# Does anyone know



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

I have 2 queries, Having recently relocated to Costa del Sol from Scotland I am looking for info on 2 directly different items, firstly how do you keep potatoes fresh as all the potatoes seem to go soft and does anyone know of a company who can provide and fit tinted film to car windscreens?


----------



## RichTUK (Oct 15, 2012)

jim123 said:


> I have 2 queries, Having recently relocated to Costa del Sol from Scotland I am looking for info on 2 directly different items, firstly how do you keep potatoes fresh as all the potatoes seem to go soft and does anyone know of a company who can provide and fit tinted film to car windscreens?


I'm pretty sure it's illegal in Spain to have film on your windscreen or the front (driver/passenger) windows. As for Potatoes, we just go for the smaller bags. Not managed to make them last more than 3 to 4 days, but I havnt really shopped around for different varieties to see which ones last longer.


----------



## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

jim123 said:


> I have 2 queries, Having recently relocated to Costa del Sol from Scotland I am looking for info on 2 directly different items, firstly how do you keep potatoes fresh as all the potatoes seem to go soft and does anyone know of a company who can provide and fit tinted film to car windscreens?


Buy frozen chips, frozen roasties and frozen mash!


----------



## stevelin (Apr 25, 2009)

Shop in the local markets rather than supermarkets and only buy for a few days at a time


----------



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

You can have tinted film but this must be fitted by an authorised company & once fitted will supply you with a technical report (fisca technica) stating this and that complies etc.
My car has it fitted & the report always in the glovebox, in your area I would ask anyone who has it fitted just where it was done.


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

Dunpleecin said:


> Buy frozen chips, frozen roasties and frozen mash!


Can you be sure it is not contaminated with horsemeat?


----------



## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

jim123 said:


> firstly how do you keep potatoes fresh as all the potatoes seem to go soft


The best way to store potatoes is in a dark, cool, dry place, they don't like warmth, light or humidity as it turns them green, soft or makes them sprout.

If you don't have a convenient cool, dark place to store them, I'd suggest keeping them in the fridge (cool and dark) or if that isn't practical, peel them and freeze them.


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

playamonte said:


> You can have tinted film but this must be fitted by an authorised company & once fitted will supply you with a technical report (fisca technica) stating this and that complies etc.
> My car has it fitted & the report always in the glovebox, in your area I would ask anyone who has it fitted just where it was done.


Thanks but I have not seen it in my area which is Manilva.


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Lidl red potatoes seem to last well; otherwise, you can cut them into chips, blanch them in boiling water, dry them and then freeze them. Once defrosted you can use the 'chips' for mash or chips. I have also successfully blanched peeled and halved potatoes and then roasted them from frozen although not as good as from fresh imo. If you can buy a vacuum machine which we have (from JML) you can vac pack potatoes of any kind and they will keep for months.


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thankyou, that is very good advice.


----------



## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I grow potatoes and when I have a glut, I keep them in a building that has no widows at the bottom of the garden, cool and out of the sunlight, they stay fresh for months.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We don't grow potatoes, we get given them - usually about 30-40 Kg at a time. We put them in cardboard boxes and keep them under our bed which being on the lower ground floor is about the coolest and (when the lights are off) the darket place in the house. They keep for about three months by which time some are sprouting and some have gone a bit soft (but, if you are going to cook them anyway, does it matter?)


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Can I just ask why you want to have tinted glass on your car windows?


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

My wife and I think it looks good.


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

We don,t have a space under our bed and if they are still quite safe to cook then why don't we buy them soft?


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

We live in an apartment with no garden or places for adequate storage but thanks for your tip anyway.


----------



## moonman (Oct 1, 2012)

re your tinted window,,, if you look in the local free english language papers, sur in english(friday) euroweekly (thursday) olivepress etc they have many ads for window tinting etc.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jim123 said:


> My wife and I think it looks good.


Oh,
It may be of no interest to you, but just a couple of things...
I get car sick quite easily and tinted glass makes it worse, so if you have any passengers you might want to consider this.
The other thing is dark colours attract the heat making the car a sun trap, so you use air conditioning more, open the windows more and use more petrol.


----------



## Dunpleecin (Dec 20, 2012)

If you get your windows tinted dark enough, you could keep the potatoes in the car!

Killed two birds with one stone there!!


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Of course, having heavily tinted windows also attracts the attention of the Guardia who wonder what you are hiding in there.


----------



## WildZer0 (Feb 19, 2013)

keep the potatoes in the dark, works for me.

try contacting the English Mechanics in Manilva (951 972 066). they might be able to point you in the right direction. They have always been very helpful with me


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thanks for the tip.


----------



## jim123 (Feb 14, 2013)

Thankyou very much for your help.


----------



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Oh,
> It may be of no interest to you, but just a couple of things...
> I get car sick quite easily and tinted glass makes it worse, so if you have any passengers you might want to consider this.
> The other thing is dark colours attract the heat making the car a sun trap, so you use air conditioning more, open the windows more and use more petrol.


No Pesky the tinted glass stops the suns rays from entering the car (well a little more than plain glass would) and as such the interior will be a tad cooler.


----------



## Alpujarran (Feb 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> Of course, having heavily tinted windows also attracts the attention of the Guardia who wonder what you are hiding in there.


If you've no potatoes to hide you've nothing to fear


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

playamonte said:


> No Pesky the tinted glass stops the suns rays from entering the car (well a little more than plain glass would) and as such the interior will be a tad cooler.


Yes, that's what I'd have thought, but the 2 cars I've been in with tintes glass have been hot, and I'm not talking glam hot. Perhaps because they were dark colours - dark green and black, I think


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, that's what I'd have thought, but the 2 cars I've been in with tintes glass have been hot, and I'm not talking glam hot. Perhaps because they were dark colours - dark green and black, I think


The norm here is white, as much for practical reasons to reflect the sun as because the colours are more expensive!


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Yes mines black.I had the glass tinted on the 4 back windows & tailgate. It does stop the passengers getting sunburnt but unfortunately the driver is still suffering. 


It does not make a huge difference to the interior temperature as ,left in the sun, it still exceeds 75ºc+ in the summer.  Nigh on impossible to get in & drive away without windows open or the A/C being put on before going anywhere.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Just a thought....when we were in the UK it was so important to have all the 'customised' features available on our cars...We had personalised plates, tinted windows, had the full sports kit on the BMW M3, dropped front, customised paint, fancy alloys...We could do those modifications easily in one of our workshops.

Since leaving the UK all those things suddenly seem to have dminished in importance until they have vanished completely from our scale of priorities, to the point where our now seven-year-old LandRover Discovery is dented, scratched, mud-bespattered outside and in dire need of a brush and polish inside, not to mention the aroma of large wet dog which provides the background fragrance.

Ten years ago I would have been horrified to be seen standing near such a shabby vehicle...well, we would have changed for a newer model at least once! But now I don't even notice.

But then that's just one of the many things that just don't seem to matter much anymore and I'm wondering if it says something about me, our UK materialistic culture or both. I'm more concerned about the weather, what to have for dinner and where to take the dog for a walk.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Just a thought....when we were in the UK it was so important to have all the 'customised' features available on our cars...We had personalised plates, tinted windows, had the full sports kit on the BMW M3, dropped front, customised paint, fancy alloys...We could do those modifications easily in one of our workshops.
> 
> Since leaving the UK all those things suddenly seem to have dminished in importance until they have vanished completely from our scale of priorities, to the point where our now seven-year-old LandRover Discovery is dented, scratched, mud-bespattered outside and in dire need of a brush and polish inside, not to mention the aroma of large wet dog which provides the background fragrance.
> 
> ...


For me, the vehicle has always been a means of transport never a fashion statement. My last car before coming to Spain was a 1989 Volvo estate which I'd had for 12 years, prior to that it was a 1978 Volvos estate which I had for 5 years. Nothing for showing off but becasue they would take five people PLUS their luggage and boxes of computer disks.


----------



## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Yes mines black.I had the glass tinted on the 4 back windows & tailgate. It does stop the passengers getting sunburnt but unfortunately the driver is still suffering.
> 
> 
> It does not make a huge difference to the interior temperature as ,left in the sun, it still exceeds 75ºc+ in the summer.  Nigh on impossible to get in & drive away without windows open or the A/C being put on before going anywhere.


Yes for sure & its only the windscreen that you are not allowed to alter from stock here, so you can help the driver a *tad* 

It does though give a little more privacy & as my car came with this fitted (secondhand) I was happy to buy it as I was used to this from the UK.


----------

