How To Store Potatoes Properly

Whether it’s a quarantine you’re preparing for or hunkering down to brace for a storm, storing food is a smart move for any situation. That’s why knowing how to properly store fresh food, in particular, is important. There’s no need to waste food by storing these improperly. 

One of the most common vegetables you probably have in your kitchen is the potato. Potatoes are pretty hardy vegetables and normally will store for a long time. However, even these root veggies will spoil if not stored right. 

Here’s what you need to know: 

1 Do not wash potatoes prior to cooking. 

Potatoes are grown in the ground so it’s just natural that these are literally dirty. That’s a good sign that these were not washed yet because washing can speed up the sprouting of eyes on the potatoes. That’s also why it’s best to not wash these either when you get home and want to store them. 

Instead, keep these unwashed until right before you are ready to prepare and cook the spuds. 

However, if you do have time and want to take advantage of it by preparing your potatoes ahead of time, you can clean, cut up, and store peeled potatoes for up to a day or two. 

Photo by Pixnio

2 Skip the refrigerator. 

Unless you prepared the potatoes already, it’s best to not store potatoes in the refrigerator. That’s because the cold can turn your potatoes starchy and develop acrylamide when cooked. You might remember this chemical as the cause for concern over cooking at high temperatures in air fryers. Acrylamide, according to the US Food and Drug Administration, is a chemical that is created when there is a “natural chemical reaction between sugars and asparagine, an amino acid, in plant-based foods”. The food listed includes potatoes, especially frozen fries. 

3 Place in a ventilated container and area. 

Have you seen those plastic mesh bags that contain a portion of garlic, onions, and calamansi in the supermarket? Those are the bags that are perfect to save and reuse because those are the perfect storage bags for those fruits and vegetables. Plastic restricts airflow so your produce can’t “breathe”. This includes your potatoes.

You have to remember that fruits and vegetables like potatoes are still “alive” and will continue to ripen and spoil eventually even with proper storage. Without air circulation to allow any of the gases that these vegetables still produce, the gases can and will speed up decay.

No mesh bags or even those chic crocheted bags? Use boxes that have holes cut out on the sides and tops instead then place them in a dark, dry, and well-ventilated area. You can even use paper bags that your groceries came in. 

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