Why Some Grocery Store Potatoes Are Individually Wrapped In Plastic

Featuring everything from apples to onions, crates of fresh veggies and fruit fill the produce sections of countless grocery stores. Customers can leisurely stroll through these aisles, hoping to choose the best avocados or the juiciest tomatoes for whatever culinary endeavors may be in store. But it's that deliberate appraisal of the goods on display that might leave some curious souls to wonder why some potatoes are individually wrapped in plastic.

Usually, these individually packaged potatoes are intended to make food prep more convenient. These potatoes are likely wrapped in a special breathable plastic designed to release trapped moisture while the spud is microwaved. For times when you don't have the energy to make the ultimate loaded twice-baked potatoes for dinner, a quick microwaved potato wrapped in this way will do the trick.

Already known for speeding up all kinds of food prep (there's even a microwave hack that makes shucking corn a thousand times easier), microwaves are a boon for quick yet yummy culinary endeavors — and individually wrapped potatoes only add to the equation. Still, while there is currently no evidence that this plastic packaging will leave you with a contaminated potato, no one would judge you for sticking with the classic rinse, pierce, and microwave combo. The main difference between this method and microwaving the store-wrapped spuds is that the latter will typically produce potatoes with softer skins.

If you love a steamed potato, you can also cook any potato inside a microwave bag. This traps the moisture as well, resulting in a soft and tender spud ready to be enjoyed at your leisure. If this is your method of choice, it might be tempting to loosely wrap a paper towel around the potato so that it absorbs moisture, but there are few things to keep in mind when microwaving paper towels. Once you've nailed your microwaved potato method of choice, you can spend the rest of your time wondering why the Brits top jacket potatoes with canned tuna and mayo.