How to Store Baked Potatoes (Three Easy Methods)

Have you seen the leftover baked potatoes from dinner? They’ll be ideal for tomorrow’s lunch. Nothing has to be cooked, and everyone like potatoes!

However, if you want to consume them tomorrow, you must preserve them properly.

If you leave the cooked potatoes in the kitchen overnight, you can wake up to find them rotting.

I’ll teach you how to keep baked potatoes so you can eat them the following day for lunch!

How to Store Baked Potatoes – 3 Methods That Work

Cooked food is more likely to spoil than raw food for very basic reasons.

When you heat or bake anything, it absorbs a lot of moisture and develops a lot of acidity. When these factors are combined with a high temperature, the result is food that is more vulnerable to germs and mold.

Here are some methods for storing roasted potatoes so that they remain edible.

1 – Use Airtight Plastic Bags

As you are surely aware, when air interacts with food, it degrades it. If you leave an apple out in the open for a few hours, it will turn brown due to oxidation.

The same is true for prepared meals. The longer you leave it out, the more quickly it will deteriorate.

Using sealed plastic bags to keep cooked potatoes ensures that they are still edible after storage. Insert a straw, leaving the tip outside, to keep the bags airtight. Then, shut the bag, leaving just a little space for the straw tip.

Put your lips around the straw tip and take a deep breath. draw the straw out as you draw the air out, then rapidly shut the bag. It will adhere to the potatoes and there will be no apparent air bubbles.

If you don’t have bags, just store your potatoes in an airtight container. In fact, containers are preferable if your baked potatoes have been cooked with sauce or are too mushy to fit in a bag.

2 – Use Plastic Wrap

If you wish to preserve your baked potatoes for more than a day or two, place them in the freezer. You may achieve this by storing it under plastic wrap.

You just need to cut a piece of plastic wrap to fit your potatoes. Wrap it around them, ensuring sure there are no air bubbles within. You may also add an additional layer of protection on the exterior.

After that, store it in the freezer and take it out as needed.

3 – Freeze Them

If you’re going to bake potatoes for later use, the easiest method to keep them is to freeze them beforehand.

Simply arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet and set them in the freezer. Remove it after a few hours and place the potatoes in plastic bags.

It is preferable to keep them separate so that you may thaw them individually if desired.

Take the frozen potatoes out of the freezer and thaw them in the microwave whenever you want to use them. If you don’t have a microwave, place them in the fridge overnight to soften.

Do’s for Storing Baked Potatoes

Knowing how to keep cooked potatoes is insufficient. You must also understand how to keep them edible. Even if you keep them properly, they will spoil. It’s likely because you’re not following these guidelines:

Cool Them Before Storage

The last thing you want to do is put the potatoes in the fridge while they’re still hot. In reality, this is true for all foods.

Salmonella bacterium has a larger probability of damaging food when it is stored heated. As a result, you must wait until the meal is at room temperature or slightly warmer before placing it in the refrigerator.

If you don’t have time to wait, you may use an ice bath to swiftly chill cooked potatoes.

Fill the sink halfway with ice and place the potatoes on top. After a few minutes, the potatoes will be cold and ready to store.

It is also important to note that you should divide the potatoes to allow them to cool quicker. If you made a big batch of cookies, split them into sections before placing them in the cold sink.

Store Them Right After Baking Them

It is best to refrigerate cooked potatoes immediately after they have finished baking. That is, unless they are leftovers. In such case, keep them out until they reach room temperature before placing them in the refrigerator.

Leave Them in the Fridge for Five Days Max

Keep in mind that potatoes might rot in the fridge if left there for too long. The potatoes should be refrigerated for no more than five days, ideally three.

If you leave the potatoes for more than five days, they will most likely spoil.

Don’ts for Storing Baked Potatoes

There are a few things you should avoid while preserving cooked potatoes. Otherwise, they may get rotten after a few days in storage.

Don’t Use Aluminum Foil

When storing cooked potatoes, avoid using aluminum foil since it may allow Clostridium botulinum to develop on the food.

Clostridium botulinum is the major cause of botulism, a serious illness that affects the nerve system and may result in paralysis, other substantial symptoms, and death in rare circumstances.

So, if you baked your potatoes with aluminum foil, be sure to remove it before storing them in the refrigerator.

Don’t Store Baked Potatoes Twice

You kept the baked potatoes in the fridge for a few days, then pulled them out and warmed them, and there are still some leftovers. What should I do now?

The last thing you want to do is re-store the potatoes.

They’ll most likely deteriorate in the fridge due to bacteria development, and the warming will have enhanced their chances of rotting.

The best thing to do is to toss them away or utilize them in any leftover recipes.

Don’t Leave Your Potatoes in Room Temperature for Long

Do not keep your roasted potatoes at room temperature for more than two hours before storing them.

Bacteria may develop on the potatoes as a result, and the flavor may gradually alter for the worse. It is preferable to store them as soon as possible without leaving them outdoors.

How Long Do Potatoes Last After Baking Them?

After baking, the potatoes may be stored in the fridge for three to five days, depending on how long they were left outdoors.

Frozen potatoes, on the other hand, may be kept edible for up to six months before being consumed or thrown.

How to Reheat Baked Potatoes After Storing Them

Use the Oven

You’ve had the potatoes for a number of days and want to utilize them. So, how should they be reheated?

The easiest approach to reheat cooked potatoes is to place them in the oven. If you cook them in the microwave, they may dry up and lose their flavor.

The oven will melt the frost without drying out the potatoes.

Turn on the oven to 350°F and leave it for a few minutes to warm them. While it warms, take the potatoes out of the fridge to let them to come to room temperature.

If they were frozen, you would need to thaw them before proceeding.

It’s time to cook the potatoes after the oven is heated and they’re at room temperature. Place them on a baking sheet, apart from one another.

After that, place them in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes. You can consume them after they’ve been heated.

Use the Stovetop

Using the oven to reheat baked potatoes for breakfast will be inconvenient. In this situation, the cooktop is preferable.

To begin, chop the potatoes in half or quarters to ensure proper reheating. Then, add a spoon of olive oil to a skillet.

Allow it to cook over medium heat before adding the potato chunks. Cover the pan and set aside for 34 minutes, then turn the potatoes and cook for another three minutes.

Take them out after that; they’ll be ready to eat with a crispy covering owing to the oil.

Use the Microwave

If you need to reheat the potatoes quickly, the microwave is your best bet. It should be noted, however, that it will most likely dry out the potatoes.

If you don’t want that to happen, split each potato in half and lay the halves in a plastic bowl. Then, take some moist paper towels and wrap them around the potatoes.

Microwave them for 23 minutes, depending on how long they’ve been in storage.

They’ll be warmed up, ideally without drying up.

How to Store Baked Potatoes – Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any remaining concerns regarding keeping baked potatoes, here are some commonly asked questions and answers.

Should you freeze baked potatoes?

If you want to store them for longer than four days, you may freeze them. In this situation, they may deteriorate in the fridge, so store them in the freezer instead.

However, you should be aware that freezing cooked potatoes results in a high moisture content.

They may be too liquid to your taste after defrosting.

How long can you store baked potatoes?

If you keep baked potatoes in the fridge, they will only last four or five days. They won’t taste as wonderful after more than five days.

Furthermore, they may be decaying, so inspect their surface for rot indicators.

On the other hand, if you keep them in the freezer, they may last for months.

It is worth mentioning, however, that they will get unpalatable after a time.

Although the low temperature prevents germs from forming, the moisture and frost will cause the potatoes to lose their flavor over time.

That is true of numerous meals, not just potatoes. A chicken’s flavor will alter after a month in the freezer.

Baked potatoes may be securely stored in the freezer for six months.

How long can you keep baked potatoes out before storing them?

You can only leave them for two hours at most, and one hour is best.

The cooked potatoes grow more sensitive to germs the longer they are left out.

This is because germs flourish at temperatures ranging from 40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When potatoes reach this temperature, they are more susceptible to bacterial development and rotting.

If you leave cooked potatoes at room temperature for an extended period of time, it is best to discard them.

How should I know if my baked potatoes are spoiled?

While raw potatoes develop green patches when damaged, roasted potatoes do not.

The only way to tell whether they’re spoiled is to smell them. If they have an unusual odor, you should generally avoid eating them.

Their peel will also be ruffled and crimped, indicating that something is awry.

How long will the baked potatoes stay edible after thawing?

You may store the potatoes in the fridge for four days after freezing and thawing them.

Because of the high moisture level, their flavor will most likely be subpar. They will, nevertheless, be safe to consume.

After four days, its better to discard them.

All of this is true only if you did not reheat the potatoes.

You can’t put them back in the fridge if you cook them after thawing them. In this instance, discarding them is the wisest solution.

Final Thoughts

Now that you know how to preserve baked potatoes, I’m certain you’ll do it correctly!

Keep in mind that they should not be kept in the fridge for more than five days and should not be frozen.

If you must freeze them, don’t leave them for more than six months if you want them to remain edible.