Ask Dr. Potato : Safety
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Q: Hello I cubed about 2 pounds of potatoes last night and put them in olive oil and seasoning, then left them covered in a glass bowl on the counter. I wanted to bake them tonight for dinner, but I'm not sure if these are safe to eat. Please advise.

Q: If I peeled and diced potatoes and put them in cold water, changing the water frequently, do they still have to be refrigerated? If they are not refrigerated will they go bad? 

Q: Can you still "can" potatoes if they sat out in lemon water overnight, unrefrigerated?

Q: My potatoes have yellow patches on them when peeled, are they okay to eat? They are homegrown.

Q: I kept boiled potatoes in the refrigerator for five days (covered in a plastic container), are they still safe to eat?

Q: Should Baked Potatoes Be Cooled in the Fridge or at Room Temperature?

Q: I accidentally left a bag of frozen French fries out for three hours before I realized it. I put the bag back in the freezer, but was wondering if it still safe to use next time?

Q: I’m used to cutting the black spots off a potato, however, if I boil them with the skins on and mash them with the skins, I won’t know if there are black spots. Are they OK to eat?

Q: We have a restaurant located in Mountain Home, Arkansas. We buy all of our restaurant needs from Performance Foodservice.  We are currently buying your potatoes (approximately 15 to 20 cases per week).  When our delivery comes (twice a week), our potatoes come in off the truck and appear to be in good condition, wet and cool from the humidity from a refrigerated truck.  The potatoes temp between 50-55 degrees.  It has been a very hot and humid summer here.  Today, for instance, our heat index are in the triple digits.  The potatoes appear to be solid and in good shape.  We bring them into the restaurant, we have a stored area under a window with a window air conditioner blowing right on them.  We immediately foil wrap about 3/4 of them and put them back under the window until the potatoes are used.  The air conditioner is set as low as it can go, but at times, it seems blows out warm-ish air.  We use the potatoes within a week.  When we take the potatoes over to start wrapping them, some of the potatoes have black spots on them (pictures attached).  Some that appear to be good are wrapped and stored but when cooked they turn to mush and stink.  We do cook them in foil.  We tried cooking them without foil but customers complained about them getting cold.  It does get very hot in the kitchen.  We have had to complain to our vendor on a weekly basis for the past 6-8 weeks.  Do you feel it is something on the vendor’s side or are we doing something wrong in our restaurant? Any information and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Q: I placed some unwrapped Russet potatoes and sweet potatoes in the oven to roast. During the roasting process the oven failed and when I removed the potatoes they were only slightly cooked. My guests continued the process and finished cooking them in the microwave. We do not know at what point the oven failed in the process. Do we have any health concerns? The potatoes were eaten by my guests? I know I have read about food poisoning/botulism from improperly prepared potatoes.