Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch | Product review: Carisma - cutting the GI of potatoes

Product review: Carisma - cutting the GI of potatoes

Guest review by dietitian Josephine Mollica from Eat Wiser

You have probably heard of Sebago, Desiree or Kifler potatoes, but have you heard of the Carisma potato? This new variety of potato has just hit the shops riding on its claim to be the first low Glycemic Index (GI) potato. It is grown in South Australia and only available through Coles supermarkets. The potatoes have an oval shape, white skin similar to the Nadine potato and pale yellow-coloured flesh.

5 ways I taste tested the Carisma

Almost all potato varieties can be used for boiling and mashing, Kipfler potatoes perform and look great in salads while the Nadine, Red and Royal Blue are exceptional at dry baking/roasting. The label of the Carisma potatoes states they are ‘excellent for roasting, boiling and in salads’ so I put these methods to the test.

The official low GI method for cooking the Carisma is to wash the potatoes, leaving the skin intact, chop into 1 cm thick slices, add to hot (but not boiling) water, then bring to the boil again and cook for about 4 minutes until 'al dente'.

But as they come in large 2kg bags and no-one wants to eat firm boiled potatoes at every meal, I compared the Carisma by five different cooking methods and compared it side by side with the Sebago which is known for its versatility. Here's how I cooked them and how they stacked up:

1. Boiling

How: Both potatoes were washed, skins left intact, placed in a pot of cold water, bought to the boil then boiled for 20 minutes. Boiling time for the Carisma was the same as for the Sebago.

The Carisma has an even texture, making it easier to cut smoothly after boiling; the Sebago has a somewhat more flaky texture, making it more prone to crumbling when cutting. I found the Carisma has a very smooth mouth-feel and a creamier taste than the Sebago.

The Carisma has the advantage that its very fine skin is very edible (but can also be peeled easily if need be); the Sebago skin is easily removed too, but a little too tough to be eaten.

SALAD: I boiled both varieties of potato and used them to make a nicoise salad. Both were equally tasty, but the Carisma won as it kept its shape when cut and tossed through the vinaigrette dressing (see photo).

Taste Rating:  Carisma 9/10 and Sebago 7/10

2. Roast

I found the Carisma potatoes were more flavoursome; however, they cooked a little darker yet didn’t crisp on the outside and were also more oily in appearance and taste. In contrast, the Sebago potatoes cooked to a golden colour, were crisp on the outside, soft centred and looked and tasted like potato wedges; however, they are a plainer/starchy tasting potato.

Rating:  Carisma 7/10 and Sebago 9/10

Over taste rating for Carisma: 8/10 (based on boiling and roasting as suggested on pack)

Dry baking, frying and mash

Admittedly Carismas do NOT claim that they're good for dry baking, frying or mashing but I tried out of curiosity.

3. Dry bake

How:  both the Carisma and Sebago varieties were dry baked with the skin, on a rack in the oven at 200C for about one and a half hours.

• Eaten whilst hot, the Carisma had a nutty, almost pasty flavour, but after cooling had a taste similar to mash potato; the potato is still flavoursome even when it has cooled down; the skin is very edible.
• The Sebago had a very dry, starchy flavour (a little butter or a drizzle of oil or dollop of natural yoghurt would compliment it nicely); it was not so nice when it was cool and the skin is too tough to eat.

Rating Carisma 9/10 and Sebago 8/10

4. Fry

How:  Both potatoes were cut into strips (chip-shaped) and shallow-fried in regular olive oil.

• The Carisma potato itself was tasty and the skin could be left on (it’s almost invisible) but they had a stripy appearance after cooked, absorbed a lot of oil and went soggy almost immediately after cooking – not a good chip potato at all!
• The Sebago chips, on the other hand, were great – crisp on the outside, soft in the centre, even coloured and they kept their shape till eaten. Unlike the Carisma, they are best peeled.

Rating Carisma 2/10 and Sebago 8/10

5. Mash

How: both varieties were boiled, mashed with a potato masher and equal quantities of butter and low fat milk added.

• The Carisma had a creamier taste and a smooth texture which ‘melts in your  mouth’ and easier to swallow; interestingly, it keeps its moisture as it cools.
• The Sebago has a starchier taste, requires more effort to swallow and becomes drier as it cools.

Rating Carisma 10/10 and Sebago 7/10

Therefore, the taste testing results based on all five methods were:

Nutrition:  9/10

Nutritionally, all potatoes are a good source of carbohydrate, fibre, potassium and vitamin C. The only nutritional advantage that the Carisma potatoes have over other varieties of potatoes is their low GI. The GI is a ranking of foods containing carbohydrate from 0 to 100 that tells us how much a food will affect blood sugar levels. Foods with a GI of 55 or below are considered low GI, 56 to 69 medium, and 70 and above are considered high GI. Carisma has an official low GI of 55, which is up to 45 per cent lower than other potatoes.

*  Low GI Diet Shopper's Guide 2011, Prof Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster Powell and Fiona Atkinson (Hachette)
** GI News, April 2007
*** GI News, Dec 2010;
the Carisma website shows the cooking method used to work out the GI

Studies have shown that eating low GI foods can help keep blood sugar levels low, so less insulin is needed. Therefore, nutritionists recommend that we include at least one low GI food at each meal, especially for anyone with diabetes or insulin resistance or PCOS. The Carisma can improve the variety of low GI dinner carbs for you – you don't have to eat only pasta or legumes all the time. For potato lovers, that's good news! And you're more likely to stick to your eating plan.

Convenience:  10/10

You can buy the Carisma potatoes at Coles supermarkets, alongside all the other types of potatoes. The potatoes are packed in 2kg plastic bags, which have a prominent rich-brown colour (see right). Being fresh produce, not surprisingly the shelf life is short – about 10 days. They are also competitively priced (prices in table below as of 26 Nov 2010).

The final word

• Although Carisma claims to be "excellent" for roasting and boiling, it rated on par with the Sebago, not better than it. For comparison, the Sebago scored slightly better for roasting while the Carisma higher for boiling. When you take into account all cooking methods (as a shopper would do), the overall winner is Sebago. However, from a nutritional / health perspective, Carisma stands head and shoulders over the rest.
• I would definitely buy the Carisma potatoes again for boiling, mashing, salads or dry roasting, but I still prefer other varieties for frying and roasting.

More info

You can read more about the Carisma at

• Carisma potato website www.carismapotatoes.com.au
• GI News Blogspot Dec issue  has interesting background on how the potato was developed and nice cooking suggestions from dietitian Nicole Senior.

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Comments (18)

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Can you tell me if they've changed the sugar content with these potatoes? Are they still okay for with fructose intolerance/malabsorbence?

Thanks so much.

Suzie , December 13, 2010 | url

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These look pretty good! I'm not a huge potato eater as I am conscious of their normally high GI, but I'll have to give these ones a go (dry bake is my fave way). How does the GI stack up compared to a sweet potato (which I do love!)? Also, do you know if they will be available at other outlets (other than Coles) at any stage?

Mel Kettle (The cook's notebook) , December 13, 2010 | url

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Suzie, Carisma potatoes - like all potatoes - have very little in the way of natural sugars. The Carisma has less than 1 gram in every 100 grams (

Catherine Saxelby , December 13, 2010 | url

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Oh boy! I have been waiting for a potato that not only stacks up above the rest, but is actually TASTY when boiled!! I boiled them whole and unpeeled in some water and minced garlic for about 8 minutes, maybe 10, and whammo, the best flavour. I love the creamy texture and the thin skin when boiled. All round, having 2 diabetics and me a carb junkie in the house, these will now be the vegetable of choice in all my dishes... THANKS CARISMA... you are absolutely amazing :-)

Tracey Waller , December 20, 2010 | url

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Dear Catherine, Thank you for your great research and effort in physically testing the Carisma spuds. I'm not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth, but a 2kg bag is way too large for us, as I am only cooking for 2 people (both diabetics). Added to that you say the Carismas only have a shelf life of about 10 days. I have been using Nicolas (when I can get them) and keep them in a brown Thomas Dux bag in the cupboard and they seem to last quite a while. We have learnt to have potatoes only occasionally so I only buy a few loose potatoes at a time. Nicolas seem to roast OK, but I haven't tried them as chips. Given that Nicolas are only slightly higher in the GI than Carismas I'll stick with the Nicolas and keep the quantity down. Nicolas are usually about $5 a kg, so for families obviously the Carismas would be the way to go. The other thing is that Nicolas are seasonal. Is this the case with Carismas? Thanks again for your very informative information. Regards...Margaret

Margaret , January 01, 2011

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Will these potatoes be in the USA? would be nice if they are/will be, what store carries them?

Pam , January 02, 2011

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Hi Margaret. You make a good point re the large 2 kg bag - it's a lot to get through if there's only two of you and you're not eating potatoes all that regularly. I've been storing my bag in the veg drawer in the fridge and find that extends the shelf life of the Carisma greatly - they keep well chilled for a couple of weeks. Sounds like the Nicolas work for you however so a good solution. Don't know how seasonal the Carisma will be. Will check with the growers and report back here.

Hi Pam. As far as I know, the Carisma are only available here in Australia but there was Dutch collaboration so they may appear in other countries eventually. Apparently it's taken a couple of years to develop the variety, get them tested, etc so it's a long development time frame. That said, I'll ask the Glycemic Index people for you.

Thanks to you both for your comments and feedback. It's interesting times! Cheers Catherine

Catherine Saxelby , January 02, 2011

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I agree that 2kg bags are a lot for two elderly people; but I store them in a dark cupboard where I have always stored potatoes and sweet potato and they keep well. However, I paid $5.98 at Coles is Rosebud - they were one of the dearest potatoes so they are much dearer than what you state.

.Pam Alderson , January 03, 2011

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After reading about the Carisma Potatoes, i bought some and have tried them in a variety of different ways and i just love them ... Thank you I really enjoy finding new Low Gi Products to try...

Colleen Whitwell , January 03, 2011

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Hey Pam A, I'm only a youngster. Just kidding. Don't forget that Nicolas are about $5 per kg, and I presume the Carismas were $5.98 for a 2Kg bag. Sounds like a bargain to me. Good on Coles for making them available. Nicolas are not so easy to find, one has to visit the greengrocer and search around under the stands or try to trap a salesperson, only to find they are "not available at the moment". Bunnings had some for planting this year (certified free from disease). I might as well have eaten them for all they produced. Perhaps my gardening skills are not up to scratch. Happy Low GI Year to all...Margaret

Margaret , January 03, 2011

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The GI of the Carisma potatoe was tested for one preparation method only which leaves the potatoe very al dente and not necessarily to our taste. Like with pasta it might be that the GI increases with cooking time/method. It is known that for instance mashing fully boiled potatoes increases their GI. Therefore the GI for all different preparations should be tested before we become euphoric about a possibly great potato variety. Is this in the pipeline?

rainer , January 04, 2011

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Hi, this is Jo from Eat Wiser.
When I wrote the review on Carisma potato the price was $4.90 per 2 kg bag. Since then I have noticed fluctuations in its price (which is not unusual - the price of all fruit and veg can vary from week to week), but I have not seen the return of the original price I quoted. Coles Customer Care has informed me that the week I wrote the review was the week of the launch of the Carisma potato, during which they priced the potatoes very low to encourage people to try them. I have also been informed that prices will vary from state to state (due to a combination of factors, eg transportation), but will be the same at all Coles stores within the same metropolitan area. Hope this clears up some queries regarding pricing.
Kind regards, Jo

Jo , January 07, 2011

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Hi, Jo again from Eat Wiser.
I have been informed that although the Carisma potato has already proved to be very popular, at this stage it will continue to be exclusively available in Coles stores in Australia. I have also been informed that, conditions permitting, they will be available all year round.
Kind regards, Jo

Jo , January 07, 2011

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Hi Catherine,
Thanks for your work of trialling the carisma potato. I notice on their website that they suggest slicing to 1 cm, then boiling for only 4 minutes to maintain low GI - has there been any testing of your alternative cooking methods as far as GI is concerned? Sorry to split hairs, but I've had type 2 diabetes for 10 years & GI is very important to me! Cheers, julia

Julia , January 08, 2011

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Hi, Jo from Eat Wiser to address some of the queries regarding GI.

Cooking methods do impact on the GI of a food. In the case of potatoes, generally, frying as well as cooling the potato after cooking, lowers the GI, whilst roasting and mashing increases the GI.

The GI of the Carisma potato was measured using only one cooking method. The potatoes were washed, skins left intact, potatoes chopped into 1 cm thick slices, added to hot (but not boiling) water, bought to the boil again and cooked for about 4 minutes until 'al dente'.

It remains to be seen whether other cooking methods will also yield a low GI.

Even if the GI of the Carisma is higher with other cooking methods, we would expect their GI still to be lower than other varieties, so obviously still good news.

Testing of the GI of the Carisma using other cooking methods is already well underway, so...more info to come!

Kind regards, Jo

Jo , January 18, 2011

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Mel,
Apart from your question on availability (which has already been addressed above), you also asked about the GI of sweet potato. In the latest GI handbook, from testing done at University of Sydney by Prof Jennie Brand-Miller, the GI of the orange variety of sweet potato (peeled, cut into pieces and boiled) is 61, therefore it falls in the moderate GI category.

Kind Regards,

Jo from Eat Wiser

Jo , February 03, 2011

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All, sorry to dissapoint you all but the Carisma is not a potato variety but simply a clever but simple marketing trick of the potato company that sells them to Coles. Sydney University is also involved being theones who did the GI testing. Basically the company can label any suitable variety under the trade mark of "Carisma". Simply put many of hte fresh market potatoes like Nicola, Coliban are low in dry matter content and high in water content this = low GI index. Simply do a google search for low dry matter potatoes, buy those and you will generally get low GI potatoes. I have been working in the potato industry for 25 years. As for shelf life Carisma potatoes will last much longer than 10 days, I'd say 30 days if you keep them in a cool dry and dark place. If you keep them in the fridge the reducing sugar content of fructose and glucose will increase. Eat more spuds whatever the variety they are all great. thanks
Dave

Dave , November 03, 2011

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Thanks for your comment Dave.

I was surprised to read that you think they’re simply substituting other types of potatoes and labelling them Carisma so I double-checked this with Dr Alan Barclay, Chief Scientific Officer with the Glycemic Index Foundation (Ltd).

Alan explained to me that Carisma is a distinct variety and is owned by Agrico (a Dutch seed production company). Dry matter is not the secret to its low GI – research by Kai Lin Eks PhD suggests that there’s something unique about the size and distribution of the starch in Carisma.

Coles has strict quality control requirements and the Carisma comes from only one South Australia grower (Mitolo\'s) who has had trouble keeping up with demand. Apparently Mitolo was audited earlier in 2011 and came up all clear. Much as I love and support small producers, I have to admire Coles here.

Bottom line: it\'s not just marketing. It\'s a lot of agronomy to get the right growing conditions and a particular variety. It took years to develop. Cheers Catherine

Catherine Saxelby , November 07, 2011

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