Buy Potatoes In Bulk? How To Store Potatoes And Prepare Interesting Potato Recipes

Buying in bulk reduces the per serving cost of your groceries.

This fact became painfully clear on my last trip to the supermarket. I intended on purchasing a 5-pound bag of Russet potatoes. For 2 people, that’s a convenient sized package that will ensure we will likely finish the bag before any spoilage sets in.

But I was a little taken aback when I discovered that the cheapest 5-pound bag of potatoes was priced at $3.89! It seems just 6 months ago I was paying about $2 a bag, and this time last year it was closer to $1.50 for a sack of potatoes.

I shook my head and was about to bypass the potatoes altogether when I noticed across the aisle they had 20-pound bags of potatoes priced at $4.39. For a mere 50 cents more, I could buy 4 times the number of potatoes! And, better yet, looking through the clear plastic bag I could see there were some lovely large baking quality potatoes in the bag too.

I loaded up the bag and spent the rest of the trip wondering how I was going to get through this huge quantity of spuds without wasting half the bag.

Here’s a helpful chart for identifying varieties of potatoes, along with tips for preparing them.

 

Storing Potatoes

Memories of my youth in a family of 7 quickly came to mind. We commonly bought potatoes in 100-pound bags and stored them in a dark cool corner of the basement.

I don’t remember any disposal issues from those days, so I chose a closet in an unused room in which the thermostat is kept very low as the storage locker for our 20-lb bag of potatoes.

Our first meal using these potatoes confirmed my decision to buy such a large bag. The quality of these larger potatoes was much better, almost creamy in their own right.

I began to think that maybe they only put second-rate potatoes in 5-lb bags, because they’re generally smaller and I’m accustomed to finding a lot of bruises and cuts when I go to use them.

Here are more great tips for storing potatoes:

• Potatoes Storing Guide: How Temperature Affects Rotting
• The Art of Storing Potatoes
• How To Store Potatoes And Onions

 

 

Potato Recipes

Throughout the next few weeks, I tried some new recipes along with some of my old standards.

Following are a few good recipes that will help you work your way through a larger than normal supply of potatoes — without it seeming like you’re eating the same thing day after day!

• Breakfast Potatoes – Everyone’s Favorite!
• VIDEO: How To Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes
• Best Potato Pancake Recipes
• An Easy Way To Make French Fries
• Best Potato Chips Recipe
• Crispy Hash Browns Recipe
• How We Settled the Whipped vs. Smashed Potato Wars
• World’s Best Potato Soup Recipe
• Homemade Potato Skins

 

Frugal shopping may give you more of one thing than you’re used to. That’s alright, because most items can be made into many different meals.

It was fun to find a creative way to cook some different meals that I probably wouldn’t have considered if not for an over-abundance of potatoes.

Hopefully, this sampler of ideas for using potatoes shows that no matter what meal you’re preparing, there is a way to include potatoes and make it unique!

 

Other Helpful Potato Tips

• Foods That Match Well With Potatoes
• Rachel Ray: How To Make Foolproof Gravy For Your Potatoes
• Southern Food: Potato Recipes Database
• Potatoes A To Z