Content
- Store potatoes in the fridge - yes or no?
- Storage conditions for potatoes
- Disadvantages of keeping potatoes in the fridge
- Alternatives to storage in the refrigerator
Potatoes should not be stored in the fridge
Store potatoes in the fridge - yes or no?
If there is no cool storage cellar available, many choose the refrigerator as a storage location for potatoes. Is this a good idea or are there meaningful alternatives? Which storage conditions do potatoes need for optimal shelf life?
Storage conditions for potatoes
It must be cool, dark, dry and airy: potatoes will retain their good taste and last for months.
Cooling in this case means that temperatures between 4 ° C and 10 ° C are optimal for potatoes. At higher temperatures they germinate and shrivel, at lower temperatures they negatively change their taste. Potatoes grow in the dark and should be stored in the dark; otherwise they turn green and form the poisonous solanine. In order to avoid mold, both the storage room and the storage container should be well ventilated. In an air-permeable jute sack or a wooden box, potatoes are in good hands.
Disadvantages of keeping potatoes in the fridge
In the refrigerator, only one of the important storage conditions for potatoes is met: They are kept dark, but at very low temperatures and without adequate ventilation. So it can easily happen that the potatoes put on mold because it is too moist for them in the vegetable compartment. In addition, the temperature in most refrigerators can not regulate enough to ensure a constant temperature above 4 ° C. At temperatures below, the tubers convert their starch into sugar, which makes them taste very unpleasant.