How To Store Potatoes To Keep Them Fresher For Longer

Around the globe, potatoes are a common ingredient in kitchens. They are inexpensive, adaptable, and may be used to make a variety of hearty dishes. Despite their resilience, potatoes still need the right maintenance to remain fresh. They may sprout, shrivel, or even rot before you get a chance to utilize them if you don't store them properly. When you're trying to figure out how to cook potatoes for your next dinner, knowing how to keep potatoes properly will help you save money and make sure they're always available.

The Significance Of Appropriate Storage

Potatoes may survive for many weeks or even months if they are kept correctly. But they swiftly decay if kept in unfavorable circumstances. Living things are what potatoes are. They react to light, heat, moisture, and air even after they have been harvested. These factors affect whether your potatoes get mushy, sprout, or mold, or stay firm and edible.

Proper storage preserves their nutritional content, prolongs their shelf life, and preserves their taste and texture. Additionally, it prevents food waste and needless supermarket excursions.

Keep Them In A Dark, Cool Environment

Store potatoes somewhere cool, dark, and well-ventilated. The optimal temperature range is between 45°F and 55°F. You may find suitable conditions in a pantry, cellar, basement, or even a garage in the winter.

Potatoes should not be kept near heaters, stoves, or windows that get a lot of sunlight. Warmth promotes softening and sprouting, which may alter texture and flavor. Similarly, exposure to light causes the potato to produce chlorophyll, which turns portions of the potato green. Solanine, a bitter substance that may be poisonous in excess, may also be present in these green areas.

Don't Use The Refrigerator.

For potatoes, refrigeration is not the best option, even if it can seem like a sensible choice for freshness. Potato starches turn more quickly into sugar when kept below 40°F (4°C). This changes how they cook and changes the taste, making them strangely sweet. For instance, the sugar in refrigerated potatoes may cause them to brown too rapidly when fried or roasted, which might result in the formation of acrylamide, a chemical that is formed at high temperatures.

For anybody who is always looking for the best technique to cook potatoes, avoiding the refrigerator provides a superior texture and flavor during preparation.

Steer Clear Of Plastic Bags.

For potatoes to remain fresh, air must circulate. Moisture is trapped, and the ideal conditions for mold or rot are created when they are stored in sealed plastic bags. Select breathable containers instead. To promote ventilation and avoid condensation, mesh bags, paper sacks, cardboard boxes, or baskets with open sides are effective options.

As soon as you arrive home, take out any plastic bags your potatoes may have come in from the store. Put them back in a container that lets them "breathe."

Regularly Check For Spoilage

It's crucial to periodically inspect your potatoes, regardless of how well you keep them. The neighbors may be impacted by one rotten potato. To prevent contamination, take a potato out of the batch if it seems soft, wrinkled, or smells bad.

As potatoes age, sprouts are a normal byproduct. You may remove the sprouts and continue using the potato normally if it is still firm. However, it's preferable to throw away a potato that has green spots, lengthy sprouts, or is shriveled.

Start With The Older Potatoes.

Use the older potatoes first when purchasing or storing fresh ones. This first-in, first-out strategy contributes to waste reduction. To increase the likelihood that the potatoes you bought earlier will be consumed first, arrange your pantry so they are near the front.

Conclusion

Despite being one of the most useful and tasty items in your kitchen, potatoes nevertheless need some attention to keep them fresh and ready to use. You can make the most of each bag by keeping it out of the refrigerator and plastic bags, keeping it in a cold, dry, and dark area, and inspecting it often.

Proper storage guarantees that potatoes will always be in the greatest shape for your next meal, whether you're cooking mashed potatoes, roasting them with herbs, or researching new and inventive methods to cook potatoes.