If stored properly, potatoes can stay intact for a long time. Follow our tips to avoid the formation of sprouts and not risk unnecessary waste in the kitchen
The potatoes they are among the most loved and used vegetables in everyday cooking. Surely you always have them available in the pantry, but are you sure you are storing them in the right way? It often happens that potatoes develop i sprouts, which blacken or rot quickly. To avoid having to throw them out due to these tasks, it is important to follow some very important rules. Let's go into detail.
How to properly store potatoes
First of all, if you choose potatoes at the supermarket, favor those that do not have lesions or cuts. At home, put them in a paper bag or in a container; if, on the other hand, you have bought them in the classic net, leave them inside. The most important thing is that they are aerated, in order to prevent the formation of mold.
Where to store the potatoes? It is essential that the chosen place has very specific characteristics: the ideal is a place dark, since exposure to light or sun would favor the development of spots and solanine, a natural toxin that in large quantities would make the tuber inedible. If there are small green spots, remove the affected part before cooking.
There temperature ideal conservation is between 4 and 8 degrees, for this reason the potatoes should absolutely not be stored in fridge. The cold, in fact, transforms starches into sugars, altering natural colors and flavors. And if you are wondering if it is possible to freeze raw potatoes, the answer is no: temperatures below 4 degrees would make them inedible. Do this only after you have cooked and cooled them properly.
Even the hot is the enemy of potatoes: potatoes sprout naturally with the beginning of spring, which is why temperatures that are too high (above 10 degrees) could stimulate this process prematurely.
To be able to keep potatoes longer you must also take into account humidity, which must be between 70 and 80%: if the chosen place is too dry, the potatoes risk dehydration and shriveling; if there is too much humidity, molds could form. This is why it is also forbidden to wash them before putting them in the pantry, but it is advisable to do it only when you are about to cook them.
For all these reasons, one of the best places to store potatoes is the cellar. If you do not have one available, a pantry that you rarely open, away from sources of light, heat or humidity, such as an oven, radiators or windows exposed to the sun, will also do well.
Can sprouted potatoes be eaten?
Everyone has wanted to bake potatoes in the oven, go to the pantry and find potatoes full of sprouts. What to do in this case? Can sprouted potatoes be cooked? It depends.
If the consistency is still compact and the sprouts are small, just remove them and consume them as quickly as possible. If, on the other hand, there are many large sprouts and the potatoes are wrinkled, then it is better not to eat them. To prevent this from happening, check the potatoes from time to time and remove the sprouts before they start growing.
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