Potatoes are handy to have stored in your kitchen as they go with plenty of dinner recipes, but it can be frustrating to discover they have rotted away if you have just bought a fresh batch.
If your potatoes are going mushy before their time, it could be because you are leaving them in their original plastic packaging.
These veggies need plenty of airflow to prevent moisture build-up, which will cause the potato to sprout or even go mouldy.
Erin Carter (@dr.erincarter) is a doctor who enjoys posting her favourite healthy recipes online, and has explained there is a “best” way to store potatoes to prevent spoilage so they last “as long as possible.”
In a TikTok video, Dr Erin said: “Are your potatoes sprouting before you even have a chance to use them? I’m going to show you a storage hack for potatoes that is going to change your life.”
READ MORE: Savvy storage method for spinach keeps it fresh ‘weeks later’
The reason potatoes last longer near apples is that apples release a natural growing hormone called ethylene gas.
Ethylene gas will slow down or even halt your potatoes’ growing process and keep them lasting much longer.
However, it should be noted that certain other vegetables such as onions and garlic can be very sensitive to ethylene gas. It actually will speed up the ripening process so make sure to only store your apples with potatoes.
Potatoes are one of the few vegetables that benefit from keeping them near ethylene gas and storing them this way should make them last a few months longer.
Once you have your potatoes in a paper bag with an apple you can store them either in your fridge or in a cupboard.
It has often been argued where the correct place to keep potatoes, but either will be fine as long as it is a dry and cool place away from sunlight.
