How To Store Potatoes At Home

If you are storing potatoes that you have bought from the supermarket, and plan to use within a few days, it does not really matter where you store them. If you have a large quantity of potatoes, however, that you need to store for a long time, how to store potatoes at home becomes crucial to keep them healthy and edible. Storing new potatoes is especially important if you have harvested a good crop of potatoes from your garden. It is important that you know how to store them; you do not want all your hard work going to waste! Before storing potatoes at home, get rid of all the green, bruised or infected ones. Storing potatoes that are sick beside healthy potatoes runs the risk of spreading the infection to the entire crop.

Best temperature for storing potatoes

Storage conditions matter for all potato varieties, period. After you have made sure all your potatoes are healthy, choose a good place to keep them in. Do not wash harvested potatoes before putting them into large container. Make sure you choose somewhere cool and dark with good ventilation. A cellar or store cupboard is a perfect place. Never store potatoes in the refrigerator as this is too cold for them and makes them sweeten in flavor and go dark when being cooked. The ideal storage temperature for potatoes is between 45 to 50 degrees, a typical temperature of a root cellar, which is significantly lower than the average home temperature. It is also important to keep your potatoes away from light because potatoes stored in sunlight are likely to turn green, which is toxic (so storage container should not be overly transparent). The reason that it is so important to store potatoes in the correct environment is that they are still living, using oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, even after they have been harvested. This means they react to the atmosphere around them.

Where to keep potatoes

The traditional method of storing potatoes from garden is to place them in a brown paper bag or cardboard box with holes in it. This is true for russet potatoes, Yukon gold, red potatoes, etc. An alternative is to put them in a specialized plastic storage containers, which must have small holes on the top, just like the one pictured above. Clear plastic storage bag are another storage option, but avoid it if you can.

When deciding how to store potatoes, consider how long you intend to store them and what method of cooking you are going to use. If you are planning to fry your potatoes, keep them in a slightly warmer place than if you are planning to bake or boil them. For smaller kinds of potatoes use small plastic storage containers

Keep potatoes apart from other vegetables

Don’t even think to store potatoes in the same box, crisper, or bag with apples. Stored with the apple, as potatoes age they release ethylene – otherwise harmless gas, but it will cause apples and many other fruits and vegetables to spoil faster. That’s the main reason why fridge crisper is far from ideal for storing vegetables. Keep potatoes separated in special plastic containers with ventilation to keep temperature and humidity under control. Said that, potatoes and onions can stay together for reasonable time – however the above still holds true if you’re planning longer term storage.

Right humidity helps to keep potatoes fresh longer

Humidity is another factor allowing to keep produce fresh longer. Because potatoes are made up of around 80% water, they need to be kept in a humid environment so that they do not dry out. They will become too dehydrated, flaccid and even withered if they are stored in a dry place. Areas in the home with high levels of humidity include damp cellars; alternatively raise the humidity of your storage space by placing the potatoes in plastic bags with lots of holes in them, such as well known green bags; and sitting a large pan of water in front of them. Never keep potatoes in airtight plastic containers.

There are many benefits of potatoes. They are naturally healthy: fat free, cholesterol free, sodium free, low in calories, high in potassium and a great source of vitamin C. They are also extremely versatile as they can be cooked in many different ways and there are few other foods that they do not go well with. More and more people are growing their own vegetables in their home gardens and allotments as a way to save money and ensure that they know exactly what their families are eating. A major part of this process is knowing exactly how to store the fresh produce to keep it at its best. Remember the tips for storing potatoes and how to keep potatoes fresh longer, and enjoy delicious meals!