What's the best way to store potatoes at home?
That’s what University of Idaho researchers asked two College of Southern Idaho agriculture classes to help them quantify.
Students stored russet potatoes on counter tops, in cabinets, in plastic bags, under the sink, in the refrigerator, in unheated rooms, and so forth.
by Noah Kroese
After five weeks of recording air temperatures and humidity and watching carefully for signs of sprouting and greening, the students brought their potatoes to the university’s Potato Storage Research Facility at Kimberly for evaluation.
In addition to protecting your potatoes from light to prevent greening, studies confirmed the importance of choosing a relatively humid location—or slipping your potatoes into a perforated plastic bag—to minimize shrinkage.
Storage temperatures should be between 42°F and 55°F—cool enough to slow sprouting but warm enough to keep starches from converting to high concentrations of sugar.
In sum, the refrigerator is too cold, but a dark, unheated room or cabinet inside your house or garage may be just right.
by MARLENE FRITZ
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