Do you often end up cooking large batches of mashed potatoes and then wondering what to do with the extra? Or, are you seeking proper storage methods for mashed potatoes to aid in your weekly meal preps? The most common concern with storing mashed potatoes in the fridge is how long will they last.
How long do mashed potatoes last in the fridge? If stored in optimal conditions, mashed potatoes can last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. But, there is a lot more to this. Let’s find out.
Mashed potatoes can be stored in the fridge for later use, but they need to be held in an airtight container. They do go bad if not stored properly in the fridge.
In this article, we will answer your question and give you essential tips on the proper storage of mashed potatoes. You will also learn how to tell if the potatoes have gone bad.
Table of Contents
How Long Do Mashed Potatoes Last in the Fridge?
Mashed potatoes can last for 3 to 5 days in the fridge, provided the conditions are favorable. They should be stored in an airtight container, preferably a shallow and wide-bottomed container that allows the food to cool down evenly.
Mashed potatoes do go bad in the fridge for several reasons, but they can last for an extended amount of time when stored well.
You can cook them in large batches or store leftover sets guilt-free in the refrigerator, but ensure that you are keeping them properly.
Never leave mashed potatoes on the kitchen platform overnight, especially if you have added any dairy products to them. They can get sour quickly and allow mold and bacteria to develop in warm temperatures.
Refrigerating mashed potatoes that have been left on the kitchen platform overnight is pointless because they might have already gone bad.
The ideal way is to let the mashed potatoes cool down for some time on the kitchen counter and then store them in a wide-bottomed container with an airtight lid quickly after cooling.
How to Store Mashed Potatoes in the Fridge the Right Way?
Keep the milk, butter, or cheese for adding at the time of cooking.
Avoid storing mashed potatoes that have been mixed with butter, milk, or cheese. These dairy products make them delicious but pose a risk to their longevity. These products have proteins or fats that are not stable at room temperature or in high heat.
If you have added any of these products to your mashed potatoes, ensure that you store them quickly in the fridge and do not leave them out on the counter for long.
If possible, avoid adding these to your mashed potatoes if you have to store them. You can always add the dairy products or butter later while cooking.
Always store mashed potatoes in the fridge in an airtight container that is wide and shallow.
There are many benefits of storing mashed potatoes or any cooked food in an airtight container in the fridge:
- The stored food does not absorb the smell of the outside food and remains flavorful and intact.
- The stored food does lose moisture when kept in an airtight container.
- Even if the food goes bad, it will not spoil the other food stored in the fridge.
Furthermore, storing mashed potatoes in a wide-bottomed container ensures even cooling of the food, and you will not find any warm patches that might go bad later.
You can Freeze Mashed Potatoes too
Freezing is an excellent option for storing mashed potatoes, as their texture will not change. It would help if you had good freezer-safe bags for freezing.
Ensure that the potatoes have cooled down evenly before freezing. Freezing them warm or hot will result in defrosting other food products in the freezer and increasing the overall freezer temperature.
A good option is to store mashed potatoes in smaller portions so that you can remove a part for consumption without disturbing the other portions.
Freezing can make mashed potatoes last for up to 12 months.
How to Tell if your Mashed Potatoes have Gone Bad?
Sometimes, despite storing properly, your mashed potatoes can go bad. It helps to know how to figure out their quality to not consume spoiled food. Here are some tips to help you figure out:
The appearance is not up to the mark
If the mashed potatoes develop moldy patches or look glossy in some areas, then it is a sure sign that they are no more fit for consumption. If the potatoes have entirely dried in some areas, then too, you need to discard them,
Generally, plain mashed potatoes look pretty much the same when refrigerated for a day. They only begin to go bad beyond that.
The mashed potatoes reek
A foul smell is an obvious telltale sign that you must throw away your refrigerated mashed potatoes. The scent comes from the fermentation process inside the airtight container.
Smelly mashed potatoes may otherwise look fine, with no change in their appearance. But a nasty smell is enough to indicate spoilage.
If you had added any dairy products to your mashed potatoes before storing them, the smell would get more evident and unbearable.
They taste sour
If your stored mashed potatoes otherwise look fine and do not smell, try tasting a bit. If they taste sour, then you need to discard them immediately.
Furthermore, if they taste weird or anywhere not close to their original taste, then obviously, they are spoiled.
FAQs
What happens when you consume spoiled mashed potatoes?
Spoiled mashed potatoes can make you sick. But these chances are rare as the bacteria responsible for spoiling food is not quite harmful. But, if the bacteria that has contaminated the mashed potatoes is a pathogenic one, then your chances of falling sick are more as disease-causing bacteria can lead to food poisoning.
How long can you keep mashed potatoes outside to cool?
Mashed potatoes should not remain on the counter for more than 2 hours, as, after that, the fermentation or bacterial breeding process starts.
How long do sweet potatoes that are mashed good for?
Sweet mashed potatoes also last for a maximum of 3 to 4 days in the fridge. They can stay indefinitely in the freezer. These, too, should not be left on the kitchen counter for more than 2 hours.
How Long Do Mashed Potatoes Last In The Fridge Summary
Mashed potatoes can last in the fridge for a maximum of 3 to 5 days when stored in airtight containers after proper cooling on the counter. These should not be warm or hot while storing. The airtight container used for storing should have a wide bottom for even cooling.
If you keep these points in mind, you can easily store large batches of mashed potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge for later use.
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