Do you refrigerate potatoes?

[chef k-dude]

Here in 2024 you can find the same old "never refrigerate your potatoes, they'll give you cancer and destroy the flavor" mixed in with the "myth busted!, new recommendations say YES store them in the fridge to reduce food waste". Ideal has always been is mid 40's to mid 50's and dark. Unless one has a root cellar, its hard to find that sweet spot anywhere in most homes. One article said someone noticed a refrigerator symbol on the corner of a bag that said store at below 5C (obviously not in the U.S.), that's 41F. Proper fridge temp is in the high 30's, right near there.

I've read replies on some articles people are saying they've been refrigerating potatoes as long as they can remember. I think I used to refrigerate, but the funny thing is, after my wife and I went low carb for something like 4 years for weight loss and now mingling in some more carbs here and there, I'm questioning if I even remember what I used to do!

"They" still say it converts starches to sugars, changing the flavor and I saw one article that said its OK unless you plan to deep fry them, that they take on an off color if deep fried after refrigeration. Frozen french fries I believe are par-fried before freezing, so maybe thats why they dont look weird?

I picked up 5lb bag of redskin potatoes for $2.99. I didn't need that much but I'm a sucker for the sales! I had some potatoes go all sprouty on me recently. Seemed to happen overnight. They were sitting on a table in my garage which IS climate controlled in the summer, but thats like 76 degrees. I cored off the sprouts and cooked them all (whole baby potatoes) and froze what we couldn't eat (just me and the wife usually). I wasnt crazy about them when thawed but we ate them. I was eyeballing that 5lb bag and I'm wondering if I should refrigerate or find someone to give some to?

 

[SmokinEdge]

Refrigerated is fine. We used to raise red potatoes, Pontiacs and Vikings , we harvested late In October so the ground was cold but not frozen, the cold makes them sweet, that conversion of starch to sugar. If you then take a potato from cold back into room temp the conversion reverses from sugar back into starch. With cold potatoes you will notice when cutting them up they will get a rosey pinkish color on the outside, that is the sign of a potato converted to sugars. Now we buy Yukon golds and keep them in a dark cabinet but I’ll still occasionally pull some into the fridge for certain meals. The conversion to sugar takes a couple weeks and can end up more sweet or less depending on the ground they were grown in. For example, I’ve never been able to get a California potato very sweet, clay soil seems to be key.

 

[Smoke-Chem BBQ]

Cool and dark storage is correct, though I've not heard of home storage in the refrigerator, and I'm from Idaho!

But that said, the average kitchen is warmer than optimum. A cool basement, if one is available, is better for any spuds you want to keep more than a couple of weeks.

 

[chopsaw]

I'll add air flow to the cool and dark .
Buying the 5 lb bags at the store , they seem to be refrigerated , because when they hit the bunker at store temps they condensate in the bag . I make sure I get that dried out before going in the pantry .

wondering if I should refrigerate or find someone to give some to?

I buy 5 pounds weekly . I will lose a few at times . If I have 5 or 6 left in the bag , I throw them in a bank of coals on the Kettle wrapped in foil . Get them cooked , cooled and into the fridge .
Makes easy fried potatoes for breakfast .

 

[Fueling Around]

We bring about 50# of taters to Florida. We're leaving in about a week.
When it cooled down I put the boxes out on the balconey overnight to cool off
Well, I got a brainstorm to make a root cellar in an old cooler by suspending a freezer pack from the lid. The paper towel diaper is catch the condensate from the freezer pack.

This is early February of this year. The purples were just starting to eye out.
The chiller kept them edible into April.

 

[TeeZee]

We bring about 50# of taters to Florida. We're leaving in about a week.
When it cooled down I put the boxes out on the balconey overnight to cool off
Well, I got a brainstorm to make a root cellar in an old cooler by suspending a freezer pack from the lid. The paper towel diaper is catch the condensate from the freezer pack.
View attachment 705994
This is early February of this year. The purples were just starting to eye out.
The chiller kept them edible into April.
View attachment 705996

Brilliant.

 

[TeeZee]

Wow, that's more than I ever knew about potatoes. Very helpful, thanks.

 

[Winterrider]

I grow quite a few potatoes, red pontiac. Keep a few in the house fridge, the rest in 5 gal bucket in beer fridge in garage. They don't seem to last very long, kinda dehydrate. Someone on here earlier said to keep the top sealed to prevent this. Always thought airflow was best. Just dug the potatoes the other day and wondering if to cover or not

 

[chopsaw]

Always thought airflow was best.

That's where I'm at . Moisture causes rot .
I was told one time " Store your items they way they were in the store "
Makes sense to me .
I leave tomatoes , onions and peppers on the counter . Potatoes go in a dark pantry . Commercial storage bins are ventilated .


That's all for amounts that will be used throughout the week , not long term storage .

 

[chef k-dude]

Refrigerated is fine. We used to raise red potatoes, Pontiacs and Vikings , we harvested late In October so the ground was cold but not frozen, the cold makes them sweet, that conversion of starch to sugar. If you then take a potato from cold back into room temp the conversion reverses from sugar back into starch. With cold potatoes you will notice when cutting them up they will get a rosey pinkish color on the outside, that is the sign of a potato converted to sugars. Now we buy Yukon golds and keep them in a dark cabinet but I’ll still occasionally pull some into the fridge for certain meals. The conversion to sugar takes a couple weeks and can end up more sweet or less depending on the ground they were grown in. For example, I’ve never been able to get a California potato very sweet, clay soil seems to be key.

Thanks for the info. The tip about letting them come to room temp seems smart. Like setting out meat to thaw, you just have to think ahead.

I'll add air flow to the cool and dark .
Buying the 5 lb bags at the store , they seem to be refrigerated , because when they hit the bunker at store temps they condensate in the bag . I make sure I get that dried out before going in the pantry .


I buy 5 pounds weekly . I will lose a few at times . If I have 5 or 6 left in the bag , I throw them in a bank of coals on the Kettle wrapped in foil . Get them cooked , cooled and into the fridge .
Makes easy fried potatoes for breakfast .

Especially Walmart is bad for ruining vegetables. We've found ice crystals on some of them. My wife asked a produce dept. person about it and was told Walmart had started shipping vegetables on the same trucks as the meats. You are right about condensation. A sure sign. I've caught supposedly "fresh farm stands" with sweaty tomatoes. When I asked one of them about it, they told me they kept them at 50 degrees or something like that. I said, "yea, that's not "fresh"...Some of those roadside stands are buying from restaurant supply places and people think they are buying "fresh and local".

We bring about 50# of taters to Florida. We're leaving in about a week.
When it cooled down I put the boxes out on the balconey overnight to cool off
Well, I got a brainstorm to make a root cellar in an old cooler by suspending a freezer pack from the lid. The paper towel diaper is catch the condensate from the freezer pack.
View attachment 705994
This is early February of this year. The purples were just starting to eye out.
The chiller kept them edible into April.
View attachment 705996

Wow...now THAT'S DIY out of the "box" (pun intended) thinking. How often are you changing out the freezer pack? Now thats love of potatoes right there! Don't they have potatoes in Florida? Or just not the same?

I grow quite a few potatoes, red pontiac. Keep a few in the house fridge, the rest in 5 gal bucket in beer fridge in garage. They don't seem to last very long, kinda dehydrate. Someone on here earlier said to keep the top sealed to prevent this. Always thought airflow was best. Just dug the potatoes the other day and wondering if to cover or not

Some of the articles I read said that the plastic bags with holes they come in from the store are great at balancing the moisture, and you can cover that with a towel to help keep the light out if you dont have a dark place. I think for me its the temp. In the winter, my garage will stay at 40-60 degrees, in summer the AC keeps it at about 76-77 but thats still too warm for long term.

That's where I'm at . Moisture causes rot .
I was told one time " Store your items they way they were in the store "
Makes sense to me .
I leave tomatoes , onions and peppers on the counter . Potatoes go in a dark pantry . Commercial storage bins are ventilated .


That's all for amounts that will be used throughout the week , not long term storage .

Except for the fact that how the vegetables are displayed are not necessarily how they had been stored/transported (comment above), I totally agree with that. And for short term (like a week, like you said), fresh vegetables are fine on the counter. I never refrigerate tomatoes unless they have been cut, but we'll buy a bag of onions that will last a month in the fridge. We buy jalapenos for the most part. I burp regular green peppers up for days it seems. The jalapenos go in to the fridge and can last for weeks as well. I dont notice any difference between peppers off the plant vs. refrigerated and I used to grow them.

I always like to learn how other people do stuff, and really found the lack of consensus online surprising. But there doesn't seem to be much middle ground out there, it seems its either "never refrigerate potatoes" or "refrigerating potatoes is not only fine, but makes them taste sweeter". I know I can just throw half of them in the fridge and leave the rest out in the garage (no cellar or basement here) as an experiment, but appreciate learning how other people handle them.

I think a lot of the articles out there are regurgitations of the same stuff someone else originally wrote. And with AI its getting worse. It scans the web and assembles questions and answers. Have you noticed how many pages that come up in a search that have the same format of "question and answer"? You'll find it in a search result for something, but it goes way father than you were looking. Start with "should I refrigerate potatoes" and end up with "should I use mothballs in my closet"! It's a total rabbit hole sometimes out there!

 

[normanaj]

Sometimes we put in the pantry sometimes in the fridge.Never really put any thought into it until now.

 

[gmc2003]

I usually buy the day of use or a day in advance of use.

Chris

 

[TeeZee]

"And with AI its getting worse."

Yes, Chef, AI is ruining the internet.

Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone.

 

[TeeZee]

I grow quite a few potatoes, red pontiac. Keep a few in the house fridge, the rest in 5 gal bucket in beer fridge in garage. They don't seem to last very long, kinda dehydrate. Someone on here earlier said to keep the top sealed to prevent this. Always thought airflow was best. Just dug the potatoes the other day and wondering if to cover or not

When do you plant? A friend near Red Lake Falls MN plants her winter Red Pontiacs in mid-July to avoid the potato bugs, then digs and cures them a week or two out in the garage (where it's warm and dry and air flow is good) before bringing them inside for storage in the basement. It works.

 

[Winterrider]

Q

When do you plant? A friend near Red Lake Falls MN plants her winter Red Pontiacs in mid-July to avoid the potato bugs, then digs and cures them a week or two out in the garage (where it's warm and dry and air flow is good) before bringing them inside for storage in the basement. It works.

I usually plant early May. Old wives tail always said you were suppose to have them in the ground by good Friday. Heck I still got snow on the ground usually. As soon as dry enough to till, I put them in.

 

[Fueling Around]

...
Wow...now THAT'S DIY out of the "box" (pun intended) thinking. How often are you changing out the freezer pack? Now thats love of potatoes right there! Don't they have potatoes in Florida? Or just not the same?
...

I change out the freezer pack every day
My garden potatoes are 100% pesticide free. Wife prefers blue (purple) potato varieties and they are very hard to find. I switched from Kennebec to Norkota as wifey wants a russet versus a white.
My reds are all consumed before we head south
Now come late February to March in Florida the winter harvest of reds hits the store shelves. I love a red potato.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I toss them in a dark cupboard. Sometimes I forget about them and when I open the door there can be fun growth. The last time that happened I cut them up and placed them in a compost bin in the center of a pepper growing barrel (50 gallon drum). The compost bin had a lid.

A month or so later I removed the lid to add more stuff and had potato plants growing up to the lid.

 

[TeeZee]

...you were suppose to have them in the ground by good Friday. Heck I still got snow on the ground usually.

Me too. A natural sign for planting potatoes is the blooming of the dandelions (yes, you just knew those things were good for something--actually, they are a great herbal medicine also ).

 

[mike243]

I have seen folks put them in the fridge but they have to have ventilation, whirlpool made some bottom drawers to airtight and they were rotting very quickly, called our technical support folks they suggested changing fan motor, no help, called manufacture, said change fan again with a different part number, went back on a icemaker issue 6 months later and lady had called manufacture, asked serial number, shipped new bins, problem solved. I looked at them and there was a airgap so they didn't get airtight when shut. my grandpa would store them in a out building covered with lime and burlap bags, look a little wrinkled but pealed up fine. onions covered with burlap. They air going to release moisture and it needs to be able to get pulled away.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I'm curious, what causes the starches to convert to sugars at low temps? I brew beer, and to covert the starches in the grain to sugar, I need to steep the crushed grain in 150F water for about an hour. Amylase, the enzyme that does that work, does it best at that temp. Do potatoes have an enzyme that works at cold temps?