A basket, bowl, or paper bag is better than a plastic bag. A paper bag, basket, or large bowl are ideal for storing a pile of potatoes since they allow for plenty of air circulation.
Old fashioned burlap bags are the absolute best way to store your harvest. Honestly, the old way is still the best. I know it sounds silly but burlap allows air flow which prevents the potatoes from rotting. Some people use paper bags with holes poked into them and some use plastic bags with holes.
Whatever you do, don't store potatoes in a sealed container! Avoid closed containers, like resealable plastic bags or airtight storage containers—they'll trap moisture and will cause the potatoes to mold, sprout, or spoil faster.
Properly stored, they can last a long time in your pantry and remain available to prepare some of the best comfort foods, like mashed potatoes, and as a base for many types of soups. Paper bags are an excellent way to store potatoes; it keeps them fresh for many days without spoiling.
Keep Potatoes in a Cool and Dry Environment
As previously explained, potatoes should be placed in a cardboard box, mesh bag, or basket to ensure good ventilation. Store your potatoes in a cool, dark place (45 to 50 F is the ideal temperature range), such as your pantry or unheated basement.
The key is to store potatoes in a cool dry place, like in the cabinet of a pantry, in a paper bag or cardboard box. It's important to keep potatoes at the cool, ideal temperature (but not, surprisingly, the fridge) to prevent them from turning green, getting soft spots, or pre-maturely sprouting.
Ziata recommends open containers (like open paper bags, baskets, and sacks), as these options will prevent excess moisture from accumulating. "Avoid airtight containers and sealed plastic bags, and never wash your potatoes before storing," she says.
Plastic bags won't allow them to breathe and will shorten their shelf life considerably, so remove them from a plastic bag if you've brought them home in one. Store your potatoes in a cool, humid, and dark place (45 to 50 F is the ideal temperature range).
The basic principle of storage is that potatoes must be kept dry, cool, dark and at the correct temperature. Never use plastic bags for storing potatoes because the potatoes will sweat and rot surprisingly quickly. Hessian sacks are the best but you will need to buy them and they are expensive.
So if you're wondering… can you store potatoes in a paper sack? Well, you sure can! As opposed to closed off airtight containers or zipped up plastic bags, open brown paper bags are a great way to store potatoes to allow for proper ventilation and air flow.
Where should I store potatoes? Your spuds need air circulation, so don't suffocate them in a plastic bag. They're best kept in a mesh or paper bag. It's also crucial that potatoes are stored away from other fresh produce, particularly onions, as they release ethylene gas.
Transferring your potatoes into a cardboard box will guarantee they have enough air to breathe. Light and temperature also have a significant impact on how long potatoes last in storage. Potatoes need a dark, cool environment to avoid greening, sprouting and decay. Potatoes stored in too much light may turn green.
Storing Your potatoes in a Jute or Hessian sack will allow the vegetables to breathe while excluding light. By excluding light it will stop them turning green due to chlorophyll production as well as sun exposure which can cause large amounts of toxic chemicals called solanine.
So, store your potatoes unpeeled and unwashed; in a cool, dry and dark spot like an enclosed kitchen cabinet away from the sink. Also, avoid keeping raw potatoes in the fridge – too cold, and the starch-to-sugar conversion starts up as well, ruining their texture, colour and flavour.
Your potatoes should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a pantry or cupboard for up to 5 weeks. Use a storage container that is well-ventilated, such as a crate, a cardboard box with holes punched in it, or any container that will allow any excess moisture to evaporate.
Eventually, potatoes will start to lose their freshness and may develop sprouts or get moldy. So, in order to keep potatoes fresh for 4 to 6 months you'll need a proper food storage container or plastic zip bag that seals in air to properly store them in.
What you don't want is to have your potatoes and onions in close proximity, as gases from the onions can hasten sprouting in potatoes. Kept in the dark: Davison says your potatoes should be stored inside a paper bag in a cool, dark, dry place. And as mentioned above, away from onions and their sprout-encouraging gases.
When stored in a cool, dark place, (warmer than the fridge but colder than the average temperature of your kitchen) whole, uncooked potatoes can last up to two months. At room temperature, on the counter, for example, potatoes will last up to two weeks.
Clean potatoes before storing them. You need only brush off the soil on potatoes grown in coarse, sandy soil. But if the soil is fine, sticky clay, your potatoes may need washing. If so, be sure they are completely dry before placing them in storage.
Sprouted potatoes that are still firm, have relatively small sprouts, and don't show any wrinkles or shriveling are okay to eat, as long as you cut off the sprouted parts and soft spots.
Store potatoes away from heat and light:
Because light, heat, and humidity can make your spuds sprout faster, it's best to keep your potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place.
Wooden crates, air-permeable jute sacks (or other potato storage bags) and wicker baskets are all suitable for storing potatoes.