I kept my potatoes fresh and sprout-free for 3 months with 1 genius food storage hack

We're big fans of spuds in our household. Whether it's jacket potatoes with baked beans , potatoes mashed to creamy perfection , or the unbeatable roast potato , we can't get enough. We usually have a couple sitting on the kitchen counter, but if they're not used immediately, they're stored in the pantry. Despite the pantry being their ideal home, I've noticed that my potatoes start to sprout after just a few days. Rather than letting them reach this stage and end up on our compost heap, I decided to see if I could freeze them. Potatoes can survive up to a year in the freezer, but according to the experts at Love Food Hate Waste, they're best consumed within three months. However, I couldn't just lob the starchy veg directly into the freezer; there were a few steps I had to follow first. The initial step is to partially cook them. It's recommended to only freeze cooked or partially cooked potatoes, as raw ones contain a lot of water. This water freezes and, when defrosted, turns the potatoes mushy and grainy. To freeze them, I began by peeling the potatoes. This isn't necessary, but it's useful as blanching is more effective without the skin. I then plunged the potatoes into a pot of cold water and put them on the hob on high heat until they boiled. As I was dealing with medium-sized potatoes, I let them cook for 10 minutes. Afterwards, I moved the potatoes to a colander for draining before laying them out on kitchen paper towels to soak up any excess moisture. They were then sliced into thick rounds. I placed the potatoes in a single layer on a baking tray and popped them into the freezer for four hours. Post the four-hour mark, the potatoes were frozen and ready to be shifted into a freezer-safe storage bag. A month post-freezing, I took out half of the spuds to thaw in the fridge overnight, then finished off their cooking in boiling water until they were cooked through. The taste was just as if I'd stored them in the pantry. Three months later, I cooked the remaining half of the potatoes, and they still tasted fresh. Freezing potatoes not only retains their freshness but also saves you time when it comes to prepping them for cooking.