Buying and Storing Potatoes
We’ve all come home from the grocery store with a mushy potato in the bottom of the bag, or stored a spud too long and had it sprout into an unrecognizable object, and while these are sometimes unavoidable, we have a few tips to up your potato IQ.
One of the great things about potatoes is that although you may find baby potatoes or new potatoes in certain seasons only, you can pretty much always find a few varieties year-round. No matter the type, look for firm specimens that are free of green spots, sprouts, cracks, and other blemishes. We generally prefer to buy loose potatoes, so that we can see what we’re getting. Stay away from potatoes sold in plastic bags, as those storage conditions can cause them to sprout and rot.
Keep potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place and away from onions, which give off gases that hasten sprouting. Baking and all-purpose varieties will keep for several months, while boiling potatoes will keep for about one month. To further extend shelf life, we tried storing them in a cool, dark place with an apple—a common old wives' tale. To our surprise, the apple did indeed boost storage time by almost two weeks. The ethylene gas emitted by the apple suppresses the elongation of the potatoes' cells, which is what causes the sprouts to form.
