How To Store Peeled Potatoes, How Long Can They Be Stored, Including In Water Or A Refrigerator + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Capricious tuber: we store peeled potatoes correctly

As you know, in the air, potatoes instantly darken, dry, and lose their taste. And sometimes you really want to peel potatoes and store them for future use: go to soup for lunch, serve as a side dish for dinner, and come in handy the next day. To keep your kitchen work productive, use proven storage methods for peeled potatoes.

How to store peeled potatoes for meals

As preparation, select and rinse the required number of tubers. Remove the skin with a knife or potato peeler, cut out the eyes and other damage. Peel young tubers very delicately, removing only the thinnest layer of the skin. Old potatoes should be peeled more thoroughly, capturing part of the tuber with the skin. If during the cleaning process green areas of the tuber are found, then the potatoes should be disposed of.

Now you can start directly with storage. Consider four universal methods that will help you prepare potatoes for a wide variety of dishes for up to two days.

Way	Storage period	Suitable for
		puree	soup, stew, salad	whole cooking	frying
in water at room temperature	2-4 hours	+	+	+	+
in the water in the refrigerator	24-48 hours	+	+	-	+
in a bag in the freezer	up to 24 hours	-	-	+	-
in foil in the freezer	up to 24 hours	+	+	-	+

The most common way to store peeled potatoes is in water. It is worth remembering that vitamins and microelements that the vegetable is rich in gradually dissolve in water. To counteract this process, the potatoes should be kept whole tubers in water and cut immediately before cooking.

If you want to get away from cooking for a short time, use the method of storing peeled tubers in water at room temperature

1. Fill a deep container with cold water
2. Rinse the peeled tubers
3. Place the tubers in the water (it should completely cover the tubers)
4. Cover the container with a lid

Permissible periods in such conditions are 3-4 hours for country potatoes and 2-3 hours for purchased ones (premature blackening occurs due to the use of nitrogen fertilizers during cultivation). Adding a slice of lemon or citric acid to the water on the tip of a knife will help extend the period.

Immediately immerse the potatoes in cold water after cleaning to prevent browning

Finding peeled potatoes in water at room temperature for longer than the specified period leads to a complete loss of beneficial properties. When you need to prepare it in the evening or even a few days, it is recommended to store the product in water in the refrigerator:

1. Fill a deep container with cold water.
2. Rinse the peeled tubers.
3. Place the tubers in the water (it should cover the entire tubers).
4. Cover the container with a lid.
5. Place the container in the refrigerator.
6. Rinse the tubers again under a cold stream before use.

Remember that prolonged exposure to water will compromise tuber density. To cook boiled potatoes, use the bagging method in the freezer:

1. Place the tubers in a plastic bag
2. Tie a bag
3. Place the bag in the freezer

Make sure the bag is tightly tied and does not allow oxygen to pass through before placing potatoes in the freezer.

Boil potatoes without preliminary defrosting, dipping them into boiling salted water.

If you want to preserve the cut tubers for a long time, then use the method of freezing potatoes in cling film

1. Rinse peeled tubers thoroughly to remove starch
2. Dry the potatoes with a towel
3. Cut potatoes into slices or cubes
4. Wrap them in foil
5. Place in the freezer

Store pre-cut potatoes in the freezer only.

Just as in the previous case, potatoes cannot be defrosted. To cook fried potatoes, immediately place the slices in a heated skillet with oil or cooking oil. If the frozen potatoes were for boiling, dip the cubes in boiling salted water.

The right to make mistakes

It happens that during storage in water, peeled potatoes still darken. This is due to a violation of the seal. Perhaps there was not enough water in the container with peeled tubers. Or, due to inattention, you forgot to cover the container with a lid. If you cut off the darkened areas, the potatoes can be eaten. Also, often housewives forget about the time and violate the shelf life of peeled potatoes. The longer the potato is in the water, the more starch is removed from it. From a lack of starch, the potatoes become hard, oaky, but are still edible. For 2-3 days of storage in the refrigerator, tubers become soft and slimy, gas bubbles form on the surface. In this case, cut off the surface layer of the tubers and rinse them repeatedly under a cold stream. Eating such potatoes is not harmful to human health, but the taste of the vegetable will be lost. Storing tubers in such conditions for more than three days is unacceptable, the potatoes will have to be thrown away.

Freeze-based methods have less stringent requirements for sealing and accuracy in maintaining product shelf life. At low temperatures, potatoes cannot turn black or sour. The only risk is the development of a sweetish taste, which occurs due to the breakdown of starch. Over time, the taste is replaced by a complete loss of taste.

By following our simple recommendations, you can more often please your loved ones with potato dishes, without spending too much time on the routine process of peeling it.