Undoubtedly, the best way to store whole, uncooked potatoes is outside of the fridge. Storing potatoes in the fridge will cause the starch to turn to sugar, giving them a sweet flavor that you don't want from your potatoes.
Do potatoes last longer in the fridge or on the counter? Potatoes are best kept around 45 to 50 degrees, which means they shouldn't be stored in the fridge or freezer. The best place to store them for maximum shelf life is a cool basement or garage—as long as it's dry.
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.
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.
Cooked starch foods like potatoes can grow germs if not kept either refrigerated and cold or hot over 140º F. Bake or boil the potatoes for potato salad, then cool. Refrigerate. One example is to put the potatoes in the refrigerator with no cover on the container to cool quickly.
Lack of pantry space or hot or humid conditions are all reasons you might want to store your potatoes in the refrigerator. If you do choose to refrigerate your potatoes for whatever reason, the potatoes will last for three to four weeks, but as mentioned, they may develop a sweeter taste when cooked.
When cooked potatoes are left out at room temperature or warmed up for a second time, they can take a toxic turn for the worst. Why? Warm temperatures promote the growth of the rare bacteria, botulism, that is commonly found in potatoes.
Potatoes that have green spots or sprouts can contain toxins, so unless you can completely cut those parts out, it's best to toss them. Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place to prevent sprouting and premature spoilage.
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. Good options include the pantry or in a drawer, as opposed to on the counter or on a windowsill where daylight can have an effect.
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. However, there's still a chance you could get sick. If your potato is sprouted and shriveled up, then it's too far gone.
You need to keep your potatoes in a dry, dark place. Exposure to light or moisture can bring on rotting in the skin. You'll also need to allow your spuds to be well-ventilated so avoid any airtight containers or spots – a netted bag or wicker basket should do the trick.
Instead use burlap sacks or breathable containers like paper bags, cardboard boxes, baskets and bowls to allow for air flow. Don't freeze raw potatoes.
In general, the optimum, long-term storage temperature for processing potatoes is approximately 45° F. For fresh market potatoes, a temperature of 40° F. is recommended. Seed potatoes may be stored at slightly lower temperatures (38° to 40° F.) for better weight loss and sprout control.
To tell if a raw potato is bad, look for a soft texture, wrinkled skin, or a bad smell. To tell if cooked potatoes are bad, check for a strong foul odor or visible mold. If your potato has sprouted, you can still eat it. Just cut the sprouts off and you're good to go.
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.
Onion bulbs and potato tubers both flourish underground, meaning that the vegetables require similar storage conditions — cool, dark, and ventilated environments — and they fare much better on a counter than in the fridge.
Too much light, especially sunlight, can cause the potatoes to start sprouting. It can also cause the potatoes to overproduce a chemical called Solanine, which causes them to turn green and taste bitter. If you notice the skin turning green, cut it off before you cook and eat the potato.
Soak them in water
The best (and most popular) way to keep cut potatoes from turning brown is to completely submerge them in a bowl of water. Store the water-covered potatoes in a bowl in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them, up to one day in advance.
Q: Is it ok to eat potatoes that have sprouted? A: The sprouts taste bitter, just knock them off if they are small and bake or use as usual.
All they need is darkness and moisture — making your kitchen or pantry an ideal place to start growing "eyes." But these extra appendages don't mean you have to trash your taters — if they are still firm when you squeeze them, the potatoes can be eaten — once you've removed the sprouts and cooked the potatoes.
The long and short of it is that—yes! —sprouted potatoes are usually safe to eat.
Chicken tends to dry out, toughen up, and lose its juicy flavour when it's reheated, but that's the least of your worries. Keeping cooked chicken at room temperature uncovered promotes the growth of bacteria, which reproduces most effectively between 5ºC to 60ºC.
The right amount of heat gives you smooth, creamy potatoes. But too much heat causes the starches to burst, and the potatoes to become gelatinous and gluey. Fighting these two potential outcomes is difficult when you make fresh mashed potatoes, but it's even more difficult when reheating leftovers.