The Best Potato for Mashed Potatoes, Plus Storage Tips

Potatoes: A starchy root vegetable best known this time of year for their coveted spot on our dinner tables, typically served in a heaping, smooth, buttery pile of goodness. Maybe you made mashed potatoes this year for Thanksgiving, and it didn’t go quite as planned. Did they turn out dry and gummy? Waxy and stiff? Or worse—maybe your spuds were totally sprouted before you could even use them, or they molded as soon as you took them out of the refrigerator. Turns out, there are some dos and don’ts with this simple ingredient. Chefs think strongly about which potato is the best for a melt-in-your-mouth mash. Experts also have clear advice on how to store potatoes so they keep their best flavor and texture.

After we polled chefs, we found that the best potato for crowd-pleasing mashed potatoes is Yukon Gold. They’re balanced, buttery, starchy and harder to overwork. So, now you know which ones to buy for your next gathering, but what about after that? Storing them correctly helps maintain their flavor and texture. Toxicologists don’t want you to eat potatoes with green spots or sprouts, and the best way to avoid those from happening is to keep your potatoes in an airy, dry place. It’s easier said than done, especially if you’re buying many potatoes at a time or have a more compact kitchen space. The good news is that we have some fantastic tips for storing your potatoes. Read on below for the best tips, including optimal storage vessels, so you never have bad spuds again.

Best Potato Storage Options

Keep your potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place with air circulation (but not the refrigerator). If exposed to sunlight, they’ll develop a green skin from chlorophyll, which can mean your potatoes contain glycoalkaloid toxins—which experts like Andrew Stolbach, M.D., M.P.H., a toxicologist and emergency physician with the Department of Emergency Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, warn against consuming. 

The same goes for those little sprouts! These are an indicator that the levels of glycoalkaloid have increased. “These natural chemicals are not removed by frying, baking, microwaving or boiling,” Stolbach says. “Cutting off the sprouts and green skin will decrease, but not eliminate, your exposure.” TLDR: Preventing the risk means storing them properly to begin with. And two other things? Never keep your spuds next to onions—their gases cause quick spoiling, too—and never wash them before storing! 

Caxxa Wire Basket

The best storage vessel for potatoes is a wire basket. Why? They maintain the right flow of air circulation, preventing moisture buildup. This Caxxa basket is excellent for smaller spaces because it’ll easily fit in most pantry cabinets—the best place for your precious taters to live! Just make sure you choose a place away from your stovetop. I use a basket just like this one, and I love that the round shape fits those oblong Yukon Golds with ease.

Organic Cotton Mart Reusable Cotton Mesh Produce Bags

If a bag is your best option, make sure it’s made with a breathable material and has holes in it. These Organic Cotton Mart ones check every box and perform double-duty as both your grocery shopping produce bags and storage bags for keeping potatoes tidy. There’s a draw string at the top in case you need extra security, though I’d recommend keeping these bags as open as possible and loosely filled to ensure air is circulating. With multiple sizes in this set, there’s always an option on hand to make sure you’re able to do that.

Aozita Stackable Wire Basket Set with Bamboo Tops

This option is for all of those pantry organizing aficionados (me) out there. It includes two open wire baskets with a convenient bamboo lid, which makes them totally stackable; that way you’re taking advantage of your cabinet’s vertical space. Keep potatoes in both baskets, or store potatoes in one and produce items that don’t emit ethylene gas, like citrus, whole pomegranates, melons or pineapples, in the other.

If You Care Compostable Sandwich Bag Set

Another option is brown paper bags, but before you reach for them, make sure you’re poking some holes throughout to keep the air moving. These If You Care bags are great because they’re compostable, so they’ll break down more easily once you need to throw them away. Opt for these if you have a few spuds around, then grab them to store your kid’s lunch the next day—there are 48 in the pack, making these around 10 cents apiece!

LeleCat White Wire Basket Set

If black isn’t your thing, this set of white wire baskets is a great option. They’re rectangular, so they’re great for tucking into your pantries to maximize space. The built-in handles make it easy to pull these or lift them out of your pantry, even if they’re chock-full of potatoes.

Gsiekare 4-Tier Stackable Storage Baskets with Wheels

If you have a cellar or a very large walk-in pantry space, you might benefit from a storage basket on wheels. This is also great for folks who grow and store their own produce—potatoes grow in abundance, and this allows you to store as many as you can without stacking a ton on top of each other. It rolls and has a four-tier design with fully breathable baskets. Again, just be sure you’re being careful of what you store near your potatoes so they don’t spoil too quickly.