Can You Freeze Potatoes?
For those who have ever faced the problem of having a large quantity of potatoes and were wondering whether it is possible to freeze them the answer is yes. Freezing is also the best method of storing potatoes for future use but certain factors need to be understood which would help in preserving the finesse of the potatoes. In this guide, you will learn al the basics about Can You Freeze Potatoes?, may they be whole, cubed, mashed, French-fried or shredded.
Why You Should Not Freeze Raw Potatoes
It is true that you can freeze potatoes though you need to understand that raw potatoes have a lot of water content. When they are kept like that, this causes the food to become mushy and grainy once they are thawed. Potatoes do not freeze well raw as their cell structure makes it difficult for water to penetrate it, this makes it important to partially or fully cook the potatoes before freezing. It also prevents loss of taste and texture which means that they will be as tasty as when you stored them if only you use them again.
How Long Do Frozen Potatoes Last?
Potatoes, cooked can be stored in the refrigerator for upto four days where as freezing potatoes can allow you to store upto one year. Just store them right so that they don’t get freezer burnt or loose their quality in any given way.
Steps to Freeze Potatoes
This is awesome knowledge when it comes to the best procedure to employ in the freezing of potatoes depending on the form of potatoes we have.
Peel and Prepare: It is not compulsory to peel but they suggest that this should be done for the best outcome. It is also preferred to cut the potatoes if you are going to mash them later at this stage as well.
Blanch: The ease of preparation can well be described through the following steps: Put salt in a pot of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook them gently for a few minutes (it might take from 3 to 10 minutes depending on their size). Take them out immediately and plunge into an ice water solution so as to halt the cooking process.
Dry: When the potatoes are cooked make sure that you drain out any excess water and even dust with some paper to remove the moisture.
Flash Freeze: Line them in a single layer in a baking sheet and freeze the cookies for at least four hours.
Final Freeze: After freezing the potatoes put them in a freezer bag, make a note of what you have frozen and store.
How to Thaw and Reheat Frozen Potatoes
However, for best results you only need to prefer frying or baking your potatoes then store the remaining portion in the freezer for later use or when you feel like eating again, then it is advisable that you thaw them in the refrigerator before reheating. For mashed potatoes, it is recommended to reheating on the stove, and use butter or milk to make it smooth. If you have fries or wedges, opt to return them to the oven or air-fryer to crisp them back up again.
