There’s nothing more annoying than heading out to your local supermarket week after week, stocking up on plenty of fresh produce, and having to throw most of it away due to poor food storage techniques. Not only does this create a lot of food waste, it’s also a nightmare if you’re trying to spend less.
Learning the right way to store your favourite fresh produce will make it last longer, and it’s a great way to save money. Potatoes are one food in particular that can last so much longer than expected if it’s stored correctly. In fact, one expert says you can keep them fresh ‘for a year’ if stored in a certain way – and it doesn’t involve storing them with other fruits or veggies.
The video was shared on YouTube by Survival HT, a channel which specialises in helping people make their food last as long as possible, whilst saving money and cutting down on food waste.
The expert hailed her potato storage tip as ‘so easy a toddler could do it’, and there’s no fancy equipment required for this hack.
It also works with any kind of potato, including sweet, so it’s a very versatile trick too. And to do it, you only need two things – a cardboard box and some dirt.
How to keep potatoes fresh for a year
The expert first explained why potatoes that you buy from the supermarket often don’t last as long as home-grown ones, hailing the plastic bag as the main culprit for bad spuds.
Potatoes tend to ‘sweat’ when they’re enclosed in this material which can speed up the process of rotting. Also, packaged potatoes have been washed already, which means more moisture and more chance they’ll go bad.
But keeping them fresh is easier than you think. Simply take a cardboard box and place your potatoes in a single layer, giving them a generous dusting of dirt over the top.
Make sure the dirt – and your potatoes – are completely dry first, as this is the key to rot-free spuds. The dirt acts as a barrier against moisture and other potatoes in the box, stopping the spread of any dampness.
Any potatoes with sprouts or bad spots shouldn’t be stored in this way, as they can easily affect other potatoes and make the whole box go bad, so ensure you examine each one carefully before you put it in.
You can also do multiple layers of potatoes with extra dirt in between each one, if you’ve got a lot to store. Then, close the box and keep it in a cool, dry place, and your spuds will stay good ‘for a year’.
Just dust off the dirt whenever you want to use one. The expert added: “If you end up not eating them, you can always use them as seed potatoes and grow them again.”