Q&A for How to Store Potatoes

Blanching is a process used to prepare produce for freezing. Clean and peel potatoes beforehand. Place them in a pot and cover them with water. Bring to boil for about 5 minutes. Drain and spread for cooling. Then bag on desired portions for freezing. They will be just like the frozen produce purchased in grocery stores.

Yes, but you must blanch them for a few minutes and let them dry completely before putting them in a container. The size of the slices or cut potatoes will determine how long you blanch them for. Try freezing them on trays individually; this will make it easier to grab just a few at a time.

In the Carolinas, this method is called a potato bank. You need to layer the potatoes, separating the layers with pine straw, but it needs to be done inside a shed or basement to keep moisture and heat away.

No.

Blanch them for a short time in hot oil - about two minutes - to get a skin on them, to seal them. Drain excess oil and freeze. Bake or fry when you are ready to use them.

Yes, cool and dark conditions are best.

Sure, as long as the room is very dark and in the right temperature range. Pantyhose would allow for great ventilation. Don't store the potatoes near onions, though.

Yes. It's best to do it when you see sprouts out of the "eyes".

Actually you want your refrigerator at 35° F. You might be surprised at how comfortable 40-50 is. The back of a closet that is closed so no heat can get in, or under your sink assuming there is no leaks or condensation. The most important thing when storing potatoes is dark and dry. Dark because it prevents growth, and dry to avoid mold and rot. Just remember that you do not want them to freeze even once, and prolonged heat above 60 degrees will cause them to soften and sprout. In Idaho, most of the American potatoes are stored in spud cellars, with no electricity, just good insulation.

I think they taste the same, the difference being that they don't store as well and maintain firmness during cooking better, so they're great for potato salad but you'd have to boil them longer for mashed potatoes.

Yes. Raw potatoes could have bacteria. Properly cooked potatoes should not, but if you mix them with raw potatoes, they could be recontaminated.

Yes, but keep them covered with cold water until you're ready to use them. Then, dry them out as much as possible before putting them in the deep fryer.

Perhaps an airtight container, but they need to be in a cool dry place. If that doesn't work, bottom drawer of the fridge.

It is not recommended.

It really depends on your living area. However, for many people a pantry or basement are cool, dark, dry locations that work.

A few days should be fine, depending on what you'll do after. I've seen up to 2 days without issue for fries.

No, it is not recommended to store them together.

In late summer the local grocer will try to sell the last of the current season's crop before the fresh new potatoes arrive. Watch for a big sale of potatoes at reduced prices. When the prices return to normal, it will most likely be the potatoes recently harvested.

Use a different container or keep them in the bottom drawer of your fridge.

This is potentially Sclerotinia fungus. I don't know its toxicity, if any, but it's been my experience that if the potato is peeled and there are no soft/brown/mushy spots where the mold was, it is likely to be okay to eat if thoroughly cooked. Otherwise (and especially to be on the safe side), you can discard the potatoes either into the trash or better, into a hot compost pile.

Placing your potatoes in an airtight container should help keep the flies from getting to them.

Yes, it will. Apples give off ethylene gas, which will delay any sprouting on the potato.

If it is an air tight container, yes. Make sure the lid is on tightly so the potato chips don't become stale.

If you keep your car in the garage, or even solvents like gasoline or charcoal lighter fluid, no. The fumes will be absorbed by the potatoes.

I just got a great-tasting German keeper from Seed Savers Exchange.

Yes. It won't hurt anything. You can just cut the sprout, or the "eye" right off. They are still edible. Many of the potatoes you buy in the store are treated so that they do not sprout. The ones you plant yourself will be much more likely to sprout.

You should not eat the green. It may indicate the presence of a toxin called solanine. Peeling green potatoes can help reduce solanine levels, but once a potato has turned green, it's best to throw it away.

Yes, they wull. Cockroaches will eat anything, even their own babies. They are not fussy.

Do not do this, as "anything above 60 degrees will cause them to soften and sprout." It can cause them to rot. A single layer with newspaper in between layers in a basket seems to be a good way. Any cool, dark, and dry place is best. Maybe under a cabinet in the kitchen? Make sure you check on them at least every week or two. If you smell something funky, make sure you check on them!

Yes, you can freeze the cooked and battered potatoes. Freezing battered potatoes may actually improve the flavour and texture as new chemical structures are formed from the starches when cooling down.