What the heck is it with the potatoes? Where to buy good ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just cut the sprouts off...is that ok?

I think so. I am talking about rotting, black spots, small dots on the inside, under the skin, holes with brown and blackish spots in the middle, you name it I saw it on a potato.

[Anonymous]

Buy from farmers markets. Potatoes in plastic dont last.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy from farmers markets. Potatoes in plastic dont last.

I buy in paper bags, those thick ones, just like ai prefer meat in butcher's paper, not plastic. It is very cold in Canada now, I am not sure where to find a farmers market. But, it is a good tip, thanks!

[Anonymous]

It’s your cabinets or your house.

I just bought a huge pack at Costco and it was fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s your cabinets or your house.

I just bought a huge pack at Costco and it was fine.

So, the same day I bought them and started to peel them... it was my house? ANd it is both my houses? One in MD and one in Canada? One is brand new and the other one is from the 80s.

[Anonymous]

I have a terrible time with potatoes too. I often have to leave the store without them because I can’t find a bag that isn’t half green already or doesn’t reek of mold. The only semi reliable source I’ve found is Wegmans, and even they can be hit or miss.

[Anonymous]

I buy loose organic potatoes at Whole Foods, never have any issues with them. But I buy 1-2 week supply and keep them in either basement or garage ( whichever is colder at the moment).

[Anonymous]

I always buy them loose and then use them within a week. No problems.

I will not buy bagged ones - there is always something wrong

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't buy potatoes ahead of time. I only buy them the day I will use them because otherwise they will have turned green or brown or shriveled or otherwise turned. I don't get it. Potatoes just don't last very long.

Potatoes used to last the whole winter, back in Europe when I was a kid. I come home past 5:30 pm, who wants to go buy potatoes on the day of cooking? But, sure, thanks for the tip, that is what I might have to do anyway.

They keep pretty well if they’re fresh/in bruised and stored carefully. My farmer’s market still has them and they’re obviously late fall’s potatoes still. I just but a few every week because our market runs through the winter (DC area) but you could also stock up from farmers in the fall. Just make sure you’re constantly picking over them and eating the least good looking ones first so they don’t have a chance to rot, etc. If you buy from the grocery store, agree with others: buy from the loose bin and pick out the good ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a terrible time with potatoes too. I often have to leave the store without them because I can’t find a bag that isn’t half green already or doesn’t reek of mold. The only semi reliable source I’ve found is Wegmans, and even they can be hit or miss.

Thank you for posting! I was feeling like I am crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't buy potatoes ahead of time. I only buy them the day I will use them because otherwise they will have turned green or brown or shriveled or otherwise turned. I don't get it. Potatoes just don't last very long.

Potatoes used to last the whole winter, back in Europe when I was a kid. I come home past 5:30 pm, who wants to go buy potatoes on the day of cooking? But, sure, thanks for the tip, that is what I might have to do anyway.

They keep pretty well if they’re fresh/in bruised and stored carefully. My farmer’s market still has them and they’re obviously late fall’s potatoes still. I just but a few every week because our market runs through the winter (DC area) but you could also stock up from farmers in the fall. Just make sure you’re constantly picking over them and eating the least good looking ones first so they don’t have a chance to rot, etc. If you buy from the grocery store, agree with others: buy from the loose bin and pick out the good ones.

Those are all great tips, thanks! Now that I think about it, back in Europe all of our potatoes were from the farmer's market.

[Anonymous]

I know what OP means about the dark spots inside, because I run into them from time to time. I grew up in a meat and potatoes household and was always the one who had to go down to the basement and get potatoes out of that dusty 50 lb burlap bag and peel them. Once in awhile a rotten one, sometimes sprouts especially when getting to the bottom of the bag, but I really don't recall the dark spots (although my mom I think did the cutting).

I looked it up. If potatoes are stored below 38 degrees they will convert starch to sugar which will cause this. I'm sure more sugar in the potato will speed up decay. If they get bounced around too much bruises can show up internally.

I don't use them a lot, although I've been doing more roasted diced potatoes (handier than pan fried home fries and now I do this for potato hash dishes), and a 10 lb bag will get me through a couple of months.

As for bagged onions, nope. Every time I go to the grocery store I grab a big onion or two so I'm sure to have at least one onion in the fridge. Someone on dcum gave me the idea to cook chopped onions in some butter in the microwave for a minute then freeze--great tip, I used to have small containers of chopped onions (when I chopped too much) get forgotten and go bad in the fridge. Years ago I had a fruit fly invasion from a rotten onion in a bag and never again,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just cut the sprouts off...is that ok?

I think so. I am talking about rotting, black spots, small dots on the inside, under the skin, holes with brown and blackish spots in the middle, you name it I saw it on a potato.

OP, I have been experiencing this, too! Alrhough not for past 10 years, more like the past few years. But it baffles me as I tend to think of potatoes as indestructible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:???

How are you storing the potatoes? Out of all of the food items I have issues with, potatoes are always fine.

In a paper/cardboard box, very open, never near onions, in the cold basement, or in a dry pantry, separated each one from another so the rotten one doesn't get the good ones.
How do you store them?

In a big plastic bin with an open top.

I make sure they are fully dry and drop them in. They last for eons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know what OP means about the dark spots inside, because I run into them from time to time. I grew up in a meat and potatoes household and was always the one who had to go down to the basement and get potatoes out of that dusty 50 lb burlap bag and peel them. Once in awhile a rotten one, sometimes sprouts especially when getting to the bottom of the bag, but I really don't recall the dark spots (although my mom I think did the cutting).

I looked it up. If potatoes are stored below 38 degrees they will convert starch to sugar which will cause this. I'm sure more sugar in the potato will speed up decay. If they get bounced around too much bruises can show up internally.

I don't use them a lot, although I've been doing more roasted diced potatoes (handier than pan fried home fries and now I do this for potato hash dishes), and a 10 lb bag will get me through a couple of months.

As for bagged onions, nope. Every time I go to the grocery store I grab a big onion or two so I'm sure to have at least one onion in the fridge. Someone on dcum gave me the idea to cook chopped onions in some butter in the microwave for a minute then freeze--great tip, I used to have small containers of chopped onions (when I chopped too much) get forgotten and go bad in the fridge. Years ago I had a fruit fly invasion from a rotten onion in a bag and never again,

Thanks so much for this! Indeed, here in Canada, it would make sense that at some point potatoes were stored/exposed to below 38F. Heck, we had negative 30C for a while here. And it is humid in MD.