Spuds less toxic if soaked before cooking

Good news for chips lovers everywhere - new research in SCI's Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture shows that pre-soaking potatoes in water before frying can reduce levels of acrylamide.

Acrylamide is a naturally occurring chemical that is caused when starch rich foods are cooked at high temperatures, such as frying, baking, grilling or roasting.

There has been growing concern that acrylamide - found in a wide range of foods - may be harmful to health and may cause cancer in animals.

The study found that washing raw French fries, soaking them for 30 mins and soaking them for 2 hours reduced the formation of acrylamide by up to 23%, 38% and 48% respectively but only if they were fried to a lighter colour. The jury is still out on chips that are fried to a deep, dark brown.