Never Store Your Uncooked Sweet Potato In The Fridge. Here's Why

Subtly sweet, slightly spicy, and mildly nutty, sweet potatoes are the ultimate upgrade when you're looking to swap out your everyday tubers for something with an extra flavor. A true comfort snack, whether oven-roasted and served alongside your favorite burger, or fried to crunchy, golden perfection that you can pair with whatever store-bought sauce you've got at home, sweet potatoes never fail to impress.

That is, unless you end up tripping over some of the mistakes everyone makes when cooking sweet potatoes, or happen to make a storage mistake which includes refrigerating them whole and uncooked. While popping them inside your fridge after a quick market run might be your first instinct, it actually might mess them up more than you think. That's because fridge temperatures are usually kept around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though this will technically extend the shelf life of your sweet potatoes, it comes at the cost of ruining their flavor and texture, ultimately causing them to become bitter in flavor and develop a firm, unappealing center. 

These changes in flavor and texture happen because of a process called cold-induced sweetening, which in turn activates an enzyme known as invertase during cold storage. Highly sensitive to temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, sweet potatoes will also suffer chilling injury in the fridge, and end up with a darker interior and a damaged cell structure. So, unless you're planning to eat them within a few days, you might want to think twice about where you're going to stash them. But, what's the best way to store sweet potatoes?

Keeping sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, and airy spot is the most effective way to preserve their taste and make them last for two weeks or so. What's more, storing them away from direct sunlight and heat is just as important if you want to maintain their freshness and bring out their flavor — especially when trying out some of the different ways to cook sweet potatoes beyond baking. 

While refrigeration isn't the best idea, too-warm temperatures (above 70 degrees Fahrenheit) and direct sunlight can cause sweet potatoes to sprout. Even though sprouted sweet potatoes — unlike regular ones — are generally safe to eat (though they fall short on nutrients), they become more prone to mold and microbes once they get older. Over time, this can lead to rot, making them unsafe and potentially toxic due to the production of a bitter-tasting toxin called ipomeamarone. So the moment you spot signs of spoilage, that's your cue to throw them in the trash and get yourself a fresh stash.

However, if you can't resist cooking the sweet potatoes right after you bring them home from the market, there's always the option to freeze the cooked leftovers. Whether sliced or mashed after boiling, cooked sweet potatoes can last for up to a year when stored properly. All you need to do is seal them in an airtight container and just pop them in the freezer — that's all there is to it.