I Am Really Struggling with Weekly Potatoes, I Wonder if Anyone Can Help?
Ask a Question
I have to shop online and do a big shop once a week, mid week, I am now living a Potato nightmare! On a bad week the Potatoes will be out of date in just a day or two, on a really bad week they are out of date the same day, I've tried all the Potatoes available, Organic seemed a good idea last week but they were all green so that bag was wasted, with what dates I get I've tried storing them in a cupboard, in the fridge, in a black sack in a cupboard but the dates are so short nothing helps, Hubby really likes Potatoes, or should I say he used too! There's no such thing as frozen Potatoes, probably as they contain so much water and most of the frozen roast he doesn't like, can anybody help please, I'm desperate! Thanks x
The supermarkets should hang their heads in shame because most of them make wild promises about only picking the best and freshest as you would yourself. I live alone and one time a pack of new potatoes which should have done me 3 meals, arrived with the bbe the following day. Same with a packet of tomatoes which felt moist and sticky before I realised one in the corner was actually mouldy!
I have found they keep after the date if in fridge or cupboard but that is not the point, they taste better when fresh. I cannot offer any help or advice but I would suggest contacting the shop you order from and complaining. I told them that I would expect a packet of potatoes bought on Monday to still be ok for Thursday or Friday and I also moaned about the tomatoes. I got a £10 refund straight into my account.
I do tend to restrict my online shop to non perishables only now and pop to a local shop for fruit and veg. I know it can be a pain but less time and less to carry than doing a big shop yourself.
Strangely enough the best tomatoes I get for longevity and flavour (vine type) are from Iceland.
Believe me I have moaned many times Lynibis but it's the person on the end of the phone who has to keep passing the messages on to the store so I seem to be fighting a losing battle and no car now as I have just explained to Ange, thanks for your reply though x
I agree with Lynibis that the suppliers have a lot to answer for and don't get me started on carrots! The only solution would be to buy them from a Farm Shop if you can - I know many of the producers, around the country, offer reasonable subscriptions for weekly/fortnightly boxes of FRESH veg. The quality and 'life' of these are mind blowing and it makes me cross that we are palmed off with sub-standard food from the larger suppliers. If you are able, perhaps a bucket filled with compost and a couple of chitted potatoes would be a fun project for another time - aint gonna give you many meals but you will experience a fresh spud.
No car now Ange thanks to a Stagecoach bus writting it off for me on my way home from Tesco, thanks for the bucket tip though! x
Ignore the sell by date, potatoes keep for ages. Remove them from the plastic packaging when you get them or they will sweat, and place in a cool dark place .. I have a small hessian bag under the sink, but used to use an old bucket. If they start to sprout then just knock the tubers off when you are peeling them. Green won't kill you ... in olden times it was one of the signs of arsenic in the soil, just peel it away.
JoTarpley I take mine out of the plastic and store ina cupboard
like I say trust your senses look, smell ,taste with food
Don't see the problem really, I'm still using bags of Potatoes, bought three weeks ago just after easter when they were on offer in Morrisons.
Dates on produce are only sell buy date, it's all perfectly ok to use after that date, it's the use by/eat by dates you need to take greater care with.
Unless they have started sprouting you can still use them. Unless it says use by on them, then they will be fine.
They all sprout, we have tried using them and Hubby says they are not very nice, thanks though MrsCraig! x
JoTarpley ahh that's a shame. We are able to keep potatoes in our fridge for ages, even after their sell by date and they very rarely sprout. Wonder why this is happening to your potatoes? Not sure what to suggest. My mother keeps hers in the dark in a hessian like bag, that might work? Also I know that you can get frozen mashed potato as I've seen it, but no idea what it would be like. Sorry I can't offer anymore advice.
I keep potatoes for weeks 
even if they got little green patches or the white root things i just cut them off 
In the past I have bought a bag of spuds which is far too much for me. I can never use before I consider them past it and because I hate waste i peel them all and freeze them in various ways. I cook and mash some, put in a container and freeze. Others I cut into roast potato size boil for about 8 minutes, cool on a clean tea towel and then gently shake in some flour and place in freezer bags. Ready to roast when you are! You can part boil them chipped as well before freezing but I have never done this as I use frozen chips anyway. If you are really up for it you could make potato latkes(?) And find other recipes too.
Lynibis thank you so much for sharing your tips on potatoes. Never thought of this. It's a log time since I had a potatoe. I live on my own and the bags are just to big for one. By I will get a bag and do what you said. 
nicolajaynehend yr welcome. I always use Maris Piper but my son (an ex chef) likes King Edwards. They do small bags of new potatoes which do me 3 meals easily and don't go out of date in that time. I boil in bottom of steamer with veg in middle and fish on top one night, have with chicken or similar second night when I cook them all but put half aside when cool and saute 3rd day with an omelette.
Lynibis I just got some new potatoes. And that's in a small bag. Like you they will do 3 or 4 days. I know you can freeze jacket potatoes. You cook them first then after they are cold you can freeze them. With new potatoes I love to make home made potatoe salad. I add a few spring onions in. It much better to make it your self. My friends look at me when I said I make my own. They say it's Easter to buy it. 
Now that is being inventive Lynibis, shame I can't give you some points for that lol
Ah! I thought you had to part cook jackets to freeze them, I didn't realise you could freeze them when fully cooked, how do you re-heat yours then Nicola, microwave?
JoTarpley yes I heat the bake potatoe in the microwave. When I do a roast on a Sunday I cook the potatoes then. It's so much easyer. Then just de frost potatoe then warm it up. 
Thanks Nicola, another brilliant idea, you've all been soooo helpful and I really appreciate it! x
You can make complain about the potatoes. They will pay back the price.
I use potatoes after their use by date... You can keep them in fridge so they do not germinate as fast.
Just remember to the old times... There were no fresh potatoes for months.
I always keep mine in a dark, dry place to try and stop them from sprouting. Nothing lasts in my house, as you know, everything gets munched fairly quickly!
That's what I've been trying to do Ceebers but when the Potatoes aren't at their best when I get them then I'm fighting a losing battle! x
http://www.laterlife.com/features/health-food-potatoes-may19.htm
So ironic that I found this in my emails today. Particularly interested in the 4th paragraph up from the bottom! Jamala Mango4 angemski MrsCraig CathSho13 AgnesFaludi Ceebers
yeah...4 months in the fridge, but I remember that we had them in cold place in the 80`s and that time we had no potatoes all year around, from spring to October and before it freeze it all needed to come out. Everyone bought a lot of them, big bags of potatoes...10-15kg or more for the Winter. Also remember we had the variety Desire, which is a red potato.
Now you've reminded me, I can actually remember the days when I used to buy a big bag of Potatoes, what on earth has happened??!!
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
