Strange question about potatoes

[Bkworm]

Have been trying to find something to store potatoes in our kitchen. For several years have been using plastic bowls with a dishtowel thrown over them and never really liked that but had no other place to keep the potatoes. Think some light is still getting on the potatoes even with the cloth over them. We are in Florida so no basement and garage too hot to store potatoes along with the back porch. Have seen some lovely storage ideas online but they won't fit in our kitchen

In the redone kitchen I have a shallow but large drawer that I am not using. Was thinking of purchasing a couple of cheap cookie sheets to line the drawer and place the potatoes on those and just shut the drawer. Even if one potato goes bad, the cookie sheet should protect the drawer. No light would get on the potatoes. However, know that veggies and fruits give off gasses. Would the gas from the potatoes harm the wood above and around the drawer? The drawer is under the built-in oven. So know I need to check to see if the drawer gets hot when the oven is heated. Could actually use the second drawer down from the oven. Supposedly lots of insulation around the oven but who knows? Drawer large enough I could place white potatoes as well as a large bag of red or new potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes in it at the same time.

Also, know not to store potatoes with onions and garlic. However, could I store white potatoes and sweet potatoes in the drawer together? Have been keeping them in separate bowls in the past.

Have tried to find the answer online but no luck so far. Guess maybe I am wording my search incorrectly.

Thanks for any input.

[Lyndzie]

I would think the drawer under the oven would get warm. I’ve had good luck with storing potatoes in a cardboard box in the pantry. I left the top open for air circulation, and the sides blocked out the light really well. I’m sure things are a bit trickier in your climate, just throwing that idea out there.

[Willijan]

I wonder if there would be a problem with storing them in the drawer on a cookie sheet because of lack of "breathability." From my experience, potatoes don't store well on plastic. Bought in the store in a plastic covered, plastic tray, they rot on the part in contact with the tray. A local potato grower was adamant that I not store the potatoes I bought from him on plastic, even with lots of air vents. He said to use wood shelving. Perhaps you could place layers of newspaper in your drawer? or parchment paper?
Another thing the grower suggested was a hanging burlap bag.

[Plumerias]

I have a cupboard in the RV for potatoes. I line cardboard boxes with newspaper (to absorb anything that gets gross and smelly) covered with a paper towel (you can see the icky stuff better on the white). I put another layer of newspaper on top of the potatoes before I fold the lid closed. This is all breathable. I do store regular potatoes and sweets together sometimes, just depends on what I have. We spend the winters in central Florida. When we are someplace with fresh farmers market potatoes, like our former hometown in Ohio, I soooo stock up, as I find Florida grocery store potatoes boring. In this case a box or two, packed the same way, goes into the pantry cupboard as well. I check them regularly. Trust me, your nose will tell you if there's a bad one. That's what the newspaper is for, so you can just discard that and still have a decent box. FWIW, although we do shop the produce department at Walmart, I never buy their potatoes, having had too many bad experiences with theirs. So Publix it is. I don't think potatoes hold as well in Florida as farther north, which I suspect is a function of the temperatures in their warehouses.

I store the onions and garlic in an open cardboard box under the sink, simply because that's where there is room.

[Vegankit]

I wouldn't store them near the stove, especially in a drawer under the oven.

I would also be concerned if a potato went bad or had mold that the smell and spores would be absorbed by the wood.

After years of struggling what to do with my potatoes, I have found what works for me - one of those rectangle blue insulated Trader Joe bags. I mix types - Yukon Gold, Sweet, Japanese etc. in the bag and zipper the top closed - I may leave it unzipped for an inch or two. The fabric around the zipper does allow some air to circulate and the insulated material definitely keeps the potatoes in the dark. And yes the lining is plastic. We do have air conditioning in the summer so it's not too hot or humid where they are stored.

[Starchyme]

Great idea on the TJ insulated bag. I have a different one; but I'll see if it works. Thanks.

[Willijan]

I am curious about this discussion about where to store potatoes. I just store mine in the refrigerator. Is this discussion just because of storing an extra large amount of potatoes, or because it's better not to keep them in the frig, or . . . ?
I have tried to store mine (briefly) outside the frig, without much luck, especially in the summer. My house is kept cool, and I have tried storing them in a room with no windows, but without much luck. Mine last a long time in the frig, except for sometimes going green.

[VeggieSue]

I am curious about this discussion about where to store potatoes. I just store mine in the refrigerator.

I'm Team Refrigerator, too.

Is this discussion just because of storing an extra large amount of potatoes, or because it's better not to keep them in the frig, or . . . ?

It's being said in every article I've read about potato storage not to keep them in a refrigerator because the starch turns to sugar. I'm 65, and my mother, both grandmothers, and I have always kept potatoes in the refrigerator and I've never had a potato "turn to sugar," whatever that is. They always taste the same coming out of the refrigerator as they did when I put them in, even after as long as a month in the fridge.

I have tried to store mine (briefly) outside the frig, without much luck, especially in the summer. My house is kept cool,

I live in the top floor apartment under a poorly insulated flat roof. In summer, even with window air conditioners in 4 of the 5 rooms, the kitchen averages in the low 80's. In the winter, the heat in the house rises, and even with my kitchen radiators turned off all the time, my kitchen is usually in the upper 70's to low 80's, even if the outside temp is in the single digits. I tried keeping spuds in paper bags in dark closets, I tried cardboard boxes in various places around the apartment, and they always go moldy and/or sprout, sometimes in less than a week. I must keep them in the refrigerator if I want to be guaranteed to have a potato ready when I need one, even if it's within a day or 2 of purchase.

except for sometimes going green.

I've had green potatoes buried in a bag I just bought, but never had one turn green after I bought and stored it. When I buy taters I have to take the best looking bags away from the produce aisle and their special pink lights and look at them closely under regular store lights. Only then can I easily see if there are any green ones in the bags.

[Bkworm]

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this question about storing potatoes. Lots of food for thought.

As far as storing potatoes in the refrigerator, I always understood potatoes should not be stored in refrigerator. Every article I read about storing veggies and fruit always say not to store potatoes in the refrigerator.

Since reading your responses, my DH and I have discussed a solution. Think we have a space next to our pantry cabinets to put a small cabinet next to them just for the potatoes. Gave up our built in pantry for a built in oven so purchased two large cabinets to use as our pantry. Worked out well. Placed pantry cabinets next to the dining room wall right outside the kitchen/dining room door.

Plumeria, so glad you are having good results with the Publix potatoes. Finally quit purchasing potatoes from Publix after many complaints. Just too many gross black spots in their potatoes. Now purchase our potatoes from Fresh Market but their potatoes aren’t the best in summer either - more grey spots than the black spots - not as gross. Like you, never purchase them from Walmart either. Tried the ones from Costco but did not like the skin on their potatoes plus don’t want that many potatoes at a time. Publix was nice when I spoke with them but basically just told me to bring the potatoes back and get a refund. Even gave me my bunch of potatoes at one point. Wrote a letter to their headquarters in Lakeland and had a Vice President telephone me to explain why there are black spots in the potatoes. Think I became know as the crazy potato lady before all was said and done.

What is puzzling to me is that I have never ordered a baked potato at a restaurant and ever encountered a black spot. Even Wendy’s baked potatoes never have black spots. If restaurants can get white potatoes without black spots why can’t grocery stores get spot free potatoes?

[calvin]

The profit on a restaurant potato is higher enough than on a grocer's potato (grocery is very competitive) so restaurant can afford to pay the higher price for the higher quality potato...my guess.

Apparently, potato is one of the few vegetables that does not produce ethylene gas, but even if it did, ethylene is not going to damage cabinetry.

Fruits & Vegetables Producing Ethylene Or Sensitive To Ethylene

There's nothing so disappointing as discovering a rotten potato in a newly purchased bag, so definitely sniff at one of the holes in the plastic bag before you put it in your cart. A rotten one will be evident.

The combined ethylene from a green avocado and a banana sharing a closed paper bag for a couple of days results in perfect avo ripeness I find. Especially Hass avos.

I have very good luck with potatoes from Smart & Final and they've usually got one variety or another on sale.