Best Way to Store Sweet Potatoes for Long Term

Sweet potatoes are nutritional food. This vibrant root vegetables boast a beautiful array of colors (orange, white, purple) and a flavor profile that stays between sweet and savory. But their true magic lies beneath the skin: a hub of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that fuel your body and mind. Sweet potatoes can go bad quickly. follow us on this journey of sweet potatoes benefits and preservation.

How to tell if a sweet potato is bad 

The most obvious signs that a sweet potato has gone bad are soft or mushy spots, a rotten smell, or oozing liquid coming from the potato. These are clear indications that spoilage bacteria or fungi have taken hold, and the potato should be discarded.

Another signal the sweet potato is past its prime is the growth of stalky sprouts. Though sprouts themselves are not toxic, their emergence means the potato is diverting nutrition into new growth rather than sustaining the tuber.

Orange sweet potatoes

The internal flesh likely becomes fibrous, bitter, and unpalatable. If you see extensive sprouting combined with wrinkling skin or other decay signs, the sweet potato is too far gone and best solution is to remove it from the kitchen.

Knowing how to tell if a sweet potato has gone bad can help you avoid wasting food and prevent potential illness from consuming spoiled veggies.

This guide covers tips for choosing fresh sweet potatoes at the store, proper storage methods to maximize their shelf life, and signs that indicate its time to toss that aging spud.

The first step to ensuring your sweet potatoes stay fresh is choosing high-quality ones from the start. When shopping for sweet potatoes, look for ones that are firm and free of soft spots, wrinkles, splits, bruises, or mold.

The skin should be smoothly intact. Size is not generally an indicator of quality or freshness. Both small and large sweet potatoes can be perfectly ripe and delicious.

Sweet potatoes come in a rainbow of skin colors ranging from brown and red to purple or deep orange. The flesh can be creamy white, orange, yellow, or purple. While the different pigments do affect flavor, with some varieties being starchier or sweeter, any intact, firm sweet potato can be used interchangeably in recipes.

Avoid purchasing sweet potatoes displayed in the refrigerated section of the produce aisle. The cold temperature can negatively alter their taste and texture. Choose potatoes from a regular produce bin or stand.

Despite your best storage efforts, sweet potatoes will eventually start to show signs of aging. Here’s what to look out for:

Wrinkling skin that looks deflated or shriveled. As moisture evaporates from an aging potato, its skin becomes loose, wrinkly, and thin.

Sprouting fibrous roots or stems. This indicates the potato is diverting nutrition into new growth.

Soft, hollow, or concave areas. 

Press gently; spoiled spots will feel mushy or spongy compared to the firm flesh of a good potato.

Purple sweet potatoes

Mold growth, which usually looks fuzzy or hair-like. Discard moldy potatoes immediately as mold spreads rapidly.

Green patches or areas. This chlorophyll develops after exposure to light. Green spots taste bitter, so cut away any green portions before cooking.

Unpleasant odors. A rotten or musty smell means bacteria or fungi are growing.

Liquid oozing from eyes or skin. This likely indicates bacterial decay. Discard any oozing potatoes.

Dark brown or black areas, either spots on the skin or discolored flesh inside. This is due to impact bruising or exposure to cold. Cut away severely discolored parts before cooking.

If the exterior seems fine, but you’re unsure about hidden interior decay, cut the potato open and inspect the flesh. Discard if it appears dry, brown, or mushy compared to a healthy pale yellow or orange color.

Once home, take a few steps to extend the shelf life of your sweet potatoes:

Store them in a dark, dry, well-ventilated place. The ideal storage temperature is 55-60°F. Avoid extreme heat or cold.

Do not refrigerate raw sweet potatoes. The cold converts their starches into sugars, creating hard centers and off-flavors.

Place them in a basket, rack, or bowl with ventilation all around. 

Avoid sealing in plastic bags, which promote spoilage.

Keep away from direct sunlight, which accelerates sprouting in potatoes.

Store separately from onions, which release gases that hasten decay.

Stored properly in a cool dark pantry, fresh sweet potatoes will usually last 3-5 weeks. 

Refrigerating cooked mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container extends their life by 3-4 days.

It is common for sweet potatoes to start sprouting little tendrils if stored too long. Contrary to myth, the sprouts themselves are not toxic or dangerous to eat. However, their presence usually coincides with increasing starchiness and declining flavor.

If your potato has only minimal sprout growth and remains firm and fresh, otherwise, trim off the sprouts and cook as normal. The potato still retains good eating quality.

However, potatoes with major sprouting or other signs of aging, like wrinkles and softness, often become bitter, fibrous, or mushy when cooked. At that point, it’s best to compost them rather than eat them.

If you have sweet potatoes that are past their prime but haven’t turned fully rotten, there are still ways to salvage them:

Cook and freeze for later use. Bake or boil the potatoes, mash, then freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw before using in recipes. The texture may become mushier when thawed.

Use in baked goods like breads and muffins. Their moisture helps counteract dry, old potatoes.

Make soups, purees, or smoothies. Cooking and blending help mask unwelcome textures.

Pickle in vinegar, salts, and spices. This extends shelf life while adding flavor. Refrigerate pickles for up to 6 weeks.

When preparing questionable potatoes, take extra care to remove any extremely mushy or discolored parts before cooking. Monitor while baking or boiling; discard any potatoes that split, ooze, or turn an abnormal color.

Eating moldy or rotten sweet potatoes can cause foodborne illness, so don’t take risks with produce that shows signs of decay. 

If you experience concerning symptoms after eating suspect potatoes, seek medical care. Prevent illness by discarding bad produce, washing hands and surfaces after handling spoiled food, and separating moldy items from other kitchen foods.

Home gardeners face the same challenges keeping just-harvested sweet potatoes fresh. Cure freshly dug potatoes for 7-10 days in a warm, humid place out of direct sun.

Then, store cured potatoes for 2-3 months in ideal 55-60°F conditions as described above. Check frequently for sprouting or wrinkling, and remove anything that is going bad.

 

No need to worry; that white stuff in your sweet potato is normal and safe to eat! The starch and sugar leak out when you cut into a really fresh, moist sweet potato.

Older potatoes that have dried out more won’t have as much. The milky white liquid is a sign you have a nice ripe, juicy sweet potato on your hands!

That natural sugary goodness is what makes sweet potatoes so delicious in the first place. Some varieties are more prone to it than others, too. So go ahead and enjoy your sweet potato, white liquid and all. It’s all part of what gives this veggie its great flavor!

Don’t Waste Aging Potatoes

While you should discard any rotten potatoes, you can put aging ones that are still edible to use. Here are some options for using up older sweet potatoes:

Cook and freeze mashed sweet potatoes for later baking projects.

Make soup stocks using peeled and sliced potatoes. Strain out the solids before using stock.

Use in homemade dog treats. Dehydrate potato slices to make chewy snacks.

Chop, boil, puree, and other vegetable scraps for all-natural baby food.

Compost whole potatoes or peels to enrich your garden soil.

Fresh sweet potatoes will be kept for weeks or more with proper selection, handling, and storage. But inevitably, age creeps in, causing sprouting, wrinkling, spotting, and softness. When those signs of spoilage appear, it’s time to cut your losses and say goodbye to the aging spud. Discard any that are moldy, mushy, or foul-smelling, and avoid eating potatoes with extensive greening or bitterness. With vigilance, you can catch potatoes before they turn and use up aging ones creatively.