Tesco Shares How To Make Your Potatoes Last Longer

I love potatoes as much as the next person, but for some reason, I still never manage to get through a full bag in time to keep them all at their best.

I’m all too familiar with the terrifying, tentacle-like growths a long-neglected Maris Piper can grow after a couple of weeks’ neglect.

And while they’re technically safe to eat, the taste and texture of a spud is usually compromised by their “eyes.”

So it’s a good thing Tesco have some tips on how to keep the produce fresh – including “curing” the tubers, which they say can “extend their lifespan for up to six months.”

Though I usually associate “cured” foods with meats like chorizo, you can absolutely cure vegetables as well.

Garlic, onions, spuds, and squash all benefit from going through the process to thicken their skins and make them less susceptible to rot, bruising, and disease.

Often, commercial growers will finish this shelf-life-extending process before sending food out to supermarkets, but Tesco write that you can do it at home too.

Pick “bulky,” thick-skinned potatoes (like brown varieties), ensuring their surface has no “puncture marks, soft spots, mould, blemishes, or shovel damage.”

Then, brush the dirt off (you don’t want to rinse them; this adds too much moisture).

Once that’s done, place the potatoes as a single layer on a sheet of newspaper, making sure they don’t touch and that air can circulate around them.

You should put them in a dark, cool spot, like your shed or garage.

After these have been left to toughen for two weeks, they’re “cured”; move them to a “well-ventilated, cool, dry place below 10°C.”

Yes. The supermarket advises against storing potatoes next to onions, too, as these can release ripening gas ethylene.

A paper bag is better than suffocating, moisture-retaining plastic as well.

And because cooler temperatures yield better results, you can try putting the vegetables in your fridge if you have room too.