How long does it take for potatoes to get spoiled?

Potatoes can last from a few weeks to several months raw, depending on storage, but spoil faster when cooked (3-4 days refrigerated) or if stored in the fridge/freezer (can turn starchy/sweet). Proper storage in a cool, dark, dry, well-ventilated spot (like a pantry) extends life to 1-3 months, while room temperature shortens it to 1-2 weeks. Signs of spoilage include mold, sprouts, greening, slimy texture, or a musty odor.

How do you know if a potato has gone bad?

You can tell if potatoes are bad by checking for soft, mushy spots, a musty smell, wrinkled skin, visible mold, or extensive sprouting, which are all signs of spoilage; slightly green areas or small sprouts can often be cut off, but a strong odor or significant greening means you should toss them due to potential solanine toxins.
 

How long does it take for potatoes to rot?

Potatoes stored at room temperature (around 68°F/20°C) will start to sprout, wrinkle, soften, and rot after just a week or two. On the other hand, storing them in the fridge can cause the starches to turn into sugars, making them brown too quickly if destined for the fryer.

Can I eat 2 week old cooked potatoes?

Cooked potatoes and other cooked vegetables can be safely kept in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates fruits and vegetables, if more information is needed on produce, you can call the FDA toll-free at (888) 723-3366 or go to their website at FDA .

Are potatoes good after 3 weeks?

Potatoes stored at room temperate can last just 2 – 3 weeks. When potatoes are passed their best before date, it's always important to carefully check each potatoes individually to make sure they haven't started sprouting or rotting.

The Truth About When To Harvest Potatoes!

Can you eat cooked potatoes after 7 days reddit?

You generally shouldn't eat cooked potatoes after 7 days; official guidelines recommend 3-4 days in the fridge, though some Reddit users push it to 5 days, with 7 days being the risky upper limit for some, while others say "no" due to spoilage risk, so it's best to discard them to avoid food poisoning, as a week is far too long for bacteria to grow, even if they look okay. 

Can potatoes cause food poisoning?

Potatoes have been implicated in outbreaks of Salmonella and botulism, and E. coli. One of the most recent potato-related recall occurred in 2016 due to a Salmonella Braenderup outbreak in potato salad.

What do rotten potatoes smell like?

A rotten potato smell, often described as like rotten eggs or cabbage, comes from sulfur compounds like hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan, caused by bacteria breaking down the tuber. This indicates the potato is spoiled and unsafe to eat, but the odor can also stem from issues like plumbing leaks (hydrogen sulfide) or even certain bacteria in hospitals. To eliminate the smell from surfaces, use vinegar, baking soda, or coffee grounds to absorb it, and ventilate the area well. 

How long can you leave raw potatoes in the refrigerator?

Raw, whole potatoes shouldn't really be stored in the fridge long-term because the cold converts starch to sugar, affecting taste and causing discoloration when cooked, but cut or peeled potatoes submerged in water in the fridge last about 24 hours, while cut potatoes uncovered can last 3-4 days but should be used quickly. For whole, unpeeled spuds, a cool, dark pantry is best, where they can last 1-2 months. 

What can happen if I eat a bad potato?

Eating bad potatoes, especially green or sprouted ones, causes solanine poisoning, with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and headaches, often appearing 30 mins to 12 hours later; severe cases can lead to confusion, fever, dilated pupils, paralysis, and even death, so it's crucial to trim green parts or discard bad potatoes. 

Is it okay to eat a potato that's sprouting?

Yes, you can eat sprouted potatoes if the sprouts are small, but you must cut them off thoroughly, along with any green spots, and the potato should still be firm, not soft or shriveled, to avoid potential illness from the natural toxin solanine. If the potato is extensively sprouted, soft, green, or has a bitter smell, it's best to throw it out to be safe. 

Is a potato bad if it's slightly squishy?

A slightly squishy potato is usually okay to eat, especially if it's just lost some moisture (dehydrated), but you should toss it if it's mushy, has a moldy/musty smell, is green, or has large sprouts; otherwise, cut out any small sprouts or soft spots and use for mashing, soups, or frying, not ideally for baking where texture matters most.
 

When should you not eat potatoes?

Potatoes are bad to eat when they are moldy, smell foul, are excessively mushy, or have significant greening or long sprouts, as these indicate high levels of the toxin solanine or spoilage; however, you can often salvage slightly soft or sprouted potatoes by trimming off the bad parts. Always toss potatoes that are entirely green, have black spots that smell bad, or are liquidy.
 

Can you cut mold off potatoes?

If you've discovered mold on your potatoes, immediate action is required. Most potato molds indicate spoilage that cannot be safely removed by cutting - the entire potato should be discarded. Certain molds produce toxins that penetrate deep into the tuber, making even seemingly unaffected portions unsafe to eat.

How long can potatoes sit in water?

We usually recommend no more than 24 hours. You can keep the potatoes from absorbing the water by making sure the water is not salted, and is chilled (you can even add ice to the water). To keep the potatoes from turning black from oxidation, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar to a gallon of water.

Does one bad potato ruin the whole bag?

Avoid storing bad potatoes. If a potato has started to sprout or is soft or discolored, it should be removed from the rest, as one bad potato can spoil the whole batch.

Are wrinkled potatoes safe to eat?

Wrinkled potatoes are often dehydrated and past their prime, but usually safe if still firm and you remove sprouts/green parts; however, if they are soft, mushy, green, sprouting heavily, or smell bad, they are likely starting to decay, producing solanine (a toxin), and should be discarded, as they lose flavor and risk causing illness.
 

How common is potato poisoning?

Because of the bitter taste and appearance of such potatoes, solanine poisoning is rare outside conditions of food shortage. The symptoms are mainly vomiting and diarrhea, and the condition may be misdiagnosed as gastroenteritis.

How long does it take to get sick from a bad potato?

Public Health Significance

High levels of glycoalkaloid are toxic to humans. Acute symptoms, which generally occur 30 minutes to 12 hours after ingestion, include nausea, vomiting, stomach and abdominal cramps, and diarrhoea.

What does potato poisoning feel like?

Despite their nutritional value, potato tuber may harm human health by virtue of their toxic glycoalkaloids (solanine). Acute solanine poisoning can happen from ingesting green or sprouted potatoes. The toxicity of Gas in humans causes mainly gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

How quickly do cooked potatoes go bad?

Outside of seeing actual mold growing on your leftovers, it's nearly impossible to know when they've gone bad. Foodborne pathogens are invisible to the naked eye, so toss any cooked potatoes more than four days old.

When should you throw away potatoes?

Throw out potatoes that are soft, mushy, moldy, have a foul odor, or are heavily green and sprouting, as these indicate spoilage or high levels of the toxin solanine. Firm potatoes with small sprouts or minor green spots are salvageable by cutting out the sprouts and green parts, but potatoes that are soft or deeply green should be discarded because cooking doesn't destroy the toxins, say Iowa State University experts and Martha Stewart's experts.
 

Can I eat week old mashed potatoes?

Depending on how cold the fridge is you should be fine though 7 days is the far end of tolerance.

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