Potatoes will stay fresh for ‘several months’ with storage tip that stops ‘pesky sprouts’ (Image: Getty)
Unlike some fresh , the humble white potato is a pantry staple loved for its versatility and affordable price.
Many enjoy keeping spuds in their cupboard as a reliable ingredient that can be called upon days after purchase, but sometimes, this isn’t the case.
Storing potatoes incorrectly is detrimental to their appearance, texture, and flavour and even affects to eat in some cases.
With the right advice, making shop-bought potatoes last as long as possible is easy, and food experts at Fine Dining Lovers have shared their insights.
They revealed that there’s no quick fix to keeping spuds in tip-top condition, but rather a few fundamentals to get right.
Luckily, there are five very easy tips to remember, the first of which is to discard packaging.
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Plastic packaging can encourage dampness and moisture in potatoes which reduces their shelf life (Image: Getty)
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It is easy to assume supermarket packaging is the best container for some fresh ingredients, though not for potatoes.
Buying them loose is ideal for the environment and preventing food waste, but if your potatoes come in a plastic bag, don’t be tempted to keep them inside for freshness.
The Fine Dining Lovers team warned that plastic bags can trap moisture, creating a damp environment where the potatoes are “likely to spoil more quickly”. Instead, opt for a paper bag, a small hessian sack or a basket, all of which have good air circulation.
Most people may stop there and hope for a long shelf life, but the food experts say there are a few other factors to consider to keep spuds fresh “for several months.” One important one is to avoid sunlight at all costs.
Though sparse in the winter, sunlight has a detrimental effect on potatoes, like coaxing “pesky sprouts” into making an appearance.
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Sunlight and warmth are the most common causes of a green tinge on potatoes (Image: Getty)
“Secondly, sunlight encourages photosynthesis, which in turn causes your potatoes to produce more chlorophyll, turning them an unpleasant green colour”, warned the Fine Dining Lovers team.
To avoid this, it’s optimum to have a dark cupboard or kitchen counter that is sheltered from sunlight. However, ensuring these areas are the right temperature for spuds is important.
The key is to avoid dark, warm conditions that mimic a potato’s natural growing conditions, as this will encourage sprouting. Seek a spot with a steady temperature of 8-10C, as suggested in the .
Hot spots to avoid include next to the oven, on top of the fridge, or under the sink.
If you already have them stored in such places, moving potatoes somewhere cooler than you have them now is the best way to take them from lasting weeks to lasting months.
Keeping spuds dry is one of the fundamentals for keeping them fresh. This includes not washing them until you’re going to eat them, so don’t be put off by and residual dirt on them until then.
Some humidity in the air will keep the potatoes from drying out, but any actual water beads should be avoided at all costs.
“Too much moisture encourages pests, mould and other undesirable organisms and will make the potatoes more susceptible to rot”, warned the food experts.
Finally, it is recommended that potatoes be stored in isolation to keep them safe from a gas called ethylene, which encourages other fruits and vegetables nearby to ripen more quickly.
While useful for some fruits, like bananas and avocadoes, in the case of potatoes, this will make them more susceptible to rot – so think twice before grouping them in a basket with onions or other root veggies.