cook them, very cold storage can affect potato quality. University of Minnesota Extension specifically notes that potatoes intended for frying are generally stored around 40–50°F to avoid cold-induced sweetening, which can contribute to discoloration during frying.
So if Grandma kept her potatoes out of the refrigerator, she wasn’t necessarily doing something wrong.
She may simply have been following a traditional storage method that worked well for the conditions she had.
Why Did Our Grandparents Store Potatoes Differently?
This is one of those kitchen habits that makes more sense when you think about how homes were traditionally organized.
Before modern refrigerators became a standard part of every kitchen, people had to find naturally cool places to store foods.
Root cellars, basements, pantries, cupboards, and cool storage rooms could provide relatively stable conditions.
Potatoes were particularly well suited to this kind of storage because whole raw potatoes are not the same
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