After you've purchased your potatoes, where do you keep them at home? Zoachim & Schloss recommend storing potatoes in a cool (45F to 50F), dark, well ventilated place, like an unheated basement, closet, or root cellar (remember them?). Under those conditions, potatoes can last for months and actually improve in flavor, as enzymes slowly break down lipids in the potato cell membranes, making them taste better.
Cool conditions are important because potatoes can begin to sprout within a week if stored at room temperature. But when stored below 40F in a refrigerator their metabolism changes, causing them to convert some of their starch into sugar. A little extra sugar improves browning and crispness on roasted and fried potatoes, but too much can ruin their flavor. The starch to sugar conversion can be reversed by taking the potatoes out of the refrigerator and storing them in a cool, dark cabinet for a week or so.
Keep potatoes out of the light, too. When exposed to light potatoes manufacture increasing amounts of chlorophyll as well as two bitter tasting alkaloid compounds, solanine and chaconine. In high concentrations these can not only make potatoes taste bitter but also can cause headaches and upset stomachs. When a potato looks green it is due to an increase in chlorophyll, a sure sign that those two alkaloids are at unhealthy high levels--as much as 20 times above the safe amount of 5 to 6 milligrams considered harmless in a 4 oz. spud.
Never store potatoes in an airtight container, such as a tightly closed bin or a sealed plastic bag. Without ample ventilation potatoes develop damp spots that are prone to bacteria and mold infestation.
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