Black pattern inside a raw potato?

What you see: A black pattern inside your potato.
What it is: A number of issues cause black areas to form in potatoes; the potato pictured above most likely spent too much time in a place that was too cold.
Eat or toss: As long as nothing is fuzzy, squishy or slimy, you can eat this potato. It might, however, be a little sweeter than normal. Cut around the black area if you find it unappealing.

Is black inside a potato mold?

No, this potato doesn’t have mold growing on the inside. We can be pretty sure of that because there are no indications of a break in the exterior and because the potato’s flesh is still firm–it doesn’t look like anything is breaking it down and causing rot.

Why would a potato look black inside?

As we’ve seen in other EatOrToss adventures, when produce is kept too cold for too long, weird things happen. Potatoes are no exception. While a number of mishaps can cause black patterns to appear in potatoes, the most likely issue here is something called “chilling injury.”

Stored somewhere south of 38 degrees Fahrenheit for too long, this potato’s cells suffered damage, resulting in that smokey black effect. It’s unappealing, but not a safety issue.

For an even crazier example of a potato with a black interior, check out this post.

Can you eat a potato with black inside?

You can eat this potato, though it may taste odd and weirdly sweet. Low temperatures cause potatoes to convert some of their starches to sugars, which means that both the black areas and the normal-looking areas in this potato might taste sweeter.

But the starch to sugar transition is reversible. If, after being exposed to cold, the potato were then stored at warmer temperatures, the sugar and starch levels may have gone back to normal, explained Nora Olsen, professor and potato specialist at the University of Idaho.

Tubers harvested too early are more sensitive to cold temperatures. But just because these are little potatoes doesn’t mean they were pulled from the field prematurely—they just happen to be potatoes that only get so big.

Unexpected browning in fries and chips, another sign of chilling injury

Chilling injury in potatoes doesn’t always advance to smoky streaks. Fries or chips that brown in unexpected areas may be showing the effects of too-cold storage (the brown is essentially those unwanted sugars browning in the heat). The same goes for potatoes that turn black after boiling.

And, fortunately, this potato never got so cold that it froze. Freezing injury is much worse, leaving the tuber soggy and then chalky as the water dissipates.

Many scenarios can lead to black areas inside potatoes

Chilling injury can happen while potatoes are still in the field, while they’re in storage after harvest, or while they’re in transit.

Could you cause chilling injury by storing your potatoes in the fridge? Olsen said research on typical household fridge temperatures’ effects on potatoes is limited. However, if you put some potatoes in your freezer for a couple hours, you might be able to bring about chilling injury (but please don’t, #nofoodwaste).

And, just to cover our bases, while this potato seems most likely to be suffering from chilling injury, a number of scenarios can turn potatoes black on the inside. Tubers that are oxygen deprived, either from flooding or being stored in a low-oxygen environment, can get something called “blackheart.” Some potato pathogens can cause internal blackening.

So don’t worry about a potato like this, but do steer clear of anything mushy, fuzzy or moldy.

Thanks to Brian Lipinski of Washington, DC for submitting this photo of his potato! In addition to trying to make the most of produce in his home kitchen, Brian works on food waste reduction at the World Resources Institute. Check out WRI’s 10-step plan for the world to cut food waste and loss in half by 2030.

Updated January 2024