Do you store potatoes and onions under the sink?

15 years ago

I am rearranging cabinets and may have to resort to this. I know my whole childhood, my mother stored them there with no problems.

Many sites advise not to because of leaks -- but duh -- if I had a leak I wouldn't do it. and if I ever have a leak I am smart enough to throw out what was down there.

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Comments (15)

sheshebop
15 years ago
They should be stored in a cool dry place. I wouldn't think under the sink would quality. I store mine in bins in a cupboard.
pkguy
15 years ago
I store mine in a cabinet drawer on the opposite wall to the sink. I'm thinking the under sink cabinet is a little too warm what with hot water from the dishwasher etc running thru all the pips and drains down there. I keep cleaning stuff and a small garbage pail in there.
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Goodness, isn't that what refrigerators are for? I've kept potatoes and onions in the fridge for more than 20 years (not the same ones, of course) and never had a problem. I can imagine the one time a potato goes bad in one of those drawers, you'll want to replace the whole cabinet. In deep south Florida, I don't keep any food out on the counter or in pantries, we'd have iguanas and crocodiles breaking in, not to mention ants, flies, beetles, possibly monkeys. But then, I keep even opened cereal and crackers in the fridge. I've never seen an ant in there. One of the advantages of northern climates I guess is more food storage possibilites. On the other hand, we go sailing on Christmas and Thanksgiving, and deep fry the turkey out on the dock.
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Too cold in the fridge also will turn the starches to sugar and you get odd flavored sweet tasting potatoes. I store mine in wire racks in my current version of the "root cellar", which is really just an unheated cement block room attached to the back of the house. It seems to be cool year round, being shaded by a large bunch of trees, but does not freeze in the winter. I buy potatoes in 8 lb bags when I don't have any homegrown ones left, like right now. They seldom sprout, as they are treated to prevent that, usually, when buying commercial potatoes. However, mine are about ready to dig, so blue and red potatoes will be stored in wire bins and the fingerlings will have to stay in plastic milk crates with mesh bottoms as they are small enough to slide through the wires on the bins. The crates stack nicely, although I seldom grow more than a couple of crates full. I always keep some back for next year's planting, and they'll keep until next year when it's time to plant, although I'll get sprouts that are measurable in feet instead of inches, LOL. When I get a lot of them, I'll do like grainlady and prepare a lot of twice baked potatoes or freeze individual portions of mashed potatoes. I used to make a LOT of homemade French fries when the girls were home, cutting them into fries and par cooking them in hot oil. They would then get put into the oven when the girls wanted an afternoon snack before I got home from work and it was very convenient. Annie
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I followed a blog written by a couple who lived for a couple of years on a sailboat. She gave a lot of info on provisioning. One thing that stuck with me was her storage of onions and potatoes. She stored them in baskets tucked away somewhere, and every other day she turned them. Rub off any eyes that are forming, and move them around. I guess take them all out of the baskets and put them back. She said it added weeks to their lifespan, which on a boat might be critical. And they were in the Caribbean, so lots of heat and humidity. I suppose the same principle would apply to pantry storage. I store potatoes in the pantry and onions in the fridge.
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Ours are in a tiered hanging basket in our kitchen. Fruit (apples, oranges, mangos and bananas) get the largest bottom basket because we eat a lot of fruit, middle one is potatoes and onions (sometimes avocados), and the top smallest one is garlic, limes, peppers. If we buy a large bag of potatoes, we empty it into a large basket in our pantry and take them out for the hanging basket as it needs to be refilled. It works well, but yes we deal with the onion/garlic "paper" skins below the basket from time to time.
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khandi
15 years ago
Potatoes and onions should not be stored close together because they produce gases that spoil both.
annie1992
15 years ago
I grow my own potatoes (and my own onions) and I keep them both in my garage. I'm still eating potatoes that I dug in September.

My onions just got tossed into the bin on top of the potatoes, and they're fine too. (shrug) I'd also heard you shouldn't store them together, but I always have and since they're both still fine nearly 4 months later, I'll probably keep doing it.

Of course, I've also heard that red potatoes aren't good "keepers" and should be used within a month of digging. I grew Pontiac Reds and they're still fine.

Maybe it's because my garage is pretty cold? We call it "the big refrigerator". (grin)

Annie
sheshebop
15 years ago
Annie, my potatoes and onions are stored together in a bin in my kitchen, and it is 68 degrees in my house. They keep fine.
foodonastump
15 years ago
I'm just jealous of anyone who can "store" potatoes. Any more than a couple of weeks and mine sprout.
deborah_ps
15 years ago
Mine sprout too :( Too warm here.
Just trying to keep the citrus nice is a chore...It bothers me to waste any of the fruits, so I'm zesting and juicing like a wild woman.
lowspark
15 years ago
Mine sprout too. I keep my potatoes in the pantry, but not more than a couple of weeks at a time, and even then they grow eyes, so I usually just buy a 5# bag, or a 10# bag if I know I'll be using them up very quickly.

Onions go in the fridge.
teresa_nc7
15 years ago
I keep them both in the pantry; potatoes in a brown paper bag with a few venting holes punched in it and onions in a plastic crate with lattice on all sides. I think the brown paper bag is to meant to provide darker surrounding. I used to have trouble with them sprouting too soon also.

Hmmmm...now I know what I feel like for supper...baked potato!
rachelellen
15 years ago
Gosh, my potatoes, garlic and onions are in a large basket in my pantry. I use both so fast that I've never had a problem. I don't remember ever having an onion or potato rot. Once in a great while, a garlic head sprouts and I plant it in with some potted tree or other in my yard...get a few free heads that way.

I don't think I'd keep them under the sink though, for the reason pkguy mentioned, that the temp would vary too much due to all the hot water use.
lindac
15 years ago
I keep my potatoes and onions in a cupboard in the winter and in the refrigerator in the summer.
My mother always said that keeping potatoes in the refrig made them sweet....I find it keeps them from sprouting.
I think that directive not to store them together is not true.
I do know that storing items that produce etheylene gas as they ripen inhibits the rooting of things like onions....and tulips. So don't try to root tulips in the same area that you are using to store apples or pears....but can't imagine what's the deal about potatoes and onions...I store them together and have for years, as did my mother and grandmother and all the old timers with root cellers.;
Linda C
dedtired
15 years ago
I store them at the grocery store. I just buy them as I need them. It helps that the grocery is only two blocks away. If I buy the bags, I end up with a lot of new plants I didn't want.
centralcacyclist
15 years ago
I buy as needed, too, and keep what isn't used immediately in the frig veggie drawer. I just don't use either fast enough to buy in quantity.
kframe19
15 years ago
Under a sink is a moist, generally warm place, especially if you have a dishwasher.

You'll have potatos and onions sprouting a LOT faster. I keep mine in my pantry.
annie1992
15 years ago
I don't know about refrigerating, but I had a few small new potatoes that were in the garage which dipped down to about 20F. Those were extremely sweet, a very unusual surprise when I tried to use them for hashbrowns, LOL.

So maybe if they get down to a certain temperature they get sweet, but the crisper drawer doesn't get that cold? I dunno.....

Annie

Do you store potatoes and onions under the sink?

Comments (15)

sheshebop

pkguy

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