Over 5.8 million potatoes are thrown away every day in British households according to UK Harvest, making it the most wasted food in the country. 

However, you can save a bit of money and stop wasting food by learning the proper way to store potatoes as most people do not realise they are keeping them in the wrong spot in the kitchen. 

Heidi, a money-saving expert and founder of The Frugal Girls, has shared potatoes will last a lot longer if stored somewhere cool in the kitchen away from appliances such as the oven, microwave or air fryer. 

She said: “All you’ll need are cool, dark and dry conditions, and you can drastically extend the life of your potatoes!

“Store potatoes in a cool cupboard, closet, basement, or root cellar. The warmer the temperature, the faster your potatoes will want to sprout.”

Potatoes do best when stored at cool temperatures so it may seem obvious to store them in the refrigerator but this is actually one of the worst places to keep them. 

Hedi said: “Even though potatoes love cool locations, you’ll want to make sure you keep them OUT of your refrigerator. When potatoes are stored in the fridge, the starches in them can convert to sugar.”

Potatoes stored in the fridge will develop an overly sweet taste and can become extremely gritty in texture due to the altered high sugar content so not be great to cook with, especially if you are making mashed potatoes. 

The key to extending the shelf life is keeping them cool but they also need to be kept somewhere dark to avoid them being exposed to sunlight as it can 

Hedi said: “When potatoes are exposed to too much light, a green hue can start to take over on the skin. 

“This can be a sign that the potato is now potentially harmful to eat, so we obviously want to avoid having potatoes ever start to turn green in the first place.

“Thankfully, the lack of light will help avoid that, prolong the life of the potato, and reduce early sprouting.”

Once you have found somewhere dark and cool to keep potatoes it is important to take them out of their original plastic supermarket packaging as it can cause moisture to build up.

Moisture is what will cause potatoes to begin going mouldy, so instead it is best to keep them in a basket or paper bag as it will allow more air into the space to keep them dry. 

Hedi said: “As opposed to closed-off airtight containers or zipped-up plastic bags, open brown paper bags are a great way to store potatoes to allow for proper ventilation and air flow. 

“I like to punch holes in my bags with a paper hole punch first to allow for even better ventilation.” 

The best way to store potatoes is by simply folding a paper bag and punching plenty of air holes in it so there is plenty of air circulation but an open basket or container is also fine. 

If potatoes are kept away from moisture, sunlight and extreme temperatures then they can last up to four weeks or even longer so you can save money on this hearty vegetable this autumn.