When it comes to starting baked potatoes, you will need to make sure that you follow the proper methods of doing so, as this will ensure that you are keeping the food safe to eat.
They will need to be properly packaged and stored at the necessary temperatures so that they don’t go off or lead to a buildup of bacteria that makes them unsafe for consumption.
If you have some left-over baked potatoes, and you are wondering how to store them, you have come to the right place.
We are going to give you some helpful information about storing baked potatoes and how you can do so yourself at home.
If you follow our method, you can be sure that the food you are storing will be kept safe for consumption and will be protected from any harmful bacteria.
Not only will we tell you how to store your baked potatoes, but also how you can tell if they have gone bad, and how long they will last in storage before they need to be used up. To find out more about baked potato storage, just keep reading.
Table of Contents
How to Store Baked Potatoes
You will need to make sure that you are carefully storing your baked potatoes so that they will be safe to eat when you come back to them.
Storing them correctly will stop the spread of any harmful bacteria, and help to protect yourself from any potential threats to your health that could occur from eating food that has gone bad. We will explain the methods of storing baked potatoes below.
Plastic Bags and Containers
The first way that you can choose to store your leftover baked potatoes is by storing them in either a plastic bag that can be sealed or an airtight plastic container. These are the best ways to keep the good in and keep the bad out.
Both of these storage options will be able to keep air away from your food, which is something that you need in order to store baked potatoes safely.
All you need to do is to fill either a bag or a container with your baked potatoes and make sure that you seal the bag or container before storing it.
If there is any air in the bag, be sure to push it out flat before you seal it. If your potatoes are in any kind of sauce or liquid ingredient, then it is probably best to use a container, as this is the easiest and least messy option.
You can then choose to store it in either the freezer or refrigerator, depending on how long you need it to last.
Plastic Wrap
You can also choose to use plastic wrap, and wrap it around the potato and store it in the refrigerator. This will help to seal the potato to help keep it fresh and moist while working to keep the air out.
It will not alter the overall flavor after storage. All you need to do is to secure the potato in the plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator, and your work is done.
Tips For Storing Baked Potatoes
You might have heard that the best way to store your baked potatoes is to cover them with foil and put them in the refrigerator, but this is not the case at all.
When we seal and refrigerate food, it can help to make it last much longer than it normally would, and covering your dish with foil and putting it in the freezer might seem like a good solution, but it is actually going to put you at risk, as this is not a safe way of storing baked potatoes.
When you use aluminum foil to cover your food, you are actually leaving it exposed as the foil will not completely seal the food from the air.
When the air is able to get to your food, it allows any bacteria that are present to grow much faster, so airtight containers, plastic wrap, or sealable bags are typically the best way to store your food. This will ensure that your food is going to last for longer, and be safe from bacteria. If you have used foil to bake your potatoes, then you should remove the foil before storing it.
Anytime that you are packaging up your leftover potatoes, you will need to make sure that they are completely sealed off from any air that could get to them and spread bacteria.
You should also make sure that you have stored them away in the refrigerator within two hours of them being cooked, as leaving them at room temperature will also allow bacteria to spread.
Another thing that you should keep in mind is that the potatoes need to be completely cool before you store them in the refrigerator. If you were to place a hot potato in the refrigerator, or even the freezer, it will raise the temperature of the food that is near to it, which puts the surrounding food in the danger zone. This is why it is much safer to leave it to cool down before storing it.
You also shouldn’t reheat your baked potatoes more than once, as they should only be heated twice; once when it has been cooked, and twice when it is being reheated. Any further reheating will increase the risk of illness, which is something you want to avoid.
How Long Will Baked Potatoes Last?
The answer to this question will depend on the type of potato that you are storing.
Standard potatoes should last in the refrigerator from anywhere between 3 and 5 days as long as they have been stored correctly, and frozen potatoes will last for up to 6 months before they need to be defrosted and used up.
Summary
It is perfectly fine to store your baked potatoes in the refrigerator as long as you are sealing them away from any air, and following the necessary storage methods.
This way, you can make sure that your food is safe to eat when you come back to it at a later date.