Cannot recall who it was that mentioned it is best to store potatoes in a dark place, but that tip helped me alot. I typically store my potatoes in a hanging basket in the kitchen where it is cool this time of year. The potatoes always turned green, so I took the tip and stored them in a dark place (cupboard) in my kitchen and the potatoes have stayed fresh, firm, and no green color at all. Thanks whomever posted that tip!
Storing potatoes
- Thread starter amber
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Barb L.
Master Chef
Thanks Amber- didn't hear about the dark place !
appletart
Sous Chef
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I store mine in a basket in a dark place too..is the green safe to eat?..I usually peel it away and discard..
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Miss Amber..
I cannot take credit for the tip...but it is right on the money!
Another one I will throw out...don't refrigerate them...the will develope a "sweet" taste...due to starch converting to sugar...
Ever had a baked potato in restaurant that tasted that way??
keep them in a cooler they do...(sometimes/some places)
I cannot take credit for the tip...but it is right on the money!
Another one I will throw out...don't refrigerate them...the will develope a "sweet" taste...due to starch converting to sugar...
Ever had a baked potato in restaurant that tasted that way??
keep them in a cooler they do...(sometimes/some places)
Apparently light makes potatoes turn green, which I did not realize, but a cool storage place is important.Barb L. said:
good tip uncle bob. I never refrigerate my potatoes, just keep them in a cool and now dark place.
I just got through reading an article that says to cut off any green that it is not safe to eat.appletart said:
kadesma
babyhuggies
Senior Cook
i have a potatoe box that i stoer potatoes that will be used within a short amount of time but for long time i have a storage room under the stairs in the basement that is cool& dark---works well
Constance
Master Chef
kadesma said:I just got through reading an article that says to cut off any green that it is not safe to eat.
kadesma
Everything I've ever read in my years of gardening and cooking says that the green part of the potato "may not be" safe to eat.
I keep my potatoes and onons in stacked wooden crates in a cool corner by my back door. Ideally, it could be a bit darker, but since it's just the two of us, I don't buy large quantities of things like that any more.
If you have some potatoes that sprout, throw them out in the compost pile, and you'll have new potatoes this spring!
StirBlue
Head Chef
I have a storage bin in the bottom of my refrigerator. The large bin says Potatoes and the small one next to it says Onions. The cooler air in the refrigerator is always at the top. So the veggie bins are at the bottom and the meat storage is at the top. The egg compartment is inside the box and not on the door. It will hold two cartons of eggs in their original boxes. The panel on the compartment says Eggs.
I have not had any problem with my potato storage but I do remove the potatoes from the original bag and leave them loose in the bin. Same with the onions.
I try to avoid buying potatoes that have been in frozen storage before arriving at the grocery store. You mainly find these potatoes during the summer before the fall/winter harvest.
I have not had any problem with my potato storage but I do remove the potatoes from the original bag and leave them loose in the bin. Same with the onions.
I try to avoid buying potatoes that have been in frozen storage before arriving at the grocery store. You mainly find these potatoes during the summer before the fall/winter harvest.
StirBlue
Head Chef
No, they do not. 
appletart
Sous Chef
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True, I keep my potatoes stored away from onions/garlic..potatoes by themselves can have enough moisture over time to sprout.
StirBlue
Head Chef
appletart said:
If that was true don't you think that we would have a new hybrid on the market?
appletart
Sous Chef
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Hi StirBlue,
I keep my russetts together by themselves, buying about a 1/2 dozen at a time and try to use them up before they do start to sprout.
I keep my russetts together by themselves, buying about a 1/2 dozen at a time and try to use them up before they do start to sprout.
StirBlue
Head Chef
appletart: I keep my red potatoes, goldens and russetts together in the potato bin. I buy five pound bags.
I use the red potatoes in soups, stews, potato salads and breakfast foods. They go fast and are replaced often.
I use the russetts for baked potatoes and sometimes frying. They do not sprout but get old and wrinkly.
The golden are new to our market and I am just starting to use them as side dishes like mashed potatoes. I also use them in pancakes and breads.
Onions are extremely expensive right now so I have been using frozen onions and bell peppers as staples.
I buy fresh onions and bell peppers for recipes (on demand) so they are not staples right now.
Normally I have (3)white, (3)yellow and sometimes (1)red onions in the bin. The green onions are stored with carrots, celery ...etc.
The garlic is stored in a container in the cabinet with the dried spices. I buy garlic about every two weeks.
I have instant potatoes in the cupboard, frozen potatoes in the freezer but I do not use canned potatoes.
I use the red potatoes in soups, stews, potato salads and breakfast foods. They go fast and are replaced often.
I use the russetts for baked potatoes and sometimes frying. They do not sprout but get old and wrinkly.
The golden are new to our market and I am just starting to use them as side dishes like mashed potatoes. I also use them in pancakes and breads.
Onions are extremely expensive right now so I have been using frozen onions and bell peppers as staples.
I buy fresh onions and bell peppers for recipes (on demand) so they are not staples right now.
Normally I have (3)white, (3)yellow and sometimes (1)red onions in the bin. The green onions are stored with carrots, celery ...etc.
The garlic is stored in a container in the cabinet with the dried spices. I buy garlic about every two weeks.
I have instant potatoes in the cupboard, frozen potatoes in the freezer but I do not use canned potatoes.
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We had an Indian Summer during the fall and some of the garden onions that I had in a cloth bag hanging in a basket did sprout. There were 8" sprouts growing from each. It was very unusual. It may have been the onion variety that my neighbor had planted.
appletart
Sous Chef
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Hi Stirblue,
My hubby Steve loves red potatoes more than me, but we use them and russets, in various and different ways: salads, stews, made mashed potatoes, made also cubed, then fried w/butter and parsley, sometimes w/garlic and onions..we have saved sprouted reds and russets and tossed them into the ground and they've come up big enough size to harvest..
Steve has quite a garden in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter here in Sacramento..during the year, he plants different varieties of sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchinis, lettuce, potted varieties of parseley, chives, volunteer oregano, green scallions, also cantloupes, Asian watermelons..we also have a nectarine tree and a plum tree that has about 4 grafted varieties of plums, also a pomelo, grapefruit, lemon, blueberry bush, potted strawberries..but when we have too hot or to cold here in Sacto, the plants will suffer..but it's getting warmer again, so we'll be starting anew..
My hubby Steve loves red potatoes more than me, but we use them and russets, in various and different ways: salads, stews, made mashed potatoes, made also cubed, then fried w/butter and parsley, sometimes w/garlic and onions..we have saved sprouted reds and russets and tossed them into the ground and they've come up big enough size to harvest..
Steve has quite a garden in the Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter here in Sacramento..during the year, he plants different varieties of sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchinis, lettuce, potted varieties of parseley, chives, volunteer oregano, green scallions, also cantloupes, Asian watermelons..we also have a nectarine tree and a plum tree that has about 4 grafted varieties of plums, also a pomelo, grapefruit, lemon, blueberry bush, potted strawberries..but when we have too hot or to cold here in Sacto, the plants will suffer..but it's getting warmer again, so we'll be starting anew..
Aria
Sous Chef
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I store my potatoes in what we call a "Cold Room" insulated away from the remainder of our basement. Cooler temperature. I have shelves for all can goods and one bin for potatoes and one for onions. (not close)
Candocook. Yes. Do not keep onions and potatoes together. I have a laundry room with tile floor and have small bin for daily potatoes and a small basket for daily onions. The laundry room is cooler room in our house.
Candocook. Yes. Do not keep onions and potatoes together. I have a laundry room with tile floor and have small bin for daily potatoes and a small basket for daily onions. The laundry room is cooler room in our house.
Poutine
Senior Cook
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This web site has tips on storing lots of different foods:
Veggie Storage - Farm Direct Co-op
This site says not to store onions and potatoes together because it will cause both to spoil
How to Store Potatoes - eHow.com
And this site says they won't affect one another but they should be stored at different temps "There is absolutely no truth to the story that potatoes and onions should not be stored together because one makes the other sprout. The truth is, they have different storage temperature requirements. The optimal storage temperature for potatoes is 40 degrees, the temperature at which onions sprout."
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h247onion.html
it is funny how much different info you can find
Veggie Storage - Farm Direct Co-op
This site says not to store onions and potatoes together because it will cause both to spoil
How to Store Potatoes - eHow.com
And this site says they won't affect one another but they should be stored at different temps "There is absolutely no truth to the story that potatoes and onions should not be stored together because one makes the other sprout. The truth is, they have different storage temperature requirements. The optimal storage temperature for potatoes is 40 degrees, the temperature at which onions sprout."
http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h247onion.html
it is funny how much different info you can find
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StirBlue
Head Chef
appletart: Thanks for sharing so much about your garden. I noticed that Steve has potted strawberries growing in his garden. What variety of strawberry is this and what size pot would I need. And soil too.
appletart
Sous Chef
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Hi StirBlue,
The strawberries, currently frozen, but slowly coming back is an old plant that has been cut back each year, so the fruits are getting smaller and smaller.I think we planted (a long time ago) either Tioga or Sequoia..he used he uses nitrogen potash, phosphorus fertilizer products and supersoil..we'll probabably start w/new plantings as soon as the risk of frost is over for the spring/summer crop ( I put them in those patio pots about 5 gallon size..
The strawberries, currently frozen, but slowly coming back is an old plant that has been cut back each year, so the fruits are getting smaller and smaller.I think we planted (a long time ago) either Tioga or Sequoia..he used he uses nitrogen potash, phosphorus fertilizer products and supersoil..we'll probabably start w/new plantings as soon as the risk of frost is over for the spring/summer crop ( I put them in those patio pots about 5 gallon size..
