How to keep potatoes as fresh as new

To keep potatoes fresh and safe for the longest possible time, you need to follow the ways to preserve potatoes below.

Potatoes can be used to prepare many delicious dishes such as mashed, grilled, fried, baked, stewed in soup, wine sauce… Because it is used quite often, many people often buy large quantities to keep at home. However, if you don’t know how to keep potatoes as fresh as new, they will spoil very quickly before you can use them. 

How to keep potatoes as fresh as new

If you want to prolong the storage time of potatoes and keep them fresh and uncorrupted for many days, you can refer to the methods below.

Keep away from light

Potatoes always contain a certain amount of solanine – a substance that can cause fatal poisoning at a dose of 0.2 -0.4 grams per 1kg of body weight. In normal potatoes, the solanine content is at a safe level. This toxin increases greatly when potatoes are exposed to light and the skin turns green.

Solanine is potentially toxic to humans when consumed in high concentrations, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, coma, and in rare cases, death.

The best way to avoid solanine poisoning is to avoid eating potatoes that have turned green or sprouted. To keep potatoes from turning green, you should store them in a paper bag and keep them in a dark, well-ventilated place.

If you don’t have a paper bag available, you can also use old newspaper to wrap the potatoes, then store them neatly in a basket and keep them in a cool place. The best place to store potatoes is in a dry, well-ventilated area with good ventilation and away from direct sunlight (for example, in the basement, under kitchen cabinets, etc.).

Store at optimal temperature

The optimal temperature to prevent potatoes from being damaged and sprouting is from 7.2 – 10 degrees Celsius. Thus, you can keep potatoes fresh for 3-4 consecutive months, but the amount of vitamin C still remains. absolutely guaranteed.

You should also note that one way to keep potatoes looking as fresh as new is with proper air circulation. Therefore, you can place the potatoes in a basket or paper bag with good air circulation around them. Avoid storing potatoes in airtight containers because air cannot circulate and moisture from the potatoes escapes, creating conditions for bacteria and mold to cause spoilage.

Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator or freezer

Although cool temperatures are ideal for storing potatoes, the refrigerator and freezer are not suitable for storage.

When exposed to too low temperatures, the starch in potatoes will be converted into sugar, affecting the quality and taste of the potato.

Besides, potatoes that have not gone through the cooking process should not be stored in the freezer. Potatoes contain a large amount of water. When stored in the freezer, this water will expand and form crystals that break down the cell wall structure, making them mushy and unusable after defrosting.

You can only freeze potatoes when they have been prepared, fully cooked or partially cooked.

Do not wash potatoes before storing

Potatoes are grown underground, so sometimes they still retain dirt on their skins. According to habit, many people wash off the soil layer on potatoes before storing them. This is one of the mistakes that causes potatoes to spoil faster than usual.

Washing potatoes will create more moisture, causing the potatoes to germinate quickly or promote the growth of fungi and bacteria during storage, causing damage to the potatoes.

Do not store with other foods

According to research, to keep potatoes fresh longer, they should be stored separately, away from onions, apples, bananas, tomatoes and other fruits that produce ethylene gas. This gas will stimulate potatoes to sprout faster.

Therefore, the way to keep potatoes as fresh as new is to avoid placing them near onions, onions in general, and ripe fruits.