How to Store Potatoes Properly at Home

Potatoes stay firm for longer when they’re kept away from light, heat and built-up damp. Using a breathable container, storing onions separately, and removing any spoiled potatoes straight away all help to limit sprouting, green patches and rot while they’re being stored.

Where should potatoes be stored?

The ideal spot is cool, dark and well ventilated-such as an airy larder or a cupboard well away from the hob. Paper bags, baskets and crates with gaps allow air to circulate, whereas sealed plastic packaging traps moisture around the tubers.

Light encourages the skin to turn green and can increase the level of glycoalkaloids, including solanine. Potatoes are tubers that keep respiring after harvest, which is why they still need airflow even when they’re put away.

• Pick a dark place away from windows
• Avoid warm spots near the oven or hob
• Use paper bags, slatted boxes or baskets
• Don’t wash the tubers before storing
• Remove any damp, bruised or rotting ones

Why is it better to keep potatoes away from onions?

Both potatoes and onions give off moisture and volatile compounds during storage. When they’re piled together in the same container, conditions can promote sprouting, softening and the spread of rot between them. It’s best to keep them in separate baskets and check each group regularly.

Does storing an apple alongside really reduce sprouts?

Apples release ethylene, a gas that affects ripening and sprouting in various vegetables. Ethylene is also used commercially to manage potato sprouting, which is why some people keep an apple in the same container at home.

Even so, results can differ depending on temperature, variety and how long the potatoes are stored, so the fruit isn’t a substitute for controlling light and ventilation. Keeping potatoes near an apple also calls for frequent checks, because a bruised or rotting apple can raise humidity in the basket.

• Use only one firm apple with no damaged areas
• Keep the container open or very well ventilated
• Check weekly for sprouting
• Replace the apple once it starts to soften
• Dispose of any food showing mould or rot immediately

Is it safe to store potatoes in the fridge?

Refrigeration can extend how long potatoes keep and is now considered a safe option, as long as the tubers are dry, protected from light and kept in breathable packaging. Low temperatures can increase reducing sugars and affect flavour or cause more browning during frying, which is why a cool larder is still the better choice when the potatoes will be fried or roasted until deeply golden.

What signs show a tuber shouldn’t be eaten?

Small sprouts can be cut out along with a little surrounding flesh, provided the potato is still firm and doesn’t have large green areas. Potatoes that are very soft, wrinkled, bitter, mouldy or strongly green should be thrown away, because cooking does not fully remove glycoalkaloids.

Proper storage starts with dry, unbruised potatoes, kept in a ventilated container and checked often. By managing light, temperature and humidity, potatoes hold their texture for longer and stay suitable for boiling, roasting or making mash over a longer period.