Where Do You Store Potatoes?

Chet

Chet

Well-known Member
Location
PA, USA
Mom always put them in the fridge so I do too, but I have read:

"Uncooked potatoes are best kept somewhere cool and dry, but don't keep them in the fridge. Putting potatoes in the fridge can increase the amount of sugar they contain, and lead to higher levels of a chemical called acrylamide when the potatoes are baked, fried or roasted at high temperatures."

Was I raised improperly?
 

We don't eat potatoes very often, and nothing much smells worse than rotting potatoes .. so, we have taken to storing them in the fridge lately. Interesting facts, Chet.
 
I hate keeping raw food, like potatoes, apples, etc. out because I am afraid they will attract bugs. So, except for bananas I put stuff in the fridge, in the bins labeled 'fruits' & 'veg'. I don't have bugs and want to keep it that way. I never leave food lying around.
 
In the fridge. I get a 5 lb package every month through a senior service here in St Paul. Nothing tastes better to me than a platter of taters, sausage, and onions so it doesn't last too long in my fridge.

Over the years I read/heard that you shouldn't store taters in your basement as it can emit lethal gas:


Russian girl, 8, orphaned after her ENTIRE family is wiped out by deadly gas caused by rotting potatoes in the cellar | Daily Mail Online


Best to be sure that they are stored in well ventilated storehouses.
 
We keep a small bag of potatoes in the basement, where it's cooler. They seem to last quite well....up to a month, down there. Much longer than that, they often start to "sprout", at which point we add them to the garden compost, and get a new sack.
 
Neighbor of mine had an old refrig buried on it's back, left about 4 inches out of ground the door was left in place also. He would put 3-4 inches of loose straw first, then a layer of spuds, more straw, again a layer of spuds, more straw/spuds until he reached the top capping it with 4 more inches of straw. Every layer the spuds were separated, none touching. Closed the lid/door loosely had potatoes until spring, he threw out the mushy ones as soon as he run onto them. Carrots were also stored.
 
ManjaroKDE said:
Neighbor of mine had an old refrig buried on it's back, left about 4 inches out of ground the door was left in place also. He would put 3-4 inches of loose straw first, then a layer of spuds, more straw, again a layer of spuds, more straw/spuds until he reached the top capping it with 4 more inches of straw. Every layer the spuds were separated, none touching. Closed the lid/door loosely had potatoes until spring, he threw out the mushy ones as soon as he run onto them. Carrots were also stored.
Click to expand...
I am exhausted after reading this. I keep the few potatoes that I buy in the fridge. Buying just a few assures that they won't spoil. I feel 'safer' keeping them in the fridge. That's just me being me. Those 4 potatoes have been in the fridge like 3 weeks; may need to throw them out already.
 
I keep them in a paper bag on a shelf in my pantry. Not the best place but don't know what else to do. I have read not to keep them in the fridge or out in the light. I have forgot them, when I put them in a cabinet.
 
I keep them in the basement. I read that the starch turns to sugar and makes them taste sweet if stored in the refrigerator. I never did a comparison.
I do take them out of the plastic bag as soon as I get home. I liked it much better when they were sold in heavy paper bags with the little window. They seemed to last longer and you could smell a rotten one a mile away.
When I was a kid my mom would complain because the packer would occasionally put a rock in the bag to make up weight. They really did look like potatoes.
 
I bothered to read on the bag of potatoes that I bought that they should be kept in a "dry, dark and well ventilated area and the ideal temperature should be 40 to 50 degrees F." When all else fails, read the instructions. DUH!
 
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In a paper bag, in a dark cool cupboard.

After WWll Farmers kept them in a Potato Clamp in the fields,
they would stay fresh for ages, up to a year I believe.

Mike.

Potato Clamp.jpg
 
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I've got guinea pigs, which need a constant supply of fresh vegetables, so my fridge is always full. I have no choice but to store potatoes in a cupboard.
 

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