Potato

A general-purpose potato that behaves itself in most things: holds its shape in a curry, crisps properly in oil, and mashes without turning to glue.

This is the potato for aloo gosht, for a dry aloo sabzi, for chips, and for the roast tray. Because it sits in the middle of the waxy-to-floury range it is not the very best at any single job, which is exactly why most kitchens buy it by the bag.

Look for firm tubers with no soft patches and no green tinge under the skin. Green means light exposure and a bitter taste — we sort those out, but check anything that has sat in your kitchen a while.

Somewhere dark, dry and cool, with air around them — a paper or cloth bag, not plastic. Never the fridge: cold converts the starch to sugar and the potato turns sweet and browns too fast in the pan.

Keep them away from onions. Each makes the other sprout sooner.

Two to three weeks stored properly.