Potatoes are not only our second bread, as they are often called, but also a very healthy product, rich in microelements, vitamins and other substances necessary for humans. It makes delicious dishes that both adults and children enjoy eating. It is better to eat them immediately after cooking, which is called hot. A freshly prepared dish from this vegetable exudes an indescribable aroma and delights with its rich taste. But there are times when cooked or prepared (peeled) potatoes have to be temporarily stored.
For example, on the occasion of a celebration, a large number of guests are expected, and the hostess cannot prepare all the planned dishes at once, so she leaves the peeled tubers as a preparation. Or, let’s say, there were too many French fries, we didn’t eat them all at once, but it was a pity to throw them away. At the same time, few people know that improper handling of a vegetable turns it into a product hazardous to health and can lead to serious digestive problems. What to do in such situations? How long can potatoes be stored in one form or another?
How long can peeled potatoes be stored?
Tubers without peels, which for some reason cannot be cooked immediately, can be filled with water. This must be done so that they do not darken. The black-gray coating is formed as a result of the oxidation of tyrosine contained in the pulp after contact with oxygen. Water will interfere with this reaction. Peeled potatoes in water can be stored for up to 4 hours, provided they are completely covered with liquid. If you put it in the refrigerator, the storage time will increase significantly. At a temperature of 3-5 degrees, raw vegetables without peels, filled with water, will last 24 hours. During this time, neither the structure of the pulp nor its taste will change. Longer storage will lead to loss of taste and a significant part of the nutrients.
There are several rules for storing peeled potatoes in water that every housewife should know.
- You need to cover whole potatoes with water. Slicing is done immediately before preparing the dish. This will preserve most of the useful things in the tubers.
- The water in the container with potatoes must be changed periodically, washing the vegetables each time.
- When stored in a refrigerator, the temperature in the refrigerator should not exceed 6 degrees.
- Bubbles on the surface of the water indicate the beginning of the fermentation process, which means the vegetable has spoiled. It can no longer be eaten.
As useful information, let us remind you that potatoes that were fed with nitrogen fertilizers will become unusable earlier than those grown in your own garden without the use of chemicals.
Recommendations
Potatoes prepared for storage are carefully dried and sorted . The tubers must be intact, without signs of rot or sprouting. Do not store very small specimens.
With the right temperature conditions, the tubers can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. But if they were washed before storage, then it is advisable to eat them within two weeks.
Do not store potatoes in the light under any circumstances : they will produce a toxic substance - solanine, which can cause poisoning of the body.
In old refrigerators, tubers are stored worse , since it is more difficult to maintain the temperature in them.
Do not store potatoes and carrots together . Carrots wither quickly and are best stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. To prevent rotting and sprouting, potatoes are stored with beets, which absorb excess moisture.
Advice . To prevent potatoes from sprouting in the refrigerator, you can put a few apples or dried mint leaves between the tubers. To prevent potatoes from rotting during storage, rowan or wormwood leaves are placed in boxes (2 kg per 100 kg of potatoes). If potatoes are lined with fern leaves in any storage location, this will increase their preservation.
You should not eat rotten , wilted or wrinkled tubers. The green skin should be carefully trimmed off, and completely green potatoes should be discarded.
If you have a dacha with a cellar , then it is better to bring home potatoes in small batches so that they do not have time to spoil.
An alternative way to store peeled potatoes
Tubers without peel, which need to be stored for a long time, can be frozen in a plastic bag or any suitable container wrapped in cling film. If you are going to cook them later, there is no need to defrost them. Potatoes for long-term freezing are peeled, washed under running water, cut into pieces and dried. After such preparation, the product is wrapped in film and sent to the freezer of the refrigerator or a separate freezer. This method allows you to store it for several months. To prevent potatoes from spoiling, you should avoid re-freezing, and to do this you need to distribute them into individual bags in small portions.
Storage spaces in the apartment
It doesn't matter if you don't have a basement or cellar. An apartment is also suitable for preserving the harvest.
At room temperature
One of the most unreliable options for storing vegetables: the temperature of the heated room reaches 20-25°C, in such conditions the tubers are stored for no longer than 10-15 days. Afterwards the process of rotting and drying will begin.
Kitchen
To preserve potatoes in the kitchen, use the following tips:
Pantry
You can store potatoes in the pantry. Vegetables are placed in bags made of natural material or a wooden box with holes.
To prevent the tubers from turning green, the boxes are covered with cardboard or thick cloth. To prevent vegetables from drying out, use a damp cloth or a humidifier.
In the freezer
Potato varieties with minimal starch content are suitable for freezing. When frozen, starch is converted into sugar - the tubers will become sweet.
How long can boiled potatoes be stored?
Each potato dish has its own expiration date. According to sanitary standards, potatoes can be stored for up to 18 hours at a temperature of no more than 20 degrees:
- boiled;
- stewed;
- in the form of puree;
- baked goods with potato filling.
Boiled potatoes last longer in the refrigerator, but gradually lose their nutrients and taste. Even in the cold, experts do not recommend keeping it for longer than 36 hours. It is very important to take into account the other ingredients of the dish. For example, mashed potatoes with sour cream and raw eggs cannot be stored for long, as can stewed potatoes with sauce, which quickly turns sour. But tubers, boiled in their uniforms and placed in the refrigerator, remain usable for 2 days.
When storing in the refrigerator, it is advisable to place the finished potatoes in an opaque container with a tight lid. This must be done in order to minimize the contact of the dish with oxygen and close it from the light that will enter inside each time the door is opened.
Many people ignore these simple rules, risking their own health and the health of their loved ones. Potatoes are a perishable product. Regardless of the storage method and conditions, on the 3rd day substances begin to decompose, carcinogens and toxins accumulate, and after some time characteristic mucus appears on the surface. The dish becomes not only unfit for consumption, but also dangerous, so it is better to throw it away. Some housewives mistakenly believe that repeated heat treatment will help in this situation, but this is not the case. It’s stupid to take risks over some portion of spoiled potatoes, which you would hate to throw away, hoping that this time there will be no intestinal poisoning. Such a risk often leads to dire consequences.
How to preserve boiled vegetables?
If you boiled more potatoes than you could eat for lunch, you can store them in the refrigerator until your next meal. But you should remember a few important rules :
- Boiled potatoes should be in the refrigerator, in a saucepan with a tightly closed lid.
- What is the shelf life of boiled vegetables in the refrigerator? You can keep the finished product in this form for no more than two days.
- Even if the potato looks and smells edible to you on the third day, it is not recommended to eat it. It can be dangerous, as a period of decay begins and toxic mucus appears, which is dangerous to human health. Therefore, it is better to throw away the remaining potatoes than to be poisoned by them.
You can also increase the shelf life of the finished product by using a vacuum container . In the absence of oxygen, potatoes can remain in the refrigerator for even a week, but the taste will still not be the same.
A few words about potato fast food
One of the most popular and best-selling fast food items is French fries. In the McDonald's chain of enterprises it is present in almost every order. Due to its structure and the influence of a number of factors, this product cannot be stored for a long time. After conducting numerous experiments, the corporation's specialists established the optimal storage time for French fries - exactly 5 minutes. But these are McDonald's standards, which took into account, first of all, taste. In fact, the dish is suitable for consumption for 18 hours, but when it begins to cool, it quickly loses its original rich taste and aroma. You can extend the “life” of finished fries by placing them in the refrigerator, but with this storage method, the taste of the dish will be irretrievably lost. No microwave or strong heating will bring them back.
Is it possible to freeze peeled potatoes?
Peeled potatoes can be frozen at home, however, in order for them to retain their beneficial properties, you need to follow certain rules.
Entirely
To freeze whole potatoes, select small tubers and peel them. Prepare two pots of water. Place one in the refrigerator for several hours, and put the other on the fire. As soon as the water boils, add the potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Once the set time has passed, transfer the vegetables to a container of cold water and let cool for a few minutes. Then place the potatoes on a dry towel to remove excess liquid. Finally, place the potatoes in bags and squeeze out all the air. Tie carefully and place in the freezer.
Pieces
Sliced potatoes are washed and immersed in a container of cold water to remove starch. Then heat the water in a saucepan, put it in a colander and immerse it in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. After this, the chopped vegetable is laid out on a towel to remove excess liquid.
To prevent the potatoes from sticking, dry them well and pack them in small portions. A better option would be to use vacuum bags, but you can also bleed the air from a regular bag yourself.
Is it possible to freeze French fries?
Place the chopped pieces in a container with cold water and leave for 15–20 minutes. Repeat the procedure several times to get rid of starch. Then boil water in a saucepan and place the potatoes in a colander over the boiling water. Steam for a few minutes and place on a towel. After drying, transfer the straws to a clean container and pour in a little vegetable oil. Mix everything and put it into bags. Remove the air and store in the freezer.
Shelf life of finished potatoes
You can store not only raw, but also cooked potatoes. Such actions are recommended to be taken only in extreme cases, since the taste is lost during storage.
How many days can boiled potatoes be stored in the refrigerator?
Heat treatment allows you to store potatoes for a maximum time, namely three days, and only in the refrigerator. The temperature should be +2-+6 degrees, and the vegetable should be checked regularly. It will not darken, so try it by touch. If mucus appears, then the potatoes have gone bad.
How long do mashed potatoes last in the refrigerator?
Mashed potatoes can be stored at room temperature for no more than two days. During this time, its shape will remain the same, but the taste will deteriorate significantly. When preparing puree with milk, it is better not to take risks and eat the dish in the next 3-4 hours.
How long do mashed potatoes last without refrigeration?
If you leave the puree in a cool place, then the shelf life will not exceed 4 hours, while the beneficial properties will be lost, and the presence of milk will reduce the shelf life by almost half.
How long do jacket potatoes last in the refrigerator?
Jacket potatoes are distinguished by the fact that due to the protective peel, all the useful substances remain in them. If you place it in the refrigerator, it will keep for 48 hours, and at room temperature the time will be reduced to 12 hours. The remaining starch will begin to release earlier, so if mucus appears, do not rush to throw away the vegetable; it can be used as a filling for pies.
How long can you store fried potatoes in the refrigerator?
Fried potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days, but they should be placed already cooled. The presence of onions also affects the preservation, since it causes accelerated oxidation, which means the potatoes spoil faster. The longer fried potatoes sit in the refrigerator, the less flavor they retain.
