# Potatoes - 2 part question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487 "2017-09-28T03:58:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/21 "2017-09-29T07:14:03Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Do not store onions and potatoes next to each other. They both give off gasses that promote rot and decay in the others. > [@CairoCarol](#): > > I don’t know about everything else, but I’ve always been taught that [you shouldn’t store potatoes and onions together because both will go bad more quickly](http://www.stilltasty.com/articles/view/32). In the case of the potatoes, it’s not actually what I’d call “rot and decay” - the ethylene from onions will encourage the potatoes to _sprout_. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/22 "2017-09-29T09:10:24Z")
Keep them in the fridge. I’ve discovered that no matter how shriveled and soft and yucky-looking the outsides get, they still remain perfectly tasty when cooked, even the peels left on. I’ve gone on 6-wseek trips, and still eaten potatoes left in the fridge the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/23 "2017-09-29T09:16:04Z")
About freezing, you might get good results as mentioned upthread, as long as the potatoes are grated, pureed, etc. There’s a noticeably undesirable change in texture when the potato is in pieces of any significant size. So you probably won’t like the results if you make a big batch of beef stew, for example, and freeze it. I haven’t actually tried this, but there are recipes online for freezing hash browns. Seems like it’d be a good way to use up the potatoes if you think they’re going to go bad. > [@](#): > > WTF do I do with this…it tastes of nothing. (Forgive the hijack; I have to address this.) Actually, eggplant has a nice peppery flavor that’s often lost in the cooking process. I’ve posted this before: Cut in half lengthwise, remove pulp with knife, boil the empty shells for a few minutes until tender but not falling apart, and set them aside to drain in a colander or on a tilted plate. Chop the pulp into small pieces and sauté with onion and ground beef (green pepper optional). Add Worcestershire sauce and cook the mixture until there’s little liquid left in the pan. Gently squeeze and/or carefully pat dry the shells to further remove water. Fill the shells, cover with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan on top of that and broil. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/24 "2017-09-29T15:03:05Z")
dont they sell those hash browns that are frozen, or are they treated first? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/25 "2017-09-30T02:14:04Z")
Frozen potatoes are par-cooked, and usually only require browning. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/26 "2017-09-30T17:54:21Z")
I regularly buy a bag of potatoes, peel and mash them. Then put them in plastic bags the size of a typical portion and put them in the freezer. When I want some mash, I microwave them and mix with a little butter and milk. The freezing/microwaving process does them no harm at all. Makes them smoother, if anything and it is really quick. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/27 "2017-09-30T18:53:04Z")
Raw potatoes don’t freeze well. I’ve never had any trouble freezing cooked ones. For cleaning/peeling I used to keep a brass scrubby for only this purpose. /USe lightly to clean, press harder to peel. Anyhoo, I would go ahead and mash a big mess of them, then freeze in portion-sized baggies. Do as little to the mash as possible - salt, pepper, in the bag basically. Then you can do so many things with them, you’ll find yourself reaching for one constantly. Soup/gravy too thin? Bag o’mash. Making pancakes? Bag o’mash. Casserole need topping? Bag o’mash (plus a bit of butter and cream.) It’s like caramelized onions; once you get accustomed to having them on hand ready to go, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/28 "2017-10-01T16:11:59Z")
Great idea to mash them all up and freeze in portion sizes! I bet the husband will love this idea, the typical potatoes and meat man! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/29 "2017-10-02T18:06:27Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > I regularly buy a bag of potatoes, peel and mash them. Then put them in plastic bags the size of a typical portion and put them in the freezer. When I want some mash, I microwave them and mix with a little butter and milk. The freezing/microwaving process does them no harm at all. Makes them smoother, if anything and it is really quick. This. The mashed spuds might weep a little when they defrost, but just whisk them up and the liquid will re-incorporate. As soon as I found out I could freeze mashed potatoes, I started making double and triple batches of them. It’s great to have ready-made real mashed potatoes on hand to serve up easily on a weeknight. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2017, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/30 "2017-10-04T11:35:45Z")
This looks like the place to ask. I buy bags of potatoes at the dollar store. Yes, it’s more expensive per weight but the amounts are small enough I can avoid the spoilage problem of two people going through a ten-pound bag of potatoes. Cool, dark, and damp is tricky to come by in an Arizona summer. Anyway, I was dicing up the last of a bag of “gold” potatoes (no claim of Yukon was made) for pan roasting and one of the larger ones had an irregular-shaped hollow in the middle. I’d never seen that before, just potatoes that are solid, like a potato. The borders of the hollow were dark so I trimmed them away. The rest of the potato seemed okay so it was duly diced and added to the pan and there were no bad effects in flavor or gut-wise. What would make a potato grow like that? ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/31 "2017-10-05T11:04:25Z")
Spuds are happiest on a couch with a big screen TV and the remote nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/32 "2017-10-05T13:43:37Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Anyway, I was dicing up the last of a bag of “gold” potatoes (no claim of Yukon was made) for pan roasting and one of the larger ones had an irregular-shaped hollow in the middle. I’d never seen that before, just potatoes that are solid, like a potato. The borders of the hollow were dark so I trimmed them away. The rest of the potato seemed okay so it was duly diced and added to the pan and there were no bad effects in flavor or gut-wise. What would make a potato grow like that? Something took a bite out of it while it was still underground during a growth phase. Localized spot of rot, possibly due to some sort of fungus. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/33 "2017-10-06T04:28:18Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > This looks like the place to ask. > > I buy bags of potatoes at the dollar store. Yes, it’s more expensive per weight but the amounts are small enough I can avoid the spoilage problem of two people going through a ten-pound bag of potatoes. Cool, dark, and damp is tricky to come by in an Arizona summer. > > Anyway, I was dicing up the last of a bag of “gold” potatoes (no claim of Yukon was made) for pan roasting and one of the larger ones had an irregular-shaped hollow in the middle. I’d never seen that before, just potatoes that are solid, like a potato. The borders of the hollow were dark so I trimmed them away. The rest of the potato seemed okay so it was duly diced and added to the pan and there were no bad effects in flavor or gut-wise. What would make a potato grow like that? Color me curious. I’ve been seeing this a lot lately, including everything from baby red potatoes to sweet potatoes. No idea what causes it. Sometimes it’s almost like a second layer of skin grew inside the potato, like an onion layer but potato skin. Others are like you describe, hollow inside the brown layer. Strange and intriguing. Maybe a rogue naval orange gene? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/34 "2017-10-06T04:44:58Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > This looks like the place to ask. > > I buy bags of potatoes at the dollar store. Yes, it’s more expensive per weight but the amounts are small enough I can avoid the spoilage problem of two people going through a ten-pound bag of potatoes. Cool, dark, and damp is tricky to come by in an Arizona summer. > > Anyway, I was dicing up the last of a bag of “gold” potatoes (no claim of Yukon was made) for pan roasting and one of the larger ones had an irregular-shaped hollow in the middle. I’d never seen that before, just potatoes that are solid, like a potato. The borders of the hollow were dark so I trimmed them away. The rest of the potato seemed okay so it was duly diced and added to the pan and there were no bad effects in flavor or gut-wise. What would make a potato grow like that? I’ve encountered that kind of thing a few times. I think it has to do with the plant having an irregular water supply at some point. I just cut out the dark spots on the inside and eat it, even if I baked it, and have never had an issue. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/35 "2017-10-06T06:06:49Z")
I’ve come across “clean” hollows (no dark edges) like that in potatoes and other vegetables. Maybe it “pulls itself apart” as it grows, although that seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/36 "2017-10-06T17:18:02Z")
Probably long ago answered but: Store in paper or cloth bag, loosely in a cardboard box can also work. Cool (not cold, around 55 is good), dry, DARK place Rotate your spuds often. Don’t let any live permanently on the bottom of the pile. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487/37 "2017-10-07T03:01:20Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Probably long ago answered but: > > Store in paper or cloth bag, loosely in a cardboard box can also work. > > Cool (not cold, around 55 is good), dry, DARK place > > Rotate your spuds often. Don’t let any live permanently on the bottom of the pile. Rotation! Good advice. I’ll do that every couple days till they’re all gone. Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatoes-2-part-question/797487.md?page=1)