In a TikTok video, home and cooking guru @lifetips669 shared practical tips to extend the life of your produce, including how to keep potatoes fresh for longer.
The content creator revealed an interesting pairing: storing potatoes with apples can help delay sprouting.
“Vegetable vendors will never tell you these food storage tips,” the lifestyle Tiktoker revealed.
They continued: “Potatoes bought in bulk go bad. Potatoes and apples are good friends. Storing them together prevents sprouting.”
According to Tasting Table, apples emit ethylene gas, which can inhibit the sprouting of potatoes.
For optimal storage, keep your potatoes in a “cool, dry, and dark” place, but avoid storing them in the refrigerator, as the cold can convert potato starches into sugars, which may become carcinogenic when cooked.
It’s important to note, though, that while ethylene gas is beneficial for potatoes, it can accelerate the ripening of other produce, such as onions, melons, broccoli, and peaches, potentially causing them to spoil faster.
Debra Hutt, an expert at manufacturing company Wren Kitchens, also weighed in on the science behind making potatoes last longer, revealing the best method to keep potatoes fresh.
She said: “The key to keeping potatoes fresh and ensuring they last is to store them in a cool, dry and dark place. Any exposure to heat, direct sunlight or moisture will make them sprout and eventually spoil.
“Your potatoes may even turn green from being in the light as photosynthesis can prompt the production of chlorophyll and even solanine, a poison that can be harmful if ingested in large amounts.”
While some of us keep potatoes in the fridge Hutt also recommended against doing so.
She continued: “Although there is some debate whether potatoes belong in the fridge, this is often too cold for them and can turn the potato’s starches into sugars, leading to discolouration.
“The best place for a potato is a pantry, ideally in a mesh or hessian bag where some air can get to it (definitely not in a sealed plastic tub), and away from other produce.
“Onions are particularly nasty pantry companions for potatoes – the ethylene gas that onions emit will make your potatoes spoil before their time, while the moisture in potatoes can cause your onions to turn mushy; keep separate to ensure a long life for both.”
