Never Store Your Potatoes Next To This Fall Fruit

There’s nothing worse than seeing fruits and vegetables you bought rot before you get a chance to use them. That’s why it’s important to store them correctly—and, as it turns out, you should be storing two of fall’s most popular ingredients separately. 

What Happens When Apples and Potatoes Are Stored Together?

Apples and potatoes both emit a gas called ethylene, which can speed up the ripening process and cause your potatoes to sprout. Since they can both absorb gasses and vapors, storing them together sets them both up for failure. 

As a good rule of thumb, try to keep fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene gas away from each other. This includes onions, too, which are as common in the kitchen as salt and are often stored with potatoes.

How to Store Potatoes

Store potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place, like a pantry or cabinet. However, make sure these potatoes are away from an oven or stove top. If you have an empty cardboard box or large container, place your potatoes in this. Store them somewhere out of sight and away from other produce. 

If you follow these best practices, you’ll be giving your potatoes a lot of extra life. 

How to Store Apples

Apples are best stored in the fridge. 

“The ideal temperature for storing apples is somewhere between 30 and 35 degrees F, with about 90 percent humidity,” says Melanic Fincher. “That's why they should be stored in the crisper drawer of your fridge, separate from other produce that may emit gasses that can speed up ripening.”

If you don’t have any room in your fridge, store apples by themselves in the coolest place you can find.