A staple in many grocery carts, potatoes are the most adaptable vegetable for roasting or mashing and, with proper storage, may survive for centuries.
However, if you make a mistake, they will grow, green, and wrinkle more quickly than you can say "french fries." Tesco has some "easy-to-follow" advice to help you keep your taters fresh, so don't worry.
"You can keep your potatoes almost as fresh as the day you bought them for up to six months if you follow a few easy steps," they advise. Avoid suffocating your spuds in a plastic bag since they require air circulation. The best way to store them is in a paper or mesh bag.
Additionally, because potatoes release ethylene gas, it's important to store them apart from other fresh produce, especially onions. As a result, your vegetables and fruits will ripen too quickly together. To prevent this, store your potatoes separately.
Tesco advises keeping them in a porch cupboard or perhaps a garden shed because the ideal temperature is lower than 10C. Additionally, to prevent undesired moisture and sprouts, wait to wash them until you're ready to cook them.
Tesco has warned that potatoes turn green when exposed to light, which is an important piece of advice for potato lovers everywhere. The remainder of the potato is edible if the green portion is completely removed before cooking, however it is unsafe to consume due to the presence of toxins.
"If the skin starts to sag, the fresh feel squidgy or even wet to the touch, this is a surefire sign these potatoes are long past their best," the grocery behemoth also warns us about how to identify an old potato.
They advise avoiding buying too many potatoes at once and reducing the quantity of leftovers you have to help reduce food waste.
The best part, though, for anyone wishing to stockpile potatoes for later, is this: Tesco remarks "You can freeze potatoes or cook them whenever the mood takes you."