Absolute Best Tests

The Absolute Best Way to Cook Potatoes, According to So Many Tests

Ranked from “Most Forgettable” to “Potatoes We’d Like to Marry.”

November 15, 2021
Photo by Rocky

In Absolute Best Tests, our writer Ella Quittner destroys the sanctity of her home kitchen in the name of the truth. She's boiled dozens of eggs, seared more porterhouse steaks than she cares to recall, and tasted enough types of bacon to concern a cardiologist. Today, she tackles potatoes.


I don’t mean to alarm you, but Gen Z has discovered potatoes.

Several hundred years after Spanish conquistadors brought the tubers back across the Atlantic from South America, our youthful brethren have bravely carried the very same taters from the pages of fusty French cookbooks to the digital paper of record: TikTok.

I am talking, of course, about “15-Hour Potatoes.” A 15-Hour Potato may be better known by its French moniker, the pavé. It is a dish of shingled, slow-cooked potatoes pressed into a terrine, then sliced and fried. It requires patience, two loaf pans, quite a few heavy cans, and goddamn, is it delicious.

Join The Conversation

Top Comment:
“This gives the potatoes a nice craggy exterior that makes them even more crispy and more delectable! I always finish them with more good salt and good olive oil. Trust!”
— ortolan
Comment

Unfortunately for my landlord, it was just one of 12 methods I tested for my latest round of Absolute Best Tests. I baked and I fried. I boiled and I prodded. I nibbled, I salted, and I pavéd and pavéd, till I fell asleep at the dining room table. Behold:


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For the most accurate comparison across methods, and also because I ran out of pepper, I stripped all seasonings away from the methods, except for salt (I used Diamond Crystal kosher salt), butter, olive oil, and in a few cases, key staple ingredients (e.g., the cheese and dairy in the gratin).


Methods & Findings

I will preface this section with the disclaimer that there is no such thing as a completely bad potato. There are, however, lackluster potatoes, and there are potatoes so crisp-gone-melty they could launch ships, etc., etc. Accordingly, I have ranked the preparations I tested in ascending order, from “Most Forgettable” to “Potatoes I’d Like to Marry”:

12. Air-Fried

From Delish.

  • 1 pound new potatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  1. Heat an air fryer to 400°F.
  2. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes and oil with a generous sprinkle of salt.
  3. Place the potatoes in the air-fryer basket and cook for 10 minutes. Shake the basket and stir the potatoes. Keep cooking until the potatoes are golden and tender, 8 to 10 minutes more.

These potatoes got much crispier than I expected, though the texture of their insides was not my favorite of the bunch. It was reminiscent of the stovetop seared batch, though a hair tougher, because the air-fried potatoes never got steamed. In a pinch, I would use this method again, if I had limited stovetop and oven space and I simply needed some crispy Ps STAT.

11. Baked

From Food Network and Serious Eats.

  • 1 large russet potato
  • Canola oil to coat
  • Kosher salt
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Scrub the potato thoroughly with cold water, then dry. Using a fork, poke a bunch of deep holes all over the potato. Coat lightly with oil and rub with salt, then place directly on a rack in the middle of the oven. (You can place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any dripping oil.)
  3. Bake for about 1 hour, until the skin feels crisp but puckers when poked with a fork, betraying its soft flesh beneath. Slice open, fluff with a fork, and add any toppings you please.

A baked potato is what it is. And what it is is the perfect vehicle for creamy, acidic, and texturally contrasting toppings. It’s also the perfect vehicle for pretending your fork is a miniature snowplow and the potatoey innards are a troublesome highway. Would I make a baked potato again? Of course. Can I pinpoint a scenario in which it would be better than any of these other potato preparations? Just the snowplow thing.

10. Hasselback

From Food52.

  • 6 to 8 baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • ½ cup (4 ounces/1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • Kosher salt
  1. Heat the oven to 425ºF.
  2. Slice one thin layer off each potato, along the length—this will serve as a base. Place a potato flat side down and cut slices about ⅛ inch apart, making sure not to cut all the way through. (Tip: You can place a chopstick on either side of the potato so that you hit the chopstick before slicing all the way through.) Carefully fan out the sliced pieces without breaking them apart. Repeat with each potato.
  3. Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a cast-iron skillet and each potato with the melted butter. Brush the potatoes generously, making sure to get in between the slices. Reserve one-third of the melted butter for basting. Nestle the potatoes into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt.
  4. Bake for 1 hour—basting the potatoes every 15 minutes with the remaining butter—or until tender on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Hasselback potatoes are a fun party trick and little more, unless you plan to stuff them with herbs and cheese, in which case why not just gratin? And if you don’t plan to stuff, may I IMPLORE YOU to boil and roast?

9. Pan-Roasted

From Food52.

  • 1 pound small waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (the coarser the better)
  1. Halve the potatoes and place them cut side down. Halve each half again but keep these halves together.
  2. Choose a cast-iron skillet large enough to fit the potatoes in a single layer. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, about ⅛ inch deep. Heat the oil over medium until it begins to shimmer. Evenly sprinkle a generous layer of salt into the oil. Place the potato halves onto the salt (keeping the quarters together so they look like just one half). Fry at medium heat, without peeking, until you are sure that the potatoes must be burning (they're not!), 10 to 12 minutes.
  3. When the potatoes are nicely browned, turn the heat as low as possible and cover the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes (the splattering noises are okay). The potatoes are done when a sharp knife slips into a potato easily. Serve hot. Kept covered with the heat off, they will keep for 30 minutes or more.

Look, we’re all thinking it: Pan-roasted potatoes are underwhelming. It’s true that the method—which calls for just one skillet and one stage of cooking—is lower key. But at what cost? The potatoes weren’t quite as tender as most of the other specimens, and while they were deeply browned on some façades, other sides were pale and puckered. Also, steaming the potatoes after the initial browning meant that despite appearing to wear tiny jackets of crunch, the little potato pieces actually turned out quite soft.

That said, a self-described “big breakfast person” did walk through the room and pop several of these into his mouth, declaring them “absolutely perfect,” so I would keep this method in my back pocket for mornings when I need something quick and simple to accompany eggs. But I would add an additional crisping phase after the steam.

8. Butter-Braised

From Food52.

  • 1½ pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
  • ½ cup (4 ounces/1 stick) unsalted butter, halved lengthwise, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  1. Cut the potatoes into approximately 1-inch pieces. The pieces should all be about the same size, so that they cook at the same rate.
  2. Heat a 12-inch sauté pan (not nonstick) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter. It's going to steam, smoke, and start to brown. Immediately add the potatoes, even if the butter isn’t fully melted. Arrange them in a single layer and season with the salt. Let them cook without stirring for 4 minutes. Stir, then rearrange in a single layer, cooked side facing up. Stir after 2 to 3 minutes, then stir again after another 2 to 3 minutes. Test one of the largest pieces. If needed, stir and cook a bit longer. Remove the pan from the heat and give everything a good stir.
  3. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the potatoes to a serving dish. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

I suspect a butter-braised shoe would be fantastic, so yes, butter-braised potatoes were really excellent. I was surprised they cooked all the way through in the short time they were searing, making them one of the more efficient methods on the list. They were beautifully caramelized on several sides, though the moisture of the butter bath did sap some of their crunch. They tasted as if purée de pommes de terre were a solid. They’d be wonderfully over the top with a bit of crunch added, like bread crumbs or bacon.

Photo by Rocky Luten

7. Gratinéed

From Food52.

  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 6 large waxy potatoes (about 2½ pounds), such as red bliss, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 1 cup grated Gruyère
  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Rub the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.
  2. Smash the garlic with the side of a knife and sprinkle generously with salt. Chop and scrape the garlic into a mushy paste.
  3. Roughly chop the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, then add to a pot with the garlic paste, potatoes, and half-and-half. Season with salt. While stirring with a spoon, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are a little tender and the liquid has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you like.
  4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish and smooth the top. (At this point you can cover and refrigerate the dish for up to 12 hours, until you're ready to bake.) Cover the gratin with Gruyère and bake until deeply golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes (longer if chilled overnight). Let the gratin cool a little before serving.

Yes, potatoes boiled in salty cream and butter then baked with cheese are really fucking good. NEXT QUESTION, YOUR HONOR?

6. Boiled

From Food52.

  • 2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, larger ones halved
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Generously salt the water. Place the pan over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook at an active simmer until they're fork-tender. Drain. Shock in an ice bath if you want a potato salad that will maintain its shape (if a few squished potatoes are okay with you, this step isn’t necessary).
  2. Toss the warm potatoes with olive oil and salt. Garnish as you like and serve.

I will go on record saying boiled potatoes are underrated. This would be a hot take if it weren’t so boring. Boiled potatoes do have a lot to offer, though—their starch has been drawn out, but not yet transformed into a crispy shell, or mashed into a velvety glue, so you can use it to absorb lots of flavor, like olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. They are also criminally easy, delightfully savory, and beg to be popped into your mouth one by one like grapes.

5. Mashed

From Food52.

  • 4 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds total), peeled and quartered
  • Kosher salt
  • ¾ cup whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1. Place the potatoes in a 3- to 4-quart sauce pan and cover with cold water. Partially cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Uncover, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and reduce the heat so that the water boils gently. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk to just below a simmer. In a separate pan, melt the butter.
  3. Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pan over low heat for 1 minute to evaporate any excess water. Use a food mill or hand masher to mash the potatoes. Stir the butter into the potatoes. Add the milk, a little at a time, until the potatoes are as soft and moist as you like. Salt to taste. Serve immediately, or keep warm in the top of a double boiler for up to 1 hour, or cover and rewarm in a microwave.

You know them, you love them, you stare straight at them when your anti-vaxxer uncle’s asking why you’re still single. Mashed potatoes, the only universally cool thing about Thanksgiving, are always decent, even when they’re only okay. Nora Ephron once wrote, “Nothing like mashed potatoes when you're feeling blue. Nothing like getting into bed with a bowl of hot mashed potatoes already loaded with butter, and methodically adding a thin cold slice of butter to every forkful.” Agree! Though she went on to say that they’re just as much work as crisp potatoes, which is where we diverge. I think mashed potatoes are virtually effortless relative to crispy boys, if you know to 1) salt your water, 2) skip the food processor, and 3) mash in ample butter, salt, and cream. Bonus points for frizzled leeks.

Photo by Rocky Luten

4. Smashed & Pan-Fried

From Food52.

  • 1 pound fingerling (preferably) or baby white potatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Generously salt the water. Place the pan over high heat, bring to a boil, and cook at an active simmer until the potatoes are tender. Drain and let cool to room temperature.
  2. Peel the potatoes (or don’t, if you find it too tedious). Using a meat pounder or the bottom of a small sauté pan, flatten the potatoes one at a time, until ¼ inch thick.
  3. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Coat the base of the pan with a thick layer of oil. Using a spatula to transfer them, add a single layer of squashed potatoes. Adjust the heat between medium and medium-low so the potatoes brown slowly. Let them sizzle away until brown, 5 to 8 minutes, then flip and brown the other side.
  4. When the potatoes are browned, transfer to the serving platter and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.

This method is a great shortcut for crispiness when you don’t have time (or the sheet pan-age) to boil and THEN oven roast, with similar results. Flattening each boiled potato for an increased surface area means more crisp and less creamy interior, in the time it takes to brown each side in a roaring hot skillet. Sign me up, baby!!!! (But to be clear, don’t sign me up if I have time to do the boil and roast method instead, which I liked better.)

3. Boiled & French Fried

From Food52.

  • 1 pound (roughly 3 medium) russet potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • Kosher salt
  • Vegetable oil
  1. Slice the potatoes into ⅓-inch-thick strips.
  2. Place the potatoes and vinegar in a saucepan. Add 1 quart of water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 6 to 8 minutes, until the potatoes are fully tender but not falling apart. Drain and spread on a towel-lined sheet pan. Pat dry.
  3. Add about 4 inches of oil to a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high until it registers 300°F on an instant-read thermometer.
  4. In batches to avoid overcrowding, add the potato strips and cook, flipping every minute or so, for about 5 minutes, until pale and floppy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined sheet pan. Let cool to room temp, about 30 minutes.
  5. Adjust the heat to get the oil up to 400°F. Add the potatoes and fry again until golden, about 5 more minutes. Drain on the lined sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.

This boil and fry method was the winner from my recent investigation into the best way to make French fries, and I still stand by it to produce salty, crunchy, pleasantly tart FFs. It’s definitely one of the most labor-intensive ways to prepare potatoes, but you know what they say: A mayo-based sauce a day keeps Ella’s depression at bay.

2. Pavé, aka Stacked & Fried

Adapted from Food52.

  • 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • Kosher salt
  • Melted unsalted butter
  • Canola oil
  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Thinly slice the potatoes on a mandolin. Toss the potatoes in the milk with a big pinch of salt.
  2. Line a loaf pan with parchment and butter it. Leave a bit of parchment overhang on each of the four sides for easier removal. Add a layer of potatoes, brush some butter on top, and repeat until the tin is full. Fold the parchment over the potatoes and then cover in tin foil.
  3. Bake the potatoes for 60 to 75 minutes, until knife-tender.
  4. Take a loaf tin of the same size and set it on top of the covered pavé. Add some books, canned goods, or anything heavy to the top. Transfer to the fridge and let the terrine cool under this pressure for at least 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
  5. When the pavé has cooled, remove it from the mold and slice into rectangles about 2 inches wide. In a frying pan, heat some canola oil and fry the slices of pavé until deep golden brown and crispy on every side.

The girl you want to hate but can’t ’cause she’s sooooooooo crispy and creamy and tastes like a hash brown mated with a crinkle cut fry. A huge amount of work, but well worth it in the right conditions. Alright TikTok, you win—this time.

1. Oven-Roasted

From Food52.

  • 1 pound red potatoes
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. While that’s working, peel the potatoes or don’t. Chop them into chunks—not small cubes, bigger are better.
  2. Generously salt the boiling water and boil the potatoes until a fork inserted meets just a little resistance.
  3. Drain the potatoes, transfer to a rimmed sheet pan, and let them cool while you get the oven really hot (say, 400°F or 425°F).
  4. Drench the cooled potatoes in oil—enough to coat, plus some excess pooling on the sheet pan. Season with a lot of salt. Toss everything together. Spread out the potatoes so they’re in an even layer, cut side facing down.
  5. Roast until they’re really browned and really crispy, stirring with a spatula halfway through. These are best hot, but you can serve them warm, too.

Holy hell, these potatoes are outrageous!!! They have approximately 5 billion legs up on your standard roasted Ps because the little potato chunks get boiled in super salty water before they’re oiled up and tossed into a hot oven like a hog in heat (that’s definitely not a thing I’m just so FIRED UP from these POTATOES). This boiling step both flavors the potatoes and draws out a thick layer of chalky starch that hardens into a suit of shattery armor for each tiny tater. Even with just salt and olive oil as seasoning, they tasted like the best version of fast food hash browns. They called for ketchup like my lungs call for air, like a cat mews for milk, like my Absolute Best Tests narration calls for human company and/or psychiatric intervention.


The Absolute Best Ways to Cook Potatoes

The average potato is 80 percent water, 20 percent solids, and 100 percent good company. If you don’t believe me, cook one!

  • Best all-around potatoes: Boil and roast
  • Butteriest, creamiest caramelized potatoes: Butter-braise
  • Crispy bits on the lam: Boil and squash and stovetop sear
  • Ultimate happiness and psychic fulfillment: French fry
  • A sauce-catching side: Mashed
  • A Gruyère vehicle: Gratin
  • Showing off: Pavé

What should Ella test in a future column? Share requests in the comments!

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • PotatoTsar
    PotatoTsar
  • Missus
    Missus
  • Julie
    Julie
  • Sue in soCal
    Sue in soCal
  • patricia gadsby
    patricia gadsby
Ella Quittner

Written by: Ella Quittner

Ella Quittner is a contributing writer and the Absolute Best Tests columnist at Food52. She covers food, travel, wellness, lifestyle, home, novelty snacks, and internet-famous sandwiches. You can follow her on Instagram @equittner, or Twitter at @ellaquittner. She also develops recipes for Food52, and has a soft spot for all pasta, anything spicy, and salty chocolate things.

27 Comments

PotatoTsar November 8, 2023
Really enjoyed this piece. As a man from the land of potatoes (Ireland), one little trick for roasting them which my dear mother taught to me is this: just after the boiling step, give the potatoes a little shake shake in the pot. This scuffs them up and causes more crispiness!
 
Missus February 12, 2022
I had a blast reading this, Ella. I found myself giggling as I was captivated by your writing. Thank you for the effort put into this. Boiled and roasted with the ribs tonight !
 
Julie December 26, 2021
Have you ever done the best way to cook Brussel Sprouts?
 
Sue I. November 28, 2021
I would have loved to finish reading this article but, after the second obscenity, I quit.
 
jeannie November 28, 2021
I’m curious, what was the comment?
 
patricia G. November 21, 2021
What about steamed new potatoes tossed with butter and mint? Or potatoes cuits à l’étuvée? Or potatoes cooked in salt?
 
2tattered November 21, 2021
You missed the undeniably, absolutely, best reason that potatoes *exist* to be cooked. In duck fat.
Put a goodly amount of duck fat in a cast iron pan, and put in the oven at 450. Steam peeled, small potatoes until almost done. Drain, put back in pot and shake. Add to hot duck fat, stirring to coat. Put back in oven until golden brown and crispy. Salt thoroughly. To. Die. For.
 
witloof January 17, 2022
Oh hey, I have some leftover duck fat in the refrigerator! Thanks!
 
Linda E. November 21, 2021
How about creamed potatoes? Parboil potato cubes and finish them in a cream sauce. My mother got us to eat lots of vegetables that weren’t our favorites by finishing them in a cream sauce.
 
ms.brownstein November 21, 2021
I thought I invented this, but maybe not. Microwave a potato until it is semi-cooked. Let cool. Cut into strips (thick french fries). Heat oil to 375° F and fry to a golden brown. The absolute BEST potatoes you can make in a flash.
 
Lisa November 21, 2021
I like the taste and texture of the first boiled and then oven-roasted method. In a hurry, I would just microwave potatoes in salted water for a few minutes, then drizzle them with olive oil and roast them in an air dryer (convection) oven for a few minutes. Serve it with some protein and veggies as a meal or make a garlic aioli, serve it tapas style.
 
hankls November 21, 2021
You left out one "almost lost" method of cooking potatoes, baking or boiling in rosin.
https://thecookscook.com/features/the-almost-lost-art-of-rosin-potatoes/
 
Noelle C. November 22, 2021
So fascinating! Adding to my bucket list.
 
Gennifer M. November 21, 2021
Where your pan roasted potatoes are concerned, you might find you like them better if you get red/yellow/white/russets in a regular size and slice them 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick instead of quartering them. Try lard or drippings instead of olive oil. They won't fit in a single layer in your frying pan, so stir them occasionally. Let them get golden - dark brown before taking them off the heat. Mom and Dad think they're the best thing ever and I've been eating them all my life.
 
Noelle C. November 21, 2021
I was hoping to see Pommes Anna on the list, which are pretty much a one-step version of pavé, and my all-time favourite, considering such a basic list of ingredients (thin sliced potatoes, butter, salt and pepper + an oven-safe frying pan) creates something so crispy-creamy and decadent. If you haven't tried it, you must!
 
jpriddy November 21, 2021
1. Twice baked russets with minced and caramelized onion, dill, butter, and a piece of cheese stuffed into the middle, a dusting of paprika on top. (A necessary side for my family at Thanksgiving.)
2. Boiled little waxy reds or Yukons, and then smashed and roasted with as many whole cloves of garlic as can be squeezed into the skillet, in butter.
 
jeannie November 21, 2021
So, you don’t wrap aluminum foil around the potatoes when you bake them?
 
Rosalind P. November 21, 2021
Foil for baking potatoes was a brilliant marketing ploy (scam?) perpetrated by Reynolds when kitchen foil was introduced in the 50's. American home cooks were eager to up their game and be more modern and sophisticated and using this great new product was an easy way to do that. The sad truth is that wrapping in foil produces soggy steamed (NOT roasted) vegetables. Baking yields crisp skins and tender flesh. And of course the environmental harm of mining, manufacturing, using and disposing of foil is enormous. Use it, if at all, only when there's no other option. And reuse it until it falls apart. Then recycle
 
jeannie November 21, 2021
Thanks 😊
 
lbgirl November 21, 2021
I’ve got to say that my personal rankings would be almost exactly the opposite. I’m not a fan of fried or boiled potatoes, and I never understood the appeal of mashed. Roasted can be okay if enough flavorings are added. But the only kind I ever crave is a simple baked potato.
 
Julian November 21, 2021
What about Kartoffelpuffer?
These German potato pancakes are magnificent!
 
MSNToronto November 21, 2021
Perhaps an odd comment but...I like the photos that accompany these articles. I think these would make great framed posters in a kitchen or pantry. Can I order them?
 
judy November 19, 2021
I have to say, that my favorite is a simple baked potato, with a little butter salt and pepper. Enjoy, skin an all. Baking can go either way: Crispy skin with oil in the oven. Soft skin in a hurry: microwave....
 
Patricia F. November 21, 2021
100 percent agree! I love potatoes in all forms, and these methods are excellent but all a little effort-full and time-consuming. But when I just want yummy, comforting goodness, I bake a potato. If I want to guild the lily or make more of a nutritious meal, there are so many easy ways to top it, too--poached egg, sauteed spinach, cheese, whatever.
 
ortolan November 18, 2021
I love this article! And I agree with this ranking. I am a boiled and roasted potato devotee.
AND before I roast, I drained out all the water from the pot and then give them a good "shake" with the top on the pot. Then I proceed to coat them with oil, or duck fat, or ghee. This gives the potatoes a nice craggy exterior that makes them even more crispy and more delectable! I always finish them with more good salt and good olive oil. Trust!
 
MaureenAspen November 18, 2021
Would you compare baking with different flours. I made muffins recently, and my husband thought the flour tasted stale. Are there sources for better flour? Does it make a difference for bread, muffins, cookies?
 
jpriddy November 21, 2021
Yes. All-purpose, pastry, whole wheat, einkorn. There are dozens of flours that can still be called "wheat" and none of them last forever. Some stores do a better job of rotating their stock; some companies make clear what season they found their flour. If you seldom use flour, buy small bags and/or keep it in the fridge. I keep my masa in the freezer, but I go through ten pounds of AP flour pretty fast so it sits in a huge jar on my baking counter..