Potatoes stay fresh 3 months longer without sprouting or turning green if kept in 1 place

Raw potatoes in a black plate on the kitchen table.
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Fed up with your spuds sprouting legs and turning mushy so soon after purchase? Blogger Jerry James Stone has come to the rescue with a golden food storage hack.

Stone vouches you can have spuds staying pristine for up to six months, with one simple trick, reports the Express. "Storing potatoes is pretty simple," Jerry reveals. "For the most part... [potatoes] like being in a dark, cool place."

While many are privy to common wisdom about potato storage, Jerry spills the beans on the "best way" to nail it, which includes a nifty tip that may raise some eyebrows. "Store them in a brown paper bag," is Jerry's sage advice. "Just a brown paper bag, opened up."

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He explains: "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."

And the details matter, according to Jerry: "When they're stored in a brown paper bag, you want to keep that bag open, and place it somewhere that's a cool and sort of well-ventilated dark place."

He also flags the risks of light exposure, explaining how spuds can turn green and taste bitter, avoidable by keeping them in the dark. Jerry points out that the sweet spot for potato storage temperature hovers between seven to 10C, any hotter and you'll hasten their unwelcome growth.

He notes that a stable nook anywhere in your home or garage, maintaining that ideal temperate range, will keep your taters sound and fresh. Jerry vowed: "Potatoes can last up to three months this way; I've even had them last for up to six months and still keep fresh."

woman walking with brown paper bag
A brown paper bag is the ideal storage solution for potatoes -Credit:Getty Images

It is essential to keep potatoes away from ethylene-producing produce to maintain their longevity. Some common examples of ethylene-producing produce include:

  • Apples

  • Bananas

  • Melons

  • Tomatoes

  • Avocados

  • Pears

  • Kiwi

  • Mangoes

Furthermore, Jerry was adamant about not storing potatoes in the refrigerator. Not only does the fridge light exposure matter, but there's another significant reason as well.

"Putting potatoes in the fridge actually takes those starches within the potato and starts converting them into sugar," he said. "And that results just makes for a really unpleasant taste when it comes to potatoes."

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