Storing potatoes and onions

[jgm]

Right now the main issue in my kitchen is storing onions and potatoes. I just don't have a good system, and they usually remain in their bags, being moved from one spot to another. It's getting pretty annoying. I understand that potatoes and onions shouldn't be stored together; that darkness is good; and that ventilation is necessary.

In the Chef's Catalog are canisters - one set cast iron, the other is probably stoneware or something like that - with lids, and holes for ventilation. They appear to be large versions of the garlic keepers that many people have. They'd be fine, except by the time I pay for them and pay for shipping, it'll be a significant investment.

I've thought about getting large terracotta pots and saucers (the kind usually used for plants) and inverting them, using the saucers as the base and the pots as the lid, thus putting a ventilation hole at the top.

Much less expensive would be regular ceramic canisters, with lids somehow propped open for ventilation.

All ideas and suggestions would be welcome.

[hummingbirdkiss]

this is not attractive but very practical and if you dont want to spend $$$ for a storage system that will not do any better than this ...well try it! ..onions are easy put them in a pair of panty hose (it is the ONLY way those things are allowed in my house is for storing onions btw) and then drop in an onion make a knot ..another onion another knot ...both legs full you hang them by the crotch on a nail in a cool dark area ..snip an onion off the bottom bellow the knot when you need one!

for Potatoes I just hang the mesh bag up in a cool dark area of the garage as well not right next to the onions but in the same room

hope this helps

[CaliPoutine]

I've had a huge bag of russets down in the basement since June. They're still good.

I did see a neat trick in an old issue of Cusine @ Home magazine. Use two of those magazine storage holders( find ones that are plastic, with holes in them). It looked pretty cool.

Like this

Edited September 30, 2008 by CaliPoutine (log)

[Beebs]

Mine are in a colander, in a cupboard under the counter. That's also where the shallots and garlic go.

[pamjsa]

this is not attractive but very practical and if you dont want to spend $$$ for a storage system that will not do any better than this ...well try it! ..onions are easy put them in a pair of panty hose (it is the ONLY way those things are allowed in my house is for storing onions btw) and then drop in an onion make a knot ..another onion another knot ...both legs full you hang them by the crotch on a nail in a cool dark area ..snip an onion off the bottom bellow the knot when you need one!

for Potatoes I just hang the mesh bag up in a cool dark area of the garage as well not right next to the onions but in the same room

hope this helps

←

My dad does this very same thing with both potatoes and onions, then stores them in the garage. (Where it's cold most of the time, the garage is a very effective substitute for a root cellar.) Works like a charm.

[Dante]

one of my housemats is obsessed with wicker baskets, so we have a ton of them lying around- all shaped and sizes. I put a couple of nails in to one of the beams and hang my baskets from them- potatoes on one end of the walk-in pantry, onions on the other, with a small basket of shallots next to the onions.

Sincerely,

Dante

[rotuts]

how does one now days 'keep' potatoes, esp. russets:

I know the 'green' comes from light ( a dark place ...)

but how does one prevent sprouts?

I used to read about root cellars etc but that was some time ago ...

[andiesenji]

When I used to grow my own potatoes I buried the harvested spuds in a large tub of dry coarse sand (also called "sharp" sand) in the coolest corner of my pantry.

Now I have a canvas bag and store potatoes in the bag with an apple - which works for up to a month.

[KennethT]

What's the purpose of the apple?

[heidih]

I keep them in an open paper bag at the back of the clothes closet which has decent ventilation. I have found they tend to sprout faster if stored near the onions so they are in separate closets. The condition of the potatoes when purchased is also a factor - the firmer and more "eye free" at the start, the longer storage - in my experience. Also pays to check frequently to make sure you don't have one stinker in the mix.

[Ashen]

I am sure most know this but dirty unwashed potatoes store longer in better condition. Dry, cool , dark place with decent ventilation and they can go for months . My wife and I buy a 50 lb burlap sack this time of year and it lasts to after christmas with few problems and little sprouting.

[DanM]

A local organic farm had a bumper crop this year. I was able to buy a 30 lbs sack of reds, blues, whites, and russet type heirlooms at $1/lbs. This should last the winter, assuming they dont go bad first. What is the best way to store them? I am thinking about putting them in beer cases with a layer of news paper between the layers. The boxes will then be left on a shelf in the garage. Can they be chopped or shredded and frozen in vac bags?

Edited November 13, 2012 by DanM (log)

[naguere]

Your garage sounds the best place, think about putting the boxes on the floor where it will be cooler. The darker, the better . the only other ways to prepare spuds for long term storage is canning or potato flakes, which is not very practicable at home. If you can find out about the varieties and their storage capability, for instance 'Main Crop' can be good through the winter, but 'Mids' and 'Earlies' should be consumed quite quickly . It would be a good idea to check their condition occasionally . Good luck.

[mrsadm]

I grew up on Long Island, where potatoes were stored in "potato barns" - they were built into the earth to keep the crop as cool as possible, without freezing, and in the dark. Sounds like you have a nice crop.

[loki]

They use those potato barns here too - Utah and especially nearby Idaho. Some are enormous. Most are not completely underground here, but mounded with 10 feet of soil on top or so. It's a huge root cellar.

I put them in a room that's unheated - with an outside wall made of uninsulated concrete. I put them in a large plastic container - about 25 lbs of them per container - so they are about 3 deep. The container is not air-tight - but keeps in a bit of humidity. They love cool storage with no light (this room had no windows); and relatively high humidity. I bought mine in Idaho - and they were 50 lbs for $10. They are growing Yukon Gem which are a great potato for my uses. I grow heirloom potatoes too, but had a crop failure this year. Before you store them, they need to be cured or dried a bit. Usually this is already done. You can tell easily by seeing how easily the skin rubs off. Rub the potatoes a bit and if the skin stays in place they are cured, if not keep them in a dark place for awhile and let them dry a little more. Oh - don't wash them either. This will introduce small breaks in the skin which will lead to rot. Maybe I'm too late with this one. If they are washed you may dry them a bit a recure in warmer dry temps so they produce a scab over any breaks in their skins.

The humidity thing is important. Here in Utah, we have very low humidity, but my room has relatively high humidity in the winter, but not quite enough hence the cover on the potatoes. Other places may vary - but you want it about 80 percent. The humidity in the container is probably more like 95 percent (which is what the Idaho Potato people recommend).

Cold temps will make the potatoes a bit sweet, which I don't mind and consider 'normal', as that's how potatoes taste in the winter. Others think it's wrong. Variety matters here, some don't do this nearly as much as others. Also, the colder the more this will happen. So if you don't want them this way - bring a stash out of the cold (but still in the dark) to return to normal non-sweet starchiness, and replenish this from your cold-stored ones. In a kitchen cupboard works. It usually takes a couple weeks. Always keep them out of the light. I think grocers are getting more and more cavalier with this and I've bought green skinned ones that are ruined - or need excessive peeling. The green parts are toxic and taste terrible (not usually toxic enough to really do damage - but who needs any toxins!).

Freezing them - you must first blanch them first to 'cook' a bit and also to breakdown the enzymes or you will have unappetizing gray mush. Otherwise they freeze really well! There are lots of resources on this out there. Drying also works - but again you must blanch them first.

[rotuts]

thanks. great tips. ive seen those 'barns' on L.I. but i bet in Idaho they are huge.

I put my limited number of small russets in my basement which is cold. and dark. but in the past Ive had trouble with sprouting.

we will see!

thanks

[loki]

I found this Storing Potatoes at Home which is a pdf from Idaho. It pretty much says what I said (I'm glad). The colder the potatoes are stored the less likely they will sprout. I've definitely seen great differences in cultivars too - some seem to sprout after a month, while others could go for several months before sprouting. I've probably grown and stored for seed about 50 different cultivars: heirloom, modern, and old commercial cultivars. Commercial potatoes are often treated to prevent sprouting - but I would not do this. Lastly - this is something I've found to sort of refresh sprouted potatoes - cut off the sprouts and soak the potatoes in water overnight - in the fridge. They will crisp up and then be a bit better for cooking. If you are boiling them for mashed potatoes or putting in soup or stew this is not really necessary, but for baked, or fried potatoes, this can help with the texture.

[Shel_B]

This, and several like it, was found in a bag of Trader Joe's organic Yukon Gold potatoes. Perhaps someone here knows what it is and whether or not it poses any health risk.

 

The potatoes have been in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and did not have this growth on them when purchased.

 

[pastrygirl]

Safe to eat, just peel them. 

 

For more details, search 'potato skin scales'

[Alex]

10 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Safe to eat, just peel them. 

 

Yes, definitely peel them. If you don't, you'll wind up looking like this: 

 

[liuzhou]

It's called skin.

 

You keep potatoes in the fridge? Why?

[JeanneCake]

When we moved into our house, one of the deep kitchen drawers (the bottom of three drawers)  had a sliding cover on it and my mother wanted to know what it was for - storing potatoes and onions.  We'd always kept them in the basement growing up so she was unfamiliar with it.  I thought the drawer was foolishly placed next to the oven!  We bought the house after the builder  made the countertops/cabinet/trim/door choices so we weren't able to pick our own.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

When we moved into our house, one of the deep kitchen drawers (the bottom of three drawers)  had a sliding cover on it and my mother wanted to know what it was for - storing potatoes and onions.  We'd always kept them in the basement growing up so she was unfamiliar with it.  I thought the drawer was foolishly placed next to the oven!  We bought the house after the builder  made the countertops/cabinet/trim/door choices so we weren't able to pick our own.

 

I store potatoes in the bedroom.

 

[Katie Meadow]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I store potatoes in the bedroom.

 

I'm sure that's the best place for them. There was an ongoing fifty year study on this, but of course it was recently axed.

[Shel_B]

My sister and I looked into this, and with the information gleaned from the AHDB Horticulture and Potatoes website have concluded that it's probably Powdery scab (Spongospora subterranea) or most likely Black dot (Colletotrichum coccodes), a fungus. While Black Dot is a mild disease it is also one of the most problematic blemish diseases of washed, pre-packed potatoes.

Edited 13 hours ago by Shel_B
Clarity of intent (log)