STORING POTATOES

• Dark, cool and not too dry.
• Ideally in a cellar. Ideally in soil.
• Between 4 and 7°C.
• Keep in the supplier’s bag.
• Avoid apples.

The basic tip when storing potatoes is: Dark, cool and not too dry.

Keep in the bag

Potatoes are often sold in paper or porous plastic bags. It’s best to keep then in the original packaging. The material and the design will have been produced to keep the contents fresh for as long as possible.

Dark and cool

To make sure the potatoes don’t start to sprout – and so that the poisonous substance solanine doesn’t form – potatoes mustn’t be exposed to light. The temperature must be cellar cool. A dark cellar or pantry is better than the fridge.

Ideally underground

Potatoes and other root vegetables are best under ground where they belong (that’s why you need to keep them in a place that’s dark, cool and not too dry). If you have the opportunity, you should store them in airy boxes with ordinary soil as their packaging, e.g. in an earth cellar. They will hibernate there and can survive a whole, long winter.

Too cold potatoes

Potatoes that have been stored in too cold a place behave differently when you cook them, e.g. when frying them in a pan. They go brown quickly and leak liquid.

Between 4 and 7°C

The flavor, texture and nutrients of potatoes keep best within this temperature range. Too low temperatures make the potatoes sweet.

Distinguish between root vegetables and other vegetables

Green leaves and vegetables that grow above ground use up their water reserves and their nutrients much more quickly than root vegetables – like potatoes – that can be said to hibernate. Store them in different drawers of the fridge.

If you store potatoes somewhere too warm, they’ll use liquid and vitamins. Sprouts are a sign that this process has started.

More sensitive than you think

It’s usually avocado that customers squeeze in the shops until it falls apart, but potatoes are sensitive to being touched too. Marks under the skin can be signs that a potato has been treated roughly.

In autumn and spring you can store potatoes outdoors – but they shouldn’t be exposed to sunlight. Cover the potatoes and make sure that the temperature remains above 0°C.

Avoid apples

Don’t store potatoes anywhere near apples. They release ethylene gas which will start the potatoes sprouting.