Florentina Lewis
Cellar, refrigerator or pantry – where are potatoes best stored? With these tips for storing potatoes, green, shriveled and germinating tubers don’t stand a chance.
Potatoes can be stored well over the winter.
The potatoes like it dark, dry, airy and cool. The best storage place is therefore clearly the basement.
Green areas and small shoots should be cut away generously.
The 2021 potato harvest will be significantly smaller than last year’s harvest. Almost ten percent fewer potatoes will be harvested this autumn. One reason for this is the very changeable and wet summer weather.
Potato storage made easy
Potatoes are an extremely rewarding vegetable: they can be used in many delicious dishes, are nutritious, rich in nutrients and healthy – and they can be stored well over the winter.
In the past there was a potato cellar in almost every house. That has become rare – today many are faced with the question of whether it is best to store the potatoes in the cellar, in the pantry or in the refrigerator. We give tips:
1. Store potatoes correctly: They like it cool
The potato feels most comfortable at temperatures between 7 and 10 degrees. At warmer temperatures, the tuber germinates and loses moisture. If the potato gets too cold, it converts starch into sugar and its taste changes.
2. Potatoes love darkness
When potatoes get too much light, they turn green and produce toxic solanine. Therefore: Keep potatoes in a dark room or container, otherwise there is a risk of potato poisoning.
3. Never store potatoes in plastic packaging
Potatoes from the supermarket are often wrapped in plastic. That doesn’t get the nodule at all. The potato gets an airy environment best. An open box with wide gaps or holes that allow for good ventilation is ideal for storing potatoes. Alternatively, jute bags or linen bags are also suitable.
4. Storing Potatoes – Apples are not good company
Don’t store potatoes next to pears or apples: these fruits give off ethylene gas, which makes potatoes ripen faster. Read more: Storing apples: This is how they last the longest.
5. Examine potatoes regularly
You should regularly inspect stored potatoes and discard sprouted or discolored potatoes. Simply remove small sprouting spots or discolouration and process the potatoes as usual.
If the majority of the potato is affected or the sprouts have been around for a long time, it is better not to eat the tubers.
Where do I store potatoes if I don’t have a basement?
Not everyone has the opportunity to store potatoes in the dark and cool basement. The refrigerator is only an emergency solution for a few days. Exceptions are modern refrigerators with a so-called basement compartment. Although this does not hold the potato supply for the next few months, it offers optimal storage conditions.
In the cool, but not too cold months, the garage, balcony or terrace is also a place where you can store potatoes. Also possible: a ground storage in the garden. Also read: No space in the basement? A ground storage for potatoes helps
If you cannot offer potatoes good storage conditions, you should not buy the tubers in advance, but only small quantities for the needs of the next week or two.
Store potatoes from the garden
You should not clean potatoes from your own garden before storing them, but let them dry well. The clinging soil protects the potato from drying out and rotting.
