Should You Be Storing Sweet Potatoes In The Refrigerator?

Winter is rapidly approaching, meaning it's prime growing season for hearty root vegetables. One of our favorites is the humble sweet potato. These tasty tubers are delicious, easy to prepare, and can be .

You can even incorporate them into desserts or sweet potato pie. If you're heading to the store, you should definitely pick some up, but when you get home, where should you keep them? First of all, save your fridge space. Sweet potatoes don't belong in the refrigerator.



Instead, they do best when stored in a cool spot out of direct sunlight. A dark pantry with a stable temperature between 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. You'll want to keep your potatoes in a breathable container or an open basket.

Trapping them in a plastic bag will only encourage condensation and potential mold growth. Feel free to leave sweet potatoes on the counter out of the sun but make sure to use them sooner rather than later, since they can dry out and shrivel when left in warmer environments. Freezing raw sweet potatoes has some benefits Though the freezer isn't a recommended place to store your sweet potatoes long-term, you can freeze them for around three hours or until solid before you put them in the oven to bake.

Pre-freezing before baking is actually , but just note that your cooking time will be longer. Putting the potatoes in the freezer pushes out excess moisture, intensifying the flavor as natural enzymes in the potato are converted into sugar. This is a great trick for making sweet potato casserole, where you want a bolder flavor without having to add any extra ingredients.

However, while you don't need to freeze or refrigerate raw sweet potatoes, cooked sweet potatoes are a different matter. You know, to avoid giving yourself food poisoning and all. Don't worry, it's pretty simple.

Once your potatoes are cooked and cooled put them in an airtight container, like Tupperware or a zipping plastic bag, and pop them in the fridge. It's recommended you eat cooked sweet potatoes within five days. Make sure you don't leave cooked foods out for more than two hours as this can encourage bacteria to grow.

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