Best Practices: Deciding Whether to Store Potatoes in Your Fridge

No, potatoes should not be stored in the fridge. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, because cold turns their starch into sugar.

Short answer

No. Don’t store raw potatoes in the fridge.

Why

Cold temperatures (below 40 F) convert starch to sugar, which makes potatoes taste sweet and brown too much when cooked. High heat can form acrylamide, a possible carcinogen, in fried or roasted potatoes (FDA and UK Food Standards Agency).

Best storage

A cool (45 to 50 F), dark, dry, ventilated place such as a pantry or cellar, in a paper bag or basket.

Shelf life

Raw potatoes last 2 to 3 months in a cool pantry, and 1 to 2 weeks at room temperature.

Keep away from

Onions (gases hasten spoilage) and sunlight (turns green).

Green potatoes

Contain solanine, which is toxic. Cut off green areas or discard.

Cooked

Refrigerate within 2 hours.

Why not

Storing raw potatoes in the fridge is generally not recommended. Cold temperatures below 40 F convert starch in potatoes into sugar, a process called cold-induced sweetening. The potatoes taste sweet and brown too quickly when cooked. More importantly, when fried or baked at high heat, the extra sugars react with the amino acid asparagine to form acrylamide, a chemical classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The UK Food Standards Agency advises against refrigerating raw potatoes for this reason.

Best storage

Store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry, well-ventilated place at 45 to 50 F (7 to 10 C), such as a cellar, pantry or cupboard. Use a paper bag, basket or cardboard box, not a sealed plastic bag, which traps moisture and promotes rot. Light turns potatoes green and triggers sprouting.

Shelf life

• Mature potatoes at 45 to 50 F: 2 to 3 months.
• At room temperature in a cool pantry: 1 to 2 weeks to a month.
• New (young) potatoes: 1 to 2 weeks.
• Cut or peeled raw potatoes: 24 hours in the fridge in cold water.
• Sweet potatoes: 3 to 5 weeks in a cool, dark place, and they should not be refrigerated either.

Keep away from

Store potatoes away from onions, since the gases from onions speed up sprouting and rotting. Apples also release ethylene, which causes sprouting. Do not wash before storage; wash just before use.

Green potatoes

Green skin shows chlorophyll, which is harmless, but it is a signal for solanine, a toxic glycoalkaloid, which also builds up with light exposure and damage. Solanine causes a bitter taste, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches. Cut away green parts and sprouts generously. If a potato is very green or tastes bitter, discard it. Severe poisoning is rare, but cases have been reported, mostly with large amounts.

Cooked

Cooked potatoes can be refrigerated in airtight containers for 3 to 5 days. Cooling does not have the same effect on sugars after cooking. Cooked potatoes can be frozen for a few months. Do not leave baked potatoes wrapped in foil at room temperature, because this can create conditions for botulism growth.

Starch chemistry and sprouting

Refrigeration below about 40 F turns potato starch into sugars, which can brown during frying and form acrylamide, a probable human carcinogen, according to the FDA. The best storage is a dark, dry, ventilated place at about 45 to 55 F, such as a cellar or pantry. Under these conditions, whole raw potatoes last 1 to 2 months. Keep potatoes away from onions, since gases from onions speed sprouting. Light causes greening, where chlorophyll and solanine build up. Solanine is a toxin that can cause nausea, headaches and neurological symptoms in large amounts, so cut away green areas and sprouts, and discard the potato if it is mostly green or tastes bitter. Cooked potatoes should be refrigerated within 2 hours and eaten in 3 to 5 days. Improper storage of baked potatoes wrapped in foil at room temperature has been linked to botulism cases.

Based on data from the FDA and the USDA