When cooking potatoes, the first step in preserving them is to peel them. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 24 hours, but they will start to spoil after this time. Check the potatoes periodically for signs of spoilage like discoloration or mold. If you notice any of these signs, it’s probably time to discard them. Otherwise, you can store them at room temperature. But if you want to enjoy them as soon as possible, you should peel them before storing them.
Potatoes
Potatoes are the tubers (massive underground storage stems) of the Solanum tuberosum plant, Andean nightshade cultivated for almost 8,000 years. Along with flowers, leaves, and poisonous berries, the potato plant is connected to tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers.
When mature potatoes are harvested, the plant’s above-ground portion must be destroyed, and the potatoes must be buried for a few weeks to thicken their skins. Potato starch is a typical starch that can be maintained in your home at room temperature for routine use. But there are several strategies to slow down their rapid decline.
Reference: Potato Production, Usage, and Nutrition—A Review
How Long will Cooked Potatoes Last in the Fridge?
In the Refrigerator
How long potatoes last depends on how well they are stored. You can keep cooked potatoes in the fridge for up to three days.
The potatoes will keep in the refrigerator for three to four weeks if you decide to do so, though cooking them could result in them tasting sweeter.
Although it has already been established that storing potatoes in the refrigerator is not recommended, there are occasions when there is no other choice. You might wish to keep your potatoes in the fridge for various reasons, including a lack of cabinet space and hot or muggy weather.
In the Freezer
It is better to boil potatoes before freezing them because uncooked potatoes do not freeze properly. Cooked potatoes can be kept in the freezer for 10 to 12 months if placed in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. It’s preferable to use frozen mashed potatoes within a month or two.
How to Store Potatoes Correctly?
It’s crucial to learn the proper methods for storing potatoes. Please don’t leave them in the light; otherwise, they will turn green, become inedible, and begin to send up shoots. It is better to discard potatoes after they turn green since they contain the toxin solanine when they turn green.
- When you bring your potatoes home from the market, ensure they are firm. You may then keep them safely in the crisper at the bottom of the refrigerator and in a cold, dark drawer or pantry.
- They will begin to sprout and become inedible non the absence of darkness, which is just as crucial as any light.
- Put them into a refrigerator storage bag if they are already in the refrigerator. Keep the onions out of the drawer where you store the potatoes; doing so will prevent the potatoes from deteriorating. Leave onions in a net bag hanging up. Keep your potatoes in the hessian bag you brought them home in since it will help keep the light out. Place the sack in your pantry or, if you have one, your root cellar.
How to Find the Bad Potatoes that are Unhealthy for You?
Check potatoes for apparent symptoms of deterioration even if you keep shelf life in mind.
Fresh Whole potatoes
Raw potatoes should be tight-skinned, firm to the touch, and free of noticeable bruises, black spots, or other imperfections.
A potato should be discarded if it has turned mushy or squishy.
While earthy or nutty smells are typical for potatoes, a musty or moldy scent indicates spoiled food.
Sometimes, a potato may have an imperfection or unpleasant place on the inside that is hidden from view. A potato that appears to be fresh but has a strong fragrance indicates that the interior may have rotted or begun to mildew.
Always throw away potatoes that smell bad.
Potato Sprouts
In potatoes, sprouts are a warning sign of impending deterioration.
The “eyes” of potatoes, which are just little bumps or indentations where the tubers stem and sprout new plants, are where sprouts develop.
Recent sprouting potatoes are still safe to eat as long as you remove the sprouts, despite the unpleasant appearance. Simply snapping them off with your fingers will accomplish this.
The sprouts shouldn’t be consumed since they contain harmful glycoalkaloids such as solanine and chaconine. Severe adverse reactions to these substances include neurological and gastrointestinal symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Any potato portion with a greenish tinge may also contain these poisons. To prevent getting sick, it is best to cut away any green areas of the skin or flesh.
Eating your potatoes as soon as possible is preferable if they have sprouted. As sprouts expand, they rob the plant of its sugars and nutrients, causing it to wilt, shrink, and lose its crunch.
Cooked Potatoes
When cooked potatoes have gone rotten, it’s not usually as obvious.
There are instances where spoiled potatoes have a strong odor or visible mold. However, this diet might contain hazardous bacteria without any apparent symptoms under other circumstances.
Potatoes are a high-risk food for bacteria that can cause food poisoning, especially after cooking. That occurs due to their high water retention, mild acidity, and protein content.
To destroy any bacteria that may have formed, it is preferable to consume them within four days of cooking and always reheat them to 165°F (74°C).
Should You Throw Away Green or Sprouted Potatoes?
Depending on who you talk to. As long as they don’t exhibit any of the above-listed indicators of spoiling, many people contend that potatoes are safe to consume even after sprouting. Before cooking, remove any sprouts or green areas.
To avoid any risk of potential toxicity, the National Capital Poison Center advises throwing potatoes that have turned green or sprouted. This is due to the presence of glycoalkaloids in potatoes. These are organic poisons, and the white potato body contains the least amount. Most glycoalkaloids are found in the green skin, sprouts, and “eyes.” If consumed, you can have symptoms such as nausea, cramps in the stomach, fever, and confusion.
Most people would agree that peeling potatoes and cutting off the sprouts should prevent this. Additionally, you can find solace in the knowledge that high amounts of glycoalkaloids provide a bitter taste that will alert your taste buds to the presence of toxins. Always proceed with caution when handling potatoes that have sprouted or gone green, whether you decide to discard them or not.
Can You Peel Potatoes the Day Before?
Yes, to quickly respond. Potatoes can be peeled in advance. But you’ll need to take some extra steps to avoid discoloration.
Let’s now review some basic science. When the potato skin is taken off, an enzyme in the potato flesh reacts with the air and starts to color the potato pinkish-blackish, giving it the appearance of an ugly bruise. Eating discolored potatoes is not dangerous, but it is also not the most delicious.
It’s not like the potatoes will turn ugly immediately if you peel some and then get distracted by something else you’re cooking. It will take about an hour before the discoloration is noticeable. However, you are going back to the topic of peeling them a full day beforehand.
Please place the peeled potatoes in a bowl of water, ensuring they are entirely submerged and put the bowl of water and potatoes in the refrigerator as soon as possible. The chemical reaction will not occur since the water will keep the potatoes airtight. Quite clever
However, if you do, the potatoes will absorb the water and become mushy because you left them in the water for more than a day. To prevent the potatoes from becoming mushy, it would be ideal if you also refrigerated them whole. It would be beneficial if you didn’t slice or shred them before letting them soak in water for a day. If you tear them apart, there is more surface area for moisture to absorb, which will cause them to rot more quickly.
What are the Health Advantages of Potatoes?
Potatoes with the skin on may have several health benefits.
Heart Wellness
Hypertension, a severe illness characterized by abnormally high blood pressure, is one of the most critical risk factors for heart disease.
Potatoes include a variety of minerals and plant compounds that may lower blood pressure. The high potassium level of potatoes is significant.
Numerous observational studies and randomized controlled trials have found that eating a lot of potassium lowers the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
Reference: Health benefits of the potato affected by domestic cooking: A review
Fullness and Weight Management
Weight management may benefit by increasing the feeling of fullness after meals and reducing food and calorie intake, incredibly filling foods.
Potatoes are a relatively filling food compared to other carb-heavy dishes. An earlier study found that potatoes were the most satisfying of 40 consumed foods.
A different earlier study involving 11 males discovered that having boiled potatoes as a side with pork steak resulted in lower calorie intake throughout the meal when compared to eating pasta or white rice.
Thus, potatoes may aid in weight management by reducing your daily caloric consumption. According to studies, the proteinase inhibitor 2 (PI2) found in potatoes may decrease hunger.
Although PI2 may suppress hunger when ingested in its purest form, it is unknown whether the trace amounts found in potatoes have any effect.
What Bad Things can Happen When You Eat Potatoes?
Potatoes are generally safe and healthy to eat. However, there are times when people must limit their usage or avoid them.
Sensitivity to Potatoes
Food allergies are a common condition characterized by an immune reaction to particular dietary proteins.
Patin, one of the vital proteins in potatoes, may cause allergies in some people, despite the rarity of such reactions.
Those allergic to latex may also have pain sensitivity due to a condition known as allergic cross-reactivity.
Your Stomach Could Hurt
The 4 grams of fiber in one medium potato with the skin on helps you feel full by slowing down digestion, keeping things flowing, and helping prevent constipation. However, potatoes can also produce flatulence when consumed in large quantities due to their high starch (and carbohydrate) content.
Toxins in a Potato
The nightshade family of plants, which includes potatoes, has a group of harmful phytonutrients known as glycoalkaloids. The two most common glycoalkaloids discovered in potatoes are solanine and chaconine.
Both people and animals have experienced the deadly effects of glycoalkaloid poisoning from potato intake. However, reports of poisoning are rare, and the sickness typically goes unnoticed. In low doses, glycoalkaloids frequently cause mild side effects such as headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain.
In more severe cases, symptoms may include neurological problems, fast breathing, low blood pressure, fever, and even death.
According to certain animal studies, the typical diet’s lack of glycoalkaloids may worsen inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Glycoalkaloids usually are present in tiny amounts in potatoes. A person weighing 154 pounds (70 kg) would need to eat more than 13 cups (2 kg) of potatoes (with the skin) in a single day to reach a lethal dose. Minor levels, but can still have negative impacts.
Conclusion
There are times when there is no other option, even if it has already been established that storing potatoes in the refrigerator is not advised. You might want to keep your potatoes in the fridge for many reasons, such as a lack of cupboard space and warm or muggy conditions. If you prefer to cook the potatoes, they may taste sweeter, but they will stay in the refrigerator for three to four weeks.
Peeling, dicing, or preparing potatoes in advance are options. For the next 24 hours, cut raw potatoes should be refrigerated and put in a bowl of cold water. Finally, like most leftovers, cooked potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for three to four days.