the fork test).
Serve immediately. Or allow to cool and eat later. Or then put in the fridge once cooled and eat cold even later. But whatever you do, don't add anything else (salt, butter, other seasoning, etc.) until you've eaten at least one without.
So who’s not potatoing on the regular?
No, do be. All the starchy carbs are precisely why everyone is fat as hell now.
Potatoes, brown rice, fish, and oatmeal are good stuff. Add spices to keep them interesting.