A lifestyle and home hacks fan has detailed some of their favourite food storage hacks for various types of food you have in the fridge. Chantel Mila, known as Mama Mila on TikTok, claimed that some of these hacks will completely “change the way” you organise your food.
In a recent video, Chantel explained the easy hack she uses to keep potatoes from sprouting. If potatoes are stored for too long, they will begin to use their stored nutrients to grow, which leads to sprouting. Keeping them in the wrong conditions can also contribute to sprouting.
To get around this, Chantel simply places an apple alongside the spuds to keep them from doing so.
Sastry Jayanty, PhD and postharvest physiologist at Colorado State University’s Potato Program, told AllRecipes that the best place to store potatoes to stop them from sprouting is in a cool, dark, ventilated place.
Adding an apple to the mix could slow down the spoilage. The fruit produce ethylene gas, a naturally occurring plant hormone, along with fruits like bananas and tomatoes. This gas plays a key role in the ripening process of different fruits and vegetables.
AllRecipes reported that the theory behind the hack is that it releases ethylene gas, and ethylene gas was shown to prevent potatoes sprouting in at least one lab experiment. The 2016 study was published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology, looking at the effect of ethylene on potatoes.
The potatoes were kept in cold storage and were given doses of ethylene gas at specific intervals. Research showed the ethylene treatment delayed the sprouting of potatoes, at least under those conditions.
Food52 advised not to store potatoes and onions together, as this could do more harm than good. This is because both vegetables contain a significant amount of moisture, which can speed up the spoiling process.
They also advised not to keep potatoes exposed to the elements on countertops. It’s best to keep them in a drawer, a basket, or even a paper bag.
They wrote: “A clear plastic bag, like that kind that potatoes are packaged in, are actually not ideal for storing spuds. Potatoes are plants, after all. If they see sunlight, they will do their photosynthesis thing and turn green, and eventually wrinkle and rot.”