Potatoes will stay fresh without sprouting for longer if stored next to 1 fruit

Potatoes are a key vegetable in most kitchens, but anyone who's bought them in bulk knows it's common to find them sprouting before you're halfway through the bag. While we often focus on how to cook them best, how you store your spuds can be just as important, especially if you're trying to cut down on waste.

Surprisingly, there's a simple solution that's likely already present in your fruit bowl. One lifestyle expert has revealed a smart, inexpensive trick to stop your potatoes from turning soft and sprouting too soon. And it's not some high-tech gadget or little-known ingredient - it's a natural method based on the way certain produce interacts when stored together.

TikTok creator @lifetips669 shared the now-viral storage method, claiming: "Potatoes bought in bulk go bad. Potatoes and apples are good friends. Storing them together prevents sprouting."

While it might sound too easy to be true, there's real science behind the pairing, as apples release ethylene gas, which "can slow down or halt potatoes' sprouting process," according to Tasting Table.

This method doesn't just delay the process, it can significantly extend the freshness of your spuds, helping them stay firm, clean and usable for far longer than if left on their own.

But there's a catch: while apples are beneficial for potatoes, that same ethylene gas can cause other fruits and vegetables - like onions, melons, broccoli, and peaches - to ripen too quickly and spoil.

For that reason, it's best to keep apples stored away from anything overly sensitive to ethylene.

The conditions matter, too. For best results, store your potatoes in a place that's "cool, dry and dark," as warm areas speed up sprouting.

But don't go too far with the low temperature, as refrigeration can turn the potato's starch into sugar, which Tasting Table warns "can become carcinogenic when cooked."