Potatoes

Potatoes are best stored in a cool, dry, dark place, ideally around 7-10oC.

Higher temperatures will cause them to shrink and sprout whereas  lower temperatures, like the fridge, will cause the potato starch to convert to sugar which gives them a sweet taste and causes them  to darken very fast when frying.

Sprouted potatoes are safe to eat so long as they are still firm to the touch and they don’t look too wrinkly and shrivelled. Most of the nutrients are still intact in a firm, sprouted potato. You can simply remove the sprouts, eyes and any green patches from a firm potato and continue with your recipe.

If you have a bag of potatoes to use up, try these freezer based ideas.

Roast potatoes

Par-boil potatoes, shake to rough up the edges a little, then arrange  them on a baking tray, cool and freeze until solid, then tip into a reusable container or freezer bag. Roasted from frozen, they should take around an hour at 200oc/Gas Mark 6.

Mashed potatoes

Mash is potentially more useful to have in the freezer day to day.  Make it to your usual recipe using plenty of butter and milk/cream as the fat improves consistency after freezing. Freeze in individual portion sizes and either thaw before reheating or bake/microwave from frozen.

Twice baked potatoes

Bake as normal, then scoop out the insides and mix with cheese and sour cream. Return it to the skins and freeze well, wrapped in foil. Later, you can bake in foil from frozen, removing the foil for the last  20 minutes to crisp the skin.