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I've read that you can chop potatoes up to 24 hours before cooking with them, and store them in water in the fridge. I'd like to know how long can chopped potatoes be left without soaking in the fridge? I'm not expecting them to last to the next day, but if I need to pop out for a short time before cooking can I chop the potatoes before I go out and avoid the need to find room in the fridge for a large bowl of water? For example, would they last okay for 5 minutes? 10 minutes? Half an hour?

Clarification: This question is about any deterioration in quality. From the responses here it sounds like discolouration will occur long before any safety problems, so that's what I would like to know about the timing of. How long can a chopped potato be left exposed to the air before it discolours?

Tim
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1 Answers1

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This is not about the potato "going bad" or becoming unsafe. Chopped or sliced potato is placed in water to keep it from oxidizing, or browning. This might be unpleasant to look at, but is not a safety issue. Depending on the variety of potato, it can happen in a matter of minutes, or take longer. If you don't mind the browning, then it is not too much of an issue. If you like to maintain the natural color, use the water, which keeps the potato from oxidizing.

moscafj
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