Potatoes will stay fresh for three months or longer if stored in key area

Potatoes are an essential kitchen ingredient and is this time of year many people are using the vegetable to make stews, strews and other hearty meals.

October is a time when people will be getting out their sweaters and hot water bottles, but this time of the year can be very costly. One unfortunate side effect is people worry about money due to heating bills and planning for Christmas time. 

One easy way to save money in the autumntime is learning to store food properly, and essential parts of your food shopping like potatoes can last more than three months if they are placed in the correct conditions. 

Luckily, one professional chef has explained that potatoes can last months, as long as they are kept out of your fridge and stored in the correct place. Jerry James Stone is a vegetarian chef and recipe developer whose meals have been featured on the Discovery Channel, Whole Foods, and Costco.

In a video online, Jerry explained: “Stored properly, potatoes can last up to three months, I’ve even had them last up to six months and still keep fresh.” 

Where to store potatoes 

According to Jerry, storing potatoes is “pretty simple actually” as they must be kept in a pantry, cupboard, or cellar and not in a fridge or on your countertop in direct sunlight. 

Jerry said: “They like being in a dark cool place, so it’s really important to keep potatoes out of the sun.  When potatoes are in the sun, when they’re exposed to too much light, they actually produce a chemical called solanine. It’s actually what potatoes use to protect themselves in nature. 

“This solanine, when they’re exposed to light, makes them really kinda bitter and just not tasty.”

According to Jerry, the ideal place to store potatoes is in a dark and cool place, but also in an opened paper bag to allow lots of airflow. He said: “You don’t want to store them in plastic and you definitely don’t want to store them in a sealed plastic bag because they don’t like the moisture.  That sealed plastic bag is going to trap that moisture which is really unpleasant for potatoes.” 

“When they’re stored in a brown paper bag, you want to keep that bag open. Keep it open and place it somewhere that’s a cool and well-ventilated dark place.”

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Where not to store potatoes 

Jerry has said storing potatoes on a countertop is “not the best place” for potatoes as is exposes them to too much light which can cause them to go green and begin sprouting. 

He said: “That This isn’t the worst thing, it’s just chlorophyll. It’s still safe to eat but it’s not pleasant and honestly, if you eat too much of it, it’s gonna give you stomach problems.” 

Although it may seem like the ideal place, potatoes should also never be stored in a fridge. Potatoes like humid areas, and the temperature is generally too extreme for potatoes. 

Jerry said: “Putting potatoes in the fridge actually takes those starches within the potato and starts converting them into sugars. That result just makes for a really unpleasant taste when it comes to potatoes but is also kind of hard to work with when it comes to baking or cooking.”

For his last tip, Jerry said that potatoes should also never be stored next to onions or garlic, as these vegetables will cause them to begin spoiling much more quickly. 

Jerry explained: “You want to keep your potatoes from anything ethylene-producing, like apples, and bananas. Those types that produce ethylene gas will cause potatoes to ripen faster than they’re supposed to.

“This is why you should never store your potatoes next to onions or garlic for that very reason.”

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