Potatoes are a staple food item in many households, but it turns out that many of us may have been storing them incorrectly all this time – here’s what you need to know
Keeping your potatoes on the countertop or in the fridge may seem like the no-brainer move but watch out because it can make your precious spuds spoil and sprout way quicker than you’d like. Seems like potatoes should be chill, but it turns out that putting them in a cold, damp fridge is actually a ticket to mushy, mouldy spuds.
And don’t even think about letting them into direct sunset – the rays will have them sporting green patches and shooting sprouts before you know it. Sure, they won’t go bad, but get ready for a mouthful of bitterness that’ll have you pulling faces.
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Enter the potato-saving superhero Nikole Goncalves, founder of Healthnut Nutrition and expert of all things shelf-life-extending. She’s also the ace behind a bestselling cookbook, so she knows her stuff when she says: “Stop storing your potatoes like this.
As a bestselling cookbook author and recipe developer for almost 10 years now, testing out different methods on how to get my food to last the longest is part of my job.”
So, if you’re still cocooning your taters in those clingy plastic bags or giving them pride of place in the fridge, Nikole has a game-changing tip for you, reports the Express.
The secret to fresh, long-lasting potatoes. Ditch the supermarket’s polythene embrace and chuck away the idea of a fridge-bound potato life. Nikole says: “Store them in a brown paper bag and keep them in a dark cool place that is not your fridge.”
Nikole, a food safety expert, has issued a warning about the common mistake of storing potatoes in plastic bags, which can lead to premature sprouting due to trapped moisture.
She advises using an airy container like a paper bag, or even a basket or mesh bag for better storage.
To ensure your spuds stay fresh, Nikole recommends stashing them in a dry cupboard, cabinet, or drawer away from sunlight and moisture, where they can last up to two months or more if kept under 10C with proper ventilation.
But watch out for what you store alongside your potatoes. Nikole warns: “I’ve been victim to this but you do not want to be storing your onions in with your potatoes because they actually let out a gas which is gonna make your potatoes sprout and go bad faster.”
Onions, along with garlic, shallots, sweet potatoes, and other veggies, release ethylene gas – a plant hormone that promotes growth but also speeds up ripening.
When you lump together ethylene producers and sensitive foods, you’re setting yourself up for a rapid spoilage party, with your produce going off in just days.
For the best shelf life, keep those tatties and onions separate, and if you follow these savvy storage tips, your potatoes could remain in tip-top condition for anywhere between two to six months.
Nikole stated: “When you store your produce properly, it will last so much longer which means you’re going to save money and prevent a lot of food waste in your kitchen.”
