Do potatoes go off?

Question

I buy large bags of potatoes as it works out cheaper for us. But recently ive noticed that when i get half way through the bag the potatoes are either a little softer or have a few sprouts. Do potatoes go off or are these still safe to cook for the children? The bags dont have use by dates as they are produced locally

Answer 1

you can stretch their "bag life" by storing them in a dry and cool environment. they are safe even if they are a bit soft, opinions are divided about whether sprouting affects them. I'd say it's safe but the nutritious value may decrease. don't eat them if they have green patches - poisonous!

Answer 2

DON'T EAT THEM!

they are poisoned

Answer 3

Buy smaller bags of potatoes. They do go bad.

Answer 4

SAFE

SAFE

SAFE

SAFE

SAFE



my dads a chief and he uses the potatoes

Answer 5

Apparently if you put an apple in the bag it stops them from sprouting too soon (don't know if it's true)  They are still safe to use.  Never ever use them if they have gone green or smell funny - that's when they are dangerous.

Answer 6

Yes, potatoes go off........  I did what you do, buy the huge sack and use them during the week.  They do sprout but as an earlier reply suggested, just cut off those sprouty bits and they are perfectly safe to eat......... HOWEVER.....  once they start to go soft - please throw them away!!!  I went away with my family for the weekend and when we returned, we could smell something awful in our kitchen.  We hunted for ages until I lifted up the bag of potatoes........ and WHOOSH!!  The bottom of the bag had just disintegrated and the 'mushy' potatoes at the bottom of the bag splattered all over m kitchen!  The smell was horrendous and cleaning it up after a weekend away was just awful.  The washing machine, tiles, cooker, everything was just covered in mush and little black flies!!  Be warned, even with a sell by date, if the weather is warm your bag of spuds can create havoc!!!

:o)

Answer 7

Potatoes WILL go off given the slightest hint of dampness OR one with an 'open wound' in the bag - again, causing moisture. "Sprouting" can just be cut off and binned, but bear in mind that most supermarket-bought spuds have already been in cold store so won't last all that long any way, and as for that 'keep them in a cool dark place' - NOT SO as far as I'm concerned. I used to go to the other side of London to a farm shop where you could buy a sack of freshly dug spuds for a pittance. I kept them in an unlit room with the curtains permanently pulled and it was at a constant cool temperature - but they still looked like a bag of "jungle" with all the sprouting that had taken place in just over a week ! ! !

Answer 8

They're still fine to eat. I buy potatoes in bulk also because it's cheaper and I use potatoes a lot in cooking. I've noticed also that by the time I get half or a fourth of the way through the bag that they're softer and are growing sprouts.

When I peeling potatoes for dinner and I come across a really soft one I just throw it away and if they have sprouts I usually just pull them off and continue peeling the potatoes.

There's nothing wrong with them but if they're all really mushy then throw them all away and if you come across a moldy one then you should throw the entire bag away because mold can spread really quickly.

Hope this helps!!

Good Luck!

Answer 9

They will go off eventually. But the thing to watch out for is the sprouts or any green parts you see. Potatoes are members of the nightshade family, and any part that is green contains the toxin that is typical of nightshades. So trim it off and don't eat it.

Answer 10

They are fine to use like that, just pull them off. They will go off eventually though!"

Answer 11

if it's a little soft and not mushy it's still ok. definitely Make sure to cut the sprouts off. When they're bad they'll smell like rotting eggs mixed with garbage. If it doesn't smell anything like that then it's still edible.

Answer 12

yes they are safe to eat just when they start t get mushy don't eat those

Answer 13

They are safe but yes I believe they do go off. Best to buy less and use them up quicker. The sprouts can be cut off and they are ok still for eating.