Magazine tip wasn't the best advice for potatoes

Dear Heloise: I have a great tip I read in a magazine once to make potatoes last longer and not sprout. You put an apple in with your potatoes! Yeah, I know it sounds weird, but I tried it, and it works great. Marie in Texas
Marie, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you really shouldn't store apples and potatoes together. Ripening fruit like apples gives off ethylene gas, which causes potatoes to sprout.
Potatoes are best stored in a dark, cool and well-ventilated place. But don't leave them in the plastic bags -- the bags prevent good air circulation.
Hint: Ever wonder why potatoes sometimes have green-tinged skin? It's because when potatoes are exposed to light, they can turn green. This doesn't hurt the potato itself, as you can simply cut off the green part and use the rest of the potato. Heloise
Dear Heloise: When you had an item about stove fires in your column, it did not include potholders.
My aunt fixed dinner, cleaned up and put everything away. Later that night, the family smelled something burning. After a search, they found the potholders smoldering in the drawer. If they hadn't been home, the house might have caught on fire. Please remind readers, just to be on the safe side. Linda Starcher, Warren
Wow -- this is a first for this column! Who would have thought? Glad all is OK. Heloise
Dear Heloise: What I find to be very helpful is to buy inexpensive measuring cups at a store where items are a dollar. I put them in various foods for quick measuring. For instance, I keep the 1-cup measure in the flour bin, 1/2-cup in the rice container, 1/3-cup in the oatmeal, etc. This can be done for pancake mix or anything that requires the same measure all the time, and it saves time fumbling around looking for measuring cups. Also, I usually write the recipe for things like pancakes and oatmeal in indelible marker right on the inside of the container's lid for quick reference. Gale Larsen, Lakeland, Fla.
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