Potato is one of the main products in the daily diet of many people, and it is used for cooking mainly only in peeled form. And it often happens that during cooking part of the peeled vegetables remains unused. Keeping peeled tubers is not easy, but possible. In the article, we will consider the basic rules and methods of storing peeled potatoes and find out how long it can remain suitable for eating.
Basic rules for storing peeled potatoes
It is best to use potatoes for cooking immediately after peeling. But if for some reason you need to clean the fruits in advance and save them until use, then you need to follow a few recommendations.
Consider the general rules for storing peeled tubers:
- it is better to store the whole product without cutting it into parts - this will allow to retain all the useful substances in the fruits;
- Before laying for storage, the fruits should be washed well in water;
- if the fruits are stored in a container with water, then for a better effect, you can put a slice of lemon or a little citric acid in it;
- if a freezer is used for storage, then you need to portion the fruits in packages, since it is no longer possible to freeze it again;
- Before using fruits that were stored in peeled form, they must be thoroughly rinsed with water.
Did you know? The Guinness Book of Records includes potatoes grown in 2010 in the city of Nottinghamshire. The weight of the tuber was as much as 3.8 kg!
Terms and time of storage
The peeled tubers in contact with air are quickly covered with a dark coating. This occurs as a result of the contact of iron, magnesium and potassium contained in the fruit with oxygen. The chemical oxidation reaction begins, the vegetable rapidly blackens and deteriorates.
Various methods are used to extend the shelf life of peeled vegetables for food.
Consider how long it is possible to store fruits, peeled, at different temperatures:
- at room temperature, tubers can be in cold water for 3-4 hours, after which they lose most of the nutrients, and the taste of the fruit deteriorates;
- Blanched or fresh tubers packed in a bag can be stored in the refrigerator until the next day;
- peeled fruits soaked in water and refrigerated can be stored for about 24 hours;
- in the freezer at temperatures up to –18 ° C, the fruits can retain freshness for several days;
- in a freezer with a temperature of at least –30 ° C, peeled vegetables can lie for several days and even weeks.
Important! In deep freezing, it is recommended to lay washed peeled potatoes on a flat surface without wrapping it in a bag or film.
Potato storage methods
In order to preserve the peeled fruits and use them for the next cooking, black plaque should be prevented from appearing on the surface of the tubers. At the same time, it is necessary that the product does not lose the beneficial substances contained in it and maintains a good taste. Next, we will analyze the storage methods of peeled potatoes at home.
At room temperature
The most popular way to store peeled potatoes at home at room temperature is to soak them in clean cold water. But this method is effective only on condition that you need to save the tubers for a short period of time.
In order to prevent fetal contact with oxygen and slow down oxidation, perform the following actions:
- Rinse the cleaned fruits in running water.
- Fold the tubers in a separate capacious container (stewpan or deep bowl).
- Pour the vegetable with clean cold water so that it completely covers the tubers. You can add a raw onion or a slice of lemon.
- Cover the container with a lid, leaving a small gap for air to enter.
After 48 hours of storage of peeled tubers in water at room temperature, a slippery coating appears on them, indicating product spoilage.
In fridge
If you need to keep peeled potatoes until tomorrow, you can use the refrigerator. The air temperature inside should be no more than + 6 ° C.
Depending on what dishes the product will be used for, storage in the refrigerator is carried out in different ways:Did you know? The most expensive potato variety in the world — La Bonnotte. It is grown on the French island of Noirmoutier and sold at a price of about 500 euros per 1 kg.
- Place peeled tubers in a container of cold water and then refrigerate - this method is the easiest, and the fruits can later be used to prepare any dishes.
- Tuber blanching - whole vegetables are immersed for several seconds in a pot with boiling water, and then put in a bag and placed in the refrigerator. Hot water destroys the enzymes that are in the upper layer of the fetus, as a result of which they cannot react with oxygen. Blanched potatoes are stored longer than fresh, but have a specific taste and can only be used for cooking in general.
- Storage of peeled potatoes in a tightly tied bag, from which air was previously released. With this method, the fruits can be used to prepare any dishes.
- Grate the tubers and add finely chopped onion or garlic to the mass. A container with such a semi-finished product can be kept in the refrigerator under a cling film and used to prepare grated potato dishes.
In the freezer
The most reliable method for keeping peeled tubers fresh and tasty for a long time is fruit freezing. It is best to freeze whole potatoes. But if you need to use chopped tubers for cooking, then they are cut into pieces of the required size in advance and only then sent to the freezer.
In order to freeze whole peeled potatoes, you need to perform the following actions:
- Rinse the fruits and dry a little with a napkin.
- Place the tubers in a plastic bag, spreading them into portions.
- Release excess air from the bag and seal it tightly.
- Place packaged servings in the freezer.
Thus, you can store potatoes, which in the future are planned to be used for cooking whole - frozen fruits you just need to immerse in boiling water and boil until cooked.
The freezing of sliced potatoes is carried out in this way:Important! With long-term storage of tubers in the freezer, they can completely lose their taste.
- Rinse tubers under running water, blot their surface with a napkin to remove excess moisture.
- Cut the fruit into pieces of the required size.
- Divide the sliced vegetables into separate portions and wrap each of them in several layers of cling film.
- Place the tubers in the freezer.
When using this storage method, you need to take into account that in the freezer, starch in potatoes turns into sugar, so the thawed vegetable will have a sweetish aftertaste.
How to determine the suitability of potatoes
Using one of the listed methods of storing peeled potatoes, before using it, you need to check whether the tubers have deteriorated in order to understand whether they can be used for cooking.
To do this, evaluate the appearance of the potato and judge its suitability for food by the following signs:
- if the potato was stored in a container with cold water, and it was filled with air bubbles, this signals the beginning of fermentation, and such fruits should not be eaten;
- if during storage of tubers in water they were not completely immersed in it, then a dark coating may appear on the part of the fruits that protrudes from the water. Blackened areas can be cut with a knife and after washing the vegetable in water, use it for cooking;
- if the water in which the tubers were stored is cloudy, this only indicates the release of starch. Such potatoes can be safely used for cooking, but it becomes harder and worse digested;
- the appearance in the fruit of an unpleasant odor or slippery coating on their surface indicates that they have deteriorated. Plaque can be cut with a knife and after washing the fruits, use them as food, but their taste will become worse;
- if the tubers become soft, it means that they are spoiled. Such potatoes need to be thrown away.
The most delicious dishes are obtained from potatoes, which were peeled immediately before cooking. But if for some reason you need to pre-harvest the tubers, you can do this using the tips and recommendations above. In this case, the main condition is to correctly observe the storage conditions of the product and the terms.