The Simple Trick For Choosing The Best Bagged, Store-Bought Potatoes

Potatoes have a reputation as one of the hardiest vegetables out there, able to withstand a long stay in your pantry without rotting. But if you aren't wise while shopping and pick up a bad bag of spuds, they'll turn on you before you're ready to whip up some hash browns or air fryer french fries. To help you seek out the freshest potatoes at the store, we asked Chef Kieron Hales, Managing Partner & Head Chef at Zingerman's Cornman Farms, for his best shopping advice.

According to Chef Hales, the easiest trick for finding top-tier spuds is to pay attention to the bag they're stored in. He recommends mesh or perforated bags that let air in and allow the potatoes to "breathe." "Potatoes are living things, still respiring after harvest," he explained. "Non-breathable bags trap moisture and carbon dioxide, leading to mold, sprouting, and off flavors. You'll notice a damp, earthy smell or green spots developing faster."

Breathable bags are one of the top things to look for when buying the freshest potatoes because mold grows most easily in humid environments. Ventilated storage vessels help moisture evaporate, keeping the spuds fresh and dry. Plus, potatoes both emit and are sensitive to ethylene gas, a compound that causes produce to age after picking. If the bag they're stored in doesn't allow that gas to escape, the taters are on the fast track to sprouting and turning soft.

Chef Hales gave us a few more things to look for when buying potatoes. Firm and unblemished spuds are obviously ideal, and they shouldn't have any green discoloration. If you're buying them at an outdoor market or other sunny place, Hales cautions to pass by packages that have been sitting in the light. "The light exposure produces solanine, which turns potatoes green and bitter," he explained. "Hunt to the bottom of the pile if you can."

That said, buying taters from smaller vendors is a great idea. "If possible, buy from a local grower or market," Chef Hales told us. "Fresher potatoes hold flavor and texture far better." Plus, locally-grown potatoes have traveled much shorter distances to reach you. Industrial harvesting practices and long-distance shipment are usually why your store-bought potatoes are bruised, as all that processing is hard on the spuds. It is possible to "heal" bruised potatoes with proper storage practices, but it's better to seek out fresh, undamaged specimens in the first place.

The taste of potatoes can also change if they're stored in cold conditions for too long, as the starches inside will convert to sugar. Mass-produced potatoes are usually refrigerated for long periods as they're transported to supermarkets. That's one more reason to buy locally-grown ones. Once you have a great batch of spuds on hand, get cracking with different ways to use up a big bag of potatoes — after all, they still won't last forever.