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REFRIGERATION

Food storage

How to store potatoes

Potatoes are living tubers. Cold temperatures make them convert starch to sugar, called low-temperature sweetening. Sweet potatoes darken when fried and can produce more acrylamide, which most food authorities advise keeping low. That is why potatoes intended for frying and general cooking are best held cool, around +7 to +10 °C, rather than in a standard fridge. Light causes greening, which brings bitter-tasting compounds such as solanine, so potatoes should be kept dark. Peeled and cut potatoes are another matter: they must be kept chilled and used promptly.

  • Chilled+7 to +10 °C (cooking and frying stock)
  • HumidityHigh, with good ventilation

Do

  • Store whole potatoes in a dark, cool, ventilated space in crates or mesh sacks.
  • Keep them away from onions and other ethylene sources that encourage sprouting.
  • Remove sprouted, soft or green potatoes. Cut away small green areas before cooking; discard heavily green tubers.
  • Hold peeled or cut potatoes under cold potable water in the fridge for short periods only, or chill them blanched and drained.
  • For French fries, frozen par-fried products give more consistent results than cutting from stored raw potatoes in hot months.
  • Buy in quantities your storage can handle without them sprouting in heat.

Avoid

  • Do not store whole potatoes in the normal fridge for frying stock.
  • Do not expose potatoes to light for long periods.
  • Do not store potatoes in sealed plastic bags.
  • Do not keep potatoes beside the tandoor or stoves.
  • Do not wash potatoes before storing; damp skins rot faster in a warm storeroom.

In Indian conditions

Much of India's cold-storage capacity is used for potatoes after harvest, at temperatures set for long holding. Potatoes from cold storage can be slightly sweet; some kitchens leave them at cool ambient for a few days before frying to reduce this, a process sometimes called reconditioning. In summer, kitchen storerooms are often too hot, and potatoes sprout quickly; buy more often and smaller amounts. In the monsoon, check stock for soft rot. Peeled potatoes for aloo tikki or dum aloo need the fridge, not the potato bin.

General good practice for commercial kitchens and shops. Where your FSSAI licence conditions or food-safety plan set stricter limits, follow those.