How Long Do Potatoes Last | Tips to Maximize Shelf Life

Potatoes are such a good crop that can last well into the winter should you take the proper precautions with storage.

They are very nutritious and easy to cook.

Its no wonder why Americans love their spuds.  Everything from french fries to baked potatoes.

You will learn the shelf life of potatoes, plus some tips on how to make potatoes last longer.

The shelf life of potatoes depends on the different storage methods that you follow. 

Potatoes that are freshly harvested will last for 4 weeks in the fridge. Cooked ones will last for approximately 3-5 days in the fridge.

1 - How Long Do Potatoes Last at Room Temperature | Shelf Life of Potatoes

At room temperature – around 70 degrees Fahrenheit – potatoes can last for 1-2 weeks if properly stored.

Storing potatoes at room temperature is optimal since it’s more convenient than refrigeration.

Ideally, you should ensure a storage temperature of 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is warmer than in a fridge but cooler than room temperature.

In a pantry with such temperatures, potatoes can last 2-3 months.

Some potato varieties last longer than others. In particular:

1. Potatoes that take over 90 days to mature tend to last longer than varieties that mature quickly.
2. Potatoes with thick skin usually last longer than potatoes with thin skin.

Among potato varieties that are best for long-term storage are:

• Katahdin
• Kennebec
• Red Pontiac
• Russet
• Yellow Finn
• Yukon Gold

Storage Tips for Potatoes from the Garden

Storage rules for homegrown potatoes are a little bit different. Potatoes bought from the store have likely been properly processed.

Needless to say, when growing potatoes yourself, you need to take all steps to ensure that your potatoes are safe and edible yourself.

Curing

First, you need to let your potatoes cure. Cured potatoes have thicker skins and thus longer shelf life.

Here’s how to cure potatoes:

1. Pick only perfect potatoes for curing. As mentioned above, damaged potatoes don’t hold up well in the long term.
2. Place your potatoes in a cool, humid, and dark area and let them sit there for 1-2 weeks. Don’t remove the dirt yet – it will be easier to do once the skin gets tougher.
3. Check on your potatoes occasionally and discard those that have developed mold.
4. Once 1-2 weeks have elapsed, again inspect the potatoes and discard those that have imperfections.

Preventing Sprouts

If you are growing your own potatoes, you will need to be a little more careful with storage.

Potatoes bought from the store are mostly sprayed with growth inhibitors that slow down sprouting. Unless you do the same, you will have to deal with sprouts.

Don’t store too many potatoes – you only want to store as many as you will be able to use during the storage period. Potatoes may sprout in a few months after being harvested even in storage.

Sprouted potatoes are safe to eat once you remove the sprouts and the eyes.

The potato will begin to shrivel as starch is converted to sugar to feed the new potato growing from the sprouts if you let them sit for a long time.

With that being said, you may use sprouted potatoes to your advantage by just planting them in your garden.

Cooked potatoes

Cooked potatoes should be stored in airtight containers.

Choose resealable plastic bags designed for food storage. Sealed plastic bags do not allow bacteria to grow or odors to form in potatoes.

Before storing cooked potatoes, make sure that they’ve cooled down. Hot potatoes may raise the temperature inside the fridge, which may place other food in the temperature danger zone.

As mentioned earlier, cooked potatoes last 3-5 days in the fridge and 10-12 months in the freezer.

6- How to Tell if Potatoes Have Gone Bad

Potatoes eventually go bad even if stored in perfect conditions. Fortunately, it’s rather easy to spot potatoes that have fallen victims to spoilage.

Among the telltale signs of spoiled potatoes are:

1. Greenness - The green skin is a sign of a high concentration of toxins like solanine. After the removal of the skin, potatoes are generally safe to eat. But if the greenness has spread to the inside of the potatoes, then you should avoid eating them. Toxic potatoes will also have a bitter taste.
2. Softness or mushiness. Soft and mushy potatoes have a reduced amount of nutrients and are likely spoiled.
3. Mold - Potatoes that have developed mold should not be eaten and should be discarded to prevent healthy potatoes from spoiling.
4. Deep cracks - If your potatoes have deep cracks, then they probably have gone through rough handling or storage. The deep cracks may allow microorganisms or fungi inside the potato, so avoid potatoes with deep cracks in the skin.
   
   Potatoes with shallow cracks that have occurred while growing should be safe to eat though.
5. Sprouts - Sprouts form when the potatoes are stored for a long time and/or in high temperatures. As mentioned above, sprouted potatoes are safe to eat, but make sure to remove the sprouts and eyes before use. 
   
   You may want to change how you store your potatoes if your potatoes are sprouting unless you’ve specifically planned for them to sprout.

7 - How to Store Potatoes Long Term

Freezing Potatoes

Freezing may be the way to go if you are looking for a long-term storage solution.

You can freeze potatoes either cooked or blanched, but it is more difficult to freeze them raw due to their high water content.

Storage in a freeze-safe airtight bag may help to make storing blanched ones easier.

Unless you have a very specific reason not to cook your potatoes before freezing, you should at least blanch them.

To cook and freeze potatoes, follow these steps:

1. Thoroughly wash the potatoes in cold water.
2. Decide between blanching, cooking or frying them (french fries).
3. Peel them (if necessary)  and cut them in quarters or smaller pieces depending on what dish you want to prepare
4. You can partially blanch or fry them to kill off any enzymes and shorten the final cooking period.
5. Place the cooked or blanched potatoes in sealable containers after you let any water or oil drain off.
6. Place the container into the freezer.

Storing Cooked Potatoes

Cooked potatoes need to be stored in airtight containers or resealable plastic bags. The process is the same as outlined in the freezing section.

You may choose to refrigerate or freeze your potatoes, but remember that when refrigerated, the cooked ones last much shorter than when frozen – 3-5 days versus 10-12 months.

Drying Potatoes

You can opt for drying your potatoes if you don’t have enough space in your freezer refrigerator.

To dry them, follow the steps below.

We are going to overview drying potatoes in a food dehydrator:

1. Clean and scrub each potato.  It is best to cut any blemishes or imperfections off of the potatoes.
2. Slice the potatoes in a somewhat thin size.  Think of a potato chip but slightly larger thickness around 1/8 inch thick. This ensures they will dry in less time.
3. Ensure that your potatoes are placed in a bowl of cold water as soon as you cut them to prevent oxidation or browning.
4. You will now blanch the potatoes in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes to kill off any enzymes (this is what turns it brown).  You want them to still hold together but not crumble.
5. Strain and dry off the potatoes as best as possible.
6. Lay potatoes in the dehydrator and dry at about 135 F-140 F for about 8-10 hours.

You can rehydrate the potatoes by soaking them in water for 15 minutes & cook them as you would normally.

Pickling Potatoes for Your Potato Salad

This method involves utilizing an acidic liquid like vinegar to add flavor and possibly help extend its shelf life.  Most pickling liquid also includes the usage of salt or sugar to help to brine them.

The pickling recipes you may find to preserve potatoes will help to make them last a little longer in the fridge.

Pickled potatoes will last about 7-10 days in the fridge.

Canning Potatoes

There are 2 methods of canning that we must differentiate.  There is the water bath canning and there is pressure cooking canning.  Potatoes require the pressure cooking canning method.

Pressure cooking canning methods will ensure that the temperature it is processed or boiled in is well above the temperature to kill off any bacterial spores that can cause botulism.  The temperature in a pressure cooker is 250°F or more.

Water bath canning will never reach this temperature, so is not recommended to process potatoes.  Botulism spores can actually survive normal boiling temperatures so are not quite killed off using this method.

The best guide that we use for canning and pickling is the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  You can find this book here.

More Info

Keep in mind that the information that we provide here is based on recommendations from the FDA, our own observations, and the data from other sources such as the Ball guide we mentioned above.

Please do your own due diligence in determining your own set of guidelines.

This information provided is at your own risk.  Use your best judgment. We did our best to present you with the best information we had available at the time of this writing.

The shelf lifetimes are based on the following conditions of your storage area:

• Room temperature of 60°- 70°F
• Refrigerator temperature of 35° - 40° F
• Freezer temperature of 0°F or lower.

Check out our guide on ways of preserving food for more information on some of the techniques.