The Surprising Reason You Should Always Store an Apple with Your Potatoes
- Lifestyle
- Exienent
- · Updated
To stop potatoes from sprouting so fast, store one whole apple in the same bag or bin. The ethylene gas the apple releases acts as a sprout inhibitor for potatoes, and combined with a cool, dark spot away from onions, it keeps them firm and fresh for weeks longer.
It's a familiar kitchen scenario. You buy a bag of beautiful, firm potatoes with grand plans for mashed potatoes or crispy fries over the weekend. Then life gets busy, a week or two goes by, and when you finally reach into the pantry, the potatoes are soft, wrinkly, and covered in those creepy, pale little sprouts—often called "eyes." They look more like alien life forms than dinner ingredients, so they end up in the trash or compost bin.
That's a waste of money and food. Fortunately, the fix is practically free, completely natural, and probably already sitting on your kitchen counter: an apple.
How Does the Apple and Potato Hack Work?
All you need to do is toss one whole apple into the bag or bin where you store your potatoes. That alone keeps them firm and sprout-free for significantly longer.
That's the entire hack. You don't need to wrap them in special paper, buy expensive storage containers, or keep them perfectly spaced apart. Just one solitary apple resting among the spuds.
Why Does an Apple Stop Potatoes from Sprouting?
An apple stops sprouting because it naturally produces and emits a gas called ethylene. This isn't just an old wives' tale; it is rooted in basic plant biology.
In many fruits and vegetables (like bananas or avocados), exposure to ethylene gas speeds up the ripening and rotting process. If you put a banana next to an apple, the banana will turn brown much faster.
Potatoes, however, react to ethylene gas differently. For reasons that botanists are still studying, the specific concentration of ethylene emitted by an apple acts as a sprout inhibitor for potatoes. It essentially tells the potato's cells to slow down their reproductive cycle, keeping the potato in a dormant, fresh state for weeks longer than it would last on its own.
How Should You Store Potatoes for the Longest Shelf Life?
Store potatoes somewhere cool and dark, out of the fridge, and away from onions. Tossing an apple in the bin works wonders, but these storage rules maximize shelf life:
- Keep them cool and dark: Potatoes absolutely hate heat and light. Light exposure causes them to turn green and produce a bitter, mildly toxic compound called solanine. A cool, dark pantry or cellar is the perfect spot.
- Don't put them in the fridge: The extreme cold of a refrigerator converts the potato's complex starches into simple sugars. This changes their texture, makes them taste weirdly sweet, and causes them to burn easily when you cook them.
- Keep onions far away: While apples are a potato's best friend, onions are their worst enemy. Onions emit moisture and their own gases that will cause potatoes to rot incredibly fast. Never store them in the same bin or even on the same shelf.
By keeping your potatoes in a cool, dark place with a trusty apple by their side, you will save money, cut down on food waste, and always have good potatoes ready for dinner.
