Anonymous wrote:I always heard potatoes should be stored at room temp in a dark place to prevent spoiling. We freeze bread mostly because we don't eat it fast enough and we usually toast it.

+1

I store them both in a bread box. Bread doesn't go moldy (we go through a loaf every week or two). Potatoes last, IDK, maybe a month.

I do occasionally freeze extra if I get a loaf of french bread or other fresh bread that goes bad in a day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys are all wrong. Both should be stored in the pantry at room temperature!

+1

Freeze bread if you're not going to use it right away.

Only if your room is cool. They go in a cool (but not cold) dark place. In an actual food cellar, they will last an amazingly long time.

"Bread molds if it's on the counter, so it goes in the fridge"

++

works for me! just made delicious garlic bread from a loaf that was in the fridge almost a week. If I'd left it on the counter it'd be green by now.

Potatoes should be stored in paper bags. Grocery bags work best. You can fold them over and close them with a clip, keeping them dark and any moisture escapes so that they don't rot.

We keep our sweet potatoes, onions, and garlic in a hanging basket in the kitchen--room temperature.
Bread molds if it's on the counter, so it goes in the fridge. We still haven't found a good answer for the white potatoes. In a dark cabinet seems best, but they still sprout pretty quickly. (In the fridge they go green and off.)

who are all of these people who own bread boxes? who has the counter space for that?? i do not own a bread box nor do I have a pantry (just regular kitchen cabinets) and we store bread and potatoes in the fridge.

I have my yams in the dark pantry and they sprout. So I've been putting them on the kitchen counter and they seem to last longer, but still. In the fridge they seem to go soft. What do you all do to avoid yams (or potatoes) from sprouting?

Anonymous wrote:You guys are all wrong. Both should be stored in the pantry at room temperature!

Agreed

Just saw this on Yahoo: http://shine.yahoo.com/dailyshot/kitchen-101--fridge-vs--cupboard-152449588.html?vp=1

Both should be stored at room temp

Per America's test kitchen: potato should go in a cool dark place (but not cold). Keep potatoes away from fruits as potatoes offgas a substance that makes fruit go bad quicker.

I always heard potatoes should be stored at room temp in a dark place to prevent spoiling. We freeze bread mostly because we don't eat it fast enough and we usually toast it.

Bread goes stale faster in the fridge, but moldier faster at room temperature.

So the answer is: if you are going to eat the loaf within a couple of days, keep it in the pantry. If you want it to last a week or more, keep it in the fridge, but be prepared for some staleness.

OP here - they're a lot of varying responses which is why it's all been a debate in our house. I guess the true answer is based on preference and frequency of use...who knows.