Baked potatoes are a comfort meal. They are easy to prepare. If you have had a long day at work and do not feel like cooking, having baked potatoes can help you feel full. The question is can you refrigerate baked potatoes for future consumption.
Baked Potatoes and the Right Temperature
If you have cooked excess baked potatoes for the day, then you need to store the rest in the fridge. They need to be properly packed and stored so that they do not get spoiled. If not packed properly, bacteria can easily develop and leave the food contaminated. You need to seal them in airtight bags or containers to prolong their shelf life.
Secondly temperature matters here. Baked potatoes need to be kept below 40° F to stop bacteria from developing. Many people feel wrapping baked potatoes in an aluminum foil can keep the food safe. This is not the case. Potatoes wrapped in aluminum foils can develop botulism that can put your health at high risk of diseases.
If you are health conscious and steer away from potatoes then organizations such as Potato USA, situated in Denver, Colorado can help you bust myths about potatoes and weight gain. Their official guide to potato nutrition offers nutritional facts about potatoes and how you can incorporate them into your diet plan.
If you are new to cooking and want to know how to make delicious baked potatoes, the key to this is how you prepare them. For best results, the potatoes need to be baked for 50 minutes in an oven. You can even put the potatoes in a microwave for 15 minutes and then transfer them into the oven for an hour.
Ensure not to store hot potatoes in the fridge. This will increase their temperature above 40°F and contaminate them. You first need to cool them and then store them in the fridge.
Reheating Baked Potatoes
Now that you know how to store baked potatoes, the next step is to reheat them before eating.
- Take the potatoes out of the fridge
- You can either heat them in aluminum foil or without it
- Preheat your over to 350°F and allow the potatoes to be reheated till 165°F
- If you are using a microwave, then the baked potatoes need to be heated for 1 minute
A rule of thumb here would be not to reheat your potatoes if they have already been reheated previously. This is because there are high chances of bacteria getting developed if you reheat them once again.
The next question that might be revolving in your head is how long baked potatoes last? This again depends on the type of potato you are using. If you are using normal potatoes they can last up to 3 – 5 weeks. If your baked potatoes are made of sweet potatoes, the maximum they can last is up to 5 weeks.
If you store them properly in your fridge, baked potatoes can last up to 5 days. If you freeze them, then the shelf life can be extended to 6 months.
Conclusion
By following the above guidelines, you need not have to worry about your baked potatoes getting spoiled or contaminated. Storage and preserving these at the right temperature is what is important here.
