You buy a bag of potatoes with good intentions, and a couple of weeks later the bottom of the pantry looks like a science experiment, with pale shoots, wrinkled skins and a few soft spots. Potatoes are meant to be a long-lasting kitchen staple, but they sprout and spoil quickly when kept in the wrong place. The good news is that a few small changes can add weeks to their life. The formula is simple: cool, dark, dry, airy and away from certain neighbours. Here is how to do it at home.
Keep them cool and dark
Potatoes are designed to sit in cool, dark soil, and light and warmth wake them up. A cool, dark, dry place such as a pantry or cellar works best, ideally between 7 and 12 degrees Celsius. Light also makes the skin turn green, which signals a rise in natural compounds called glycoalkaloids, including solanine. In many Indian homes, that cool temperature is hard to reach, so choose the coolest, darkest, driest corner you have, away from the stove, the back of the fridge and sunny windows.
Skip the refrigerator for raw potatoes
It sounds logical to put them in the fridge, but cold turns potato starch into sugar, which can make them taste sweet and darken when cooked. Raw potatoes should not be frozen either, since they turn mushy and brown after thawing. Opinions on the fridge differ, but for taste and texture most food guides recommend a cool pantry instead. Cooked potatoes, however, belong in the fridge, where they last a few days.
Let them breathe
Potatoes need air. An open bowl or a paper bag is a good choice, since airflow prevents moisture from building up and causing spoilage. Avoid sealed plastic bags, which trap damp and encourage rot. A basket, or a cardboard box with holes, also works well. Do not wash potatoes before storing them, since extra moisture speeds up spoilage. Wash only what you are about to cook.
Choose their neighbours carefully
Onions, apples, bananas and tomatoes give off ethylene gas, which encourages early sprouting. Keep potatoes away from them, and from garlic too. Some people believe a clean apple in the bag delays sprouting, but opinions differ, so it is safer to keep produce apart. Store onions in a separate basket, ideally in another part of the kitchen.
Check them often, and know what to throw away
Look through your potatoes every week or so. Remove any that are soft, mouldy or smelly, since one bad potato can spoil its neighbours. Small sprouts, dark spots and small green areas can be cut away generously, and the rest is often safe to eat if there is no sign of spoilage. Be cautious, though. If a potato is soft, shrivelled, heavily green or bitter to taste, discard it, since green and sprouting areas can contain higher levels of solanine, which can cause nausea and other digestive problems. When in doubt, throw it out.
Disclaimer:
This article is intended for general informational and household purposes only. Storage results vary with the potato variety, temperature, humidity and individual conditions. Do not eat potatoes that are heavily green, bitter, soft or mouldy, and remove sprouts and green areas generously before cooking. Children, pregnant women and people with health conditions should be extra cautious. If you feel unwell after eating potatoes, seek medical advice.
