1. 1

    Shop potatoes someplace cool. [one] The ideal temperature is somewhere between 45 and 50°F (7 and ten°C).[two] Yous tin can, however, shop potatoes in places as cool as 38 and 42°F (3.4 and 5.6°C), without affecting the flavor or texture too much.[3] Wherever you decide to store the potatoes, make sure that the temperatures remain consistent. If they change too much, the potatoes may start to rot or sprout.[4]

    • If you store the potatoes below 40°F (4.5°C), utilize them within half-dozen to viii months.[5] If you store the potatoes above 40°F (4.5°C), utilise them within 3 to 4 months.[vi]

  2. 2

    Make sure that the storage surface area is dry, and don't wash the potatoes earlier you store them. [7] Save the washing for when you lot are set up to cook them. If you wash the potatoes start, you take a chance trapping wet in the pare. This can cause the potatoes to rot sooner.[8]

    • If the storage area is too dry, your potatoes may shrivel. If this happens, move the potatoes to a place with higher humidity; about fourscore to 90 percent would be ideal.[ix] Make sure that the potatoes get good air circulation, all the same, or they will rot.[10]

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  3. 3

    Keep potatoes in a paper bag to ensure proper ventilation. Avoid plastic numberless, as they tend to trap warmth and moisture.[11] Instead, plant and gardening specialist Olivia Choong suggests "keeping them in a well-ventilated container, such as a basket or crate." Choong advises that "a paper handbag or some kind of netting" can also work well. Here are some other suitable containers to store potatoes in:

    • Cardboard boxes
    • Cotton or muslin numberless

  4. iv

    Keep the potatoes someplace dark. [12] Ideal storage places include basements, cabinets, closets, and garages.[xiii] Too much low-cal, especially sunlight, can cause the potatoes to start sprouting. It can also cause the potatoes to overproduce a chemical chosen Solanine, which causes them to turn green and taste biting.[14] [15]

    • If you discover the peel turning green, cutting it off before you cook and consume the potato.[16] If the green has gotten into the potato flesh itself, throw the potato away.

  5. 5

    Avert storing potatoes in places that tend to get warm. These include cabinets below the sink and next to large appliances, such equally stoves and refrigerators. Potatoes will start to sprout if they are kept in a warm area.[17] Constitute and gardening specialist Olivia Choong also advises confronting "storing potatoes in the fridge, as this turns the potatoes' starches into sugars. This not only alters the flavor merely can possibly grade acrylamide, a chemical that's been flagged as a cancer risk."

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  1. i

    Avert storing potatoes well-nigh onions, apples, bananas, pears, and other fruit. [18] In that location seems to be a lot of contend regarding whether or not apples tin proceed potatoes from sprouting. According to plant and gardening specialist Olivia Choong, "Onions and apples emit ethylene gas, which speeds up the sprouting process." Some studies have also shown that potatoes tin can cause apples to get soft and mushy.[xix] [twenty]

    • On the other hand, some people plant that keeping an apple or two with potatoes will continue sprouting at bay.

  2. 2

    Consider keeping some herbs with the potatoes. Studies have shown that herbs, such every bit lavender, rosemary, and sage, contain oils which help foreclose rot and disuse in potatoes.[21] These same oils may also help keep the potatoes from sprouting.

  3. 3

    Try using spearmint or peppermint essential oils. Soak a pocket-sized piece of blotter paper with the essential oil, and tuck it into the container with the potatoes. Studies have shown that these oils can inhibit sprouting in potatoes.[22]

    • Reapply the essential oil every 2 to 3 weeks, or when needed.[23]
    • Avoid using this method if your storage container is made from metal or plastic. Essential oils tin can deteriorate these materials.[24]
    • Clove essential oil may too be used, but it requires a thermal or aerosol application, and thus not recommended for habitation use.[25]

  4. four

    Understand that potatoes will eventually sprout, usually within 1 to 4 months. Nil lasts forever, especially nutrient. While y'all can keep potatoes from sprouting prematurely, eventually they will starting time to get bad and sprout. Depending on the variety, potatoes volition showtime forming sprouts naturally betwixt 30 and 140 days.[26] Some people find that the following varieties generally final longer than others: Katahdin, Xanthous Finn, and Yukon Gold.[27]

    • If you are storing a multifariousness of potatoes, eat the varieties that don't last every bit long beginning.

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Add New Question

  • Question

    Tin can I eat a irish potato that has sprouts?

    Community Answer

    You tin as long as you cut out any sprouts or green spots. If the murphy has gone bad, toss it out. Use common sense, if it doesn't look good, it probably isn't.

  • Question

    How many pieces can a potato with sprots be cut into for planting?

    Community Answer

    And then long as each piece you cut has at least two eyes, you can cut as many pieces equally y'all'd similar.

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  • Avoid keeping potatoes as well long during late winter/early spring; this is the fourth dimension when they want to sprout because they desire to grow.

  • Plant sprouted potatoes instead of throwing them away.[28]

  • Humidity is fine for potatoes, but trapped humidity and poor air circulation are not fine.

  • Check on the potatoes every few weeks, and remove whatever rotten ones. If you don't, yous'll risk the rot transferring to the rest of the potatoes.[29]

  • If you don't accept a cool, dry, and nighttime identify in your kitchen, try storing the potatoes in a closet instead.[30]

  • If storing in a basement, keep the potatoes off the concrete floor, preferably in a paper or cloth bag, or in a basket.[31]

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  • Never leave potatoes stored in plastic; this encourages sweating and will increase the chances of sprouting and rotting.

  • Avert keeping potatoes in the refrigerator.[32] Cold temperatures are fine for potatoes, merely too cold temperatures tin ruin the texture and crusade them to turn dark when cooked. If yous must store the potatoes in the fridge, let them reach room temperature before you melt them. [33] Storing them in the fridge could also form acrylamide, a chemical which has been flagged as a cancer risk.[34]

  • Never eat sprouted or green potatoes. Ever cut the sprouted and green parts off. If the irish potato is soft or wrinkled, throw it away.[35]

  • Know the symptoms of potato plant poisoning: diarrhea, headaches, stomach aches, troubles breathing, and vomiting. If you lot experience any of these, contact your wellness care provider immediately.[36]

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Things You'll Demand

  • Paper or fabric bag
  • Absurd, dark place

References

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