Value potatoes - a false economy?

Essex-girl_2

I bought value potatoes for the first time last week and have been very impressed. I did have a good look first and they looked fine.

Made mash yesterday and it was a bit yellowy but tasted ok.
x

Zenjen_2

whilst we're on the subject of the humble potato, I could do with a little advice....

I always buy about three bags of white potatoes in our monthly shop, because as many people have noted, whenever I have bought the 'basics range' huge bags of spuds many have gone in the bin. However, rather than coming in a sack, they're in a plastic bag, and by the end of the month they resemble a potato forest rather that an eating potato, with all the shoots etc:o However, I just chop the sprouty bits off and we've never had a problem.

This is a bit hassly though, so recently I've been thinking along the lines of veg rack/cloth sacks that you get in lakeland etc, but I have no idea if this would help? I'm presumng there are ways of making them last a lot longer without sprouting all over the place as people are talking about 25kg sacks. If I had 25kg of spuds, I'd have to eat them all day everyday to finish them before they all went mental....

So what's the answer to aging potatoes well so they are firmer and younger looking for longer? I presume it's not a daily dab of 'oil of olay' :rotfl: ???

Jen x

karenlaura

Soubrette wrote: »

I bought a great bag of value spuds at Tesco a few weeks ago. They were 2kg and less than the price of the 1kg ones I usually buy so I though - even if I waste half then I'm even:)

I got 3 baked potatoes out of it.
4 portions of mashed potatoes (which I froze)
3 portions of oven chips
4 portions of roast potatoes (which I blanched and froze).

I was very impressed and there was hardly any waste so it must be a bit hit and miss

Sou

Hi I have always been impressed with Tescos Value pots but have never thought to cook them all up at once. What a good idea:o
Have you got the recipe for oven chips as I confess to buying them ready made but would much prefer to make them myself as they are so expensive now
Thanks

Karen xx

floyd

Zenjen wrote: »

So what's the answer to aging potatoes well so they are firmer and younger looking for longer? I presume it's not a daily dab of 'oil of olay' :rotfl: ???

Jen x

If you can't buy them with a bit of soil on them, put them in an old cotton pillowcase in the dark. They may produce the odd shoot but they will stay firm and won't go green

Zenjen_2

floyd wrote: »

If you can't buy them with a bit of soil on them, put them in an old cotton pillowcase in the dark. They may produce the odd shoot but they will stay firm and won't go green

This is such a good idea, and a great tip. It's funny how consumerism can get under your skin eh? I'm really not even a big shopper and I make a lot of my own stuff, but I've been thinking for ages about these lakeland storage bags I saw when out in town, when of course when you think about it a pillowcase would serve exactly the same function and you wouldn't need to spend £15 on a set of storage bag. I have hundreds of spare pillowcases in the airing cuboard just sitting there doing nothing and that idea has never even crossed my mind! :rolleyes:

Thanks for your help floyd, Old Style solutions rock!

Jen x

exprog

My experience is that it depends on the supermarket.

Tesco's value potatoes are usually rubbish. Asda'a are good. Sainsbury's are also good but each potato tends to be very large.

~Chameleon~

I always keep my potatoes in the salad drawer of the fridge now and find they last much longer that way. I always remove any plastic bags first though otherwise I find they have a tendency to sweat and then rot easily.

pigpen

Zenjen wrote: »

This is a bit hassly though, so recently I've been thinking along the lines of veg rack/cloth sacks that you get in lakeland etc, but I have no idea if this would help? I'm presumng there are ways of making them last a lot longer without sprouting all over the place as people are talking about 25kg sacks. If I had 25kg of spuds, I'd have to eat them all day everyday to finish them before they all went mental....

I have a wicker potato hopper..

see HERE

this is fabulous.. the air circulation keeps the spuds fresher longer and it looks beautiful too!

ashbart

karenlaura wrote: »

Hi I have always been impressed with Tescos Value pots but have never thought to cook them all up at once. What a good idea:o
Have you got the recipe for oven chips as I confess to buying them ready made but would much prefer to make them myself as they are so expensive now
Thanks

Karen xx

Hi Karen,

Oven chips are easy! Wash the potatoes, cut them into your preferred chip size (you can take skin off or leave on - it's up to you). Put the chips in a pan with a little bit of vegetable oil and cook in the oven on a fairly high heat for about 20 - 30 minutes (depending upon the size of the chips) You will know when they're done as they will start to brown.

Some people par-boil them but, I don't bother as it takes longer and they are just as nice straight into the oven.

I sometimes add a bit of seasoning for a bit of flavour. Schwartz steak seasoning is really yummy on chips and makes them a bit different!

Hope this helps! Ash xx

lazy_daisy

I keep spuds in the fridge too and it works but you may need to take them out of the fridge early to let them warm up a bit or they don't always cook evenly.
We tried Sainsbury's value new potatoes last week and they were lovely. Come to think of it they may have been called 'Salad Potatoes'........not sure now. I always find Maris Pipers better for roasting than Value old potatoes, though,
love,
LD x