I always preferred making food at home rather than takeouts. But ever since I started working, cooking meals at home has become quite a task.
One thing that I hate about cooking food at home is cutting vegetables. To counter this issue, I started buying frozen vegetables from the supermarket.
But buying frozen vegetables from supermarkets resulted in huge grocery bills, and it was getting really hard to afford these frozen vegetables.
So instead of buying these frozen vegetables, I decided to get fresh vegetables and freeze them myself.
I’ve been doing this for quite a long time now, and today I will tell you all about how to freeze your vegetables properly.
In this blog, I will be focusing on a very versatile vegetable that can be used to make many different food items, and you guessed it right, Potatoes.
So stay with me till the end, and discover new ways of preserving potatoes in your home.
Can You Freeze Potatoes?
Yes! You can freeze potatoes, but there are some things you need to take care of and a few steps you need to follow so that your potatoes don’t go bad when you freeze them.
You might think you can simply chop your potatoes and put them in your freezer. Sorry to break it to you, but freezing potatoes isn’t that simple.
Potatoes have a very high water content; if you freeze them raw, they will become mushy when you thaw them. So how should you freeze your potatoes? Keep reading the blog, as I will tell you exactly what to do later.
Is It Safe To Freeze Potatoes?
The first concern that everyone has about frozen vegetables is, is it safe. If we talk about freezing potatoes, it is completely safe to freeze them. If you have any excess potatoes, you should freeze them for later use.
There is only one thing that you need to take care of, which is you shouldn’t freeze raw potatoes. Not because they will go bad or that they won’t be consumable, but because they will become mushy and grainy once they defrost.
How To Freeze Potatoes?
How you should freeze your potatoes depends on which form you want to freeze them in. So today, I will tell you some of the most common ways to freeze your potatoes, starting with whole potatoes.
Whole or Cubed
In this method, you will need to blanch your potatoes. The process of blanching potatoes is quite simple. Start peeling your potatoes, and in the meanwhile, boil some water in a pot and add salt to the water.
Once the water is boiled, add your potatoes. Blanching time will depend on the size of your potatoes. It can be between 3 to 10 mins.
After blanching, take your potatoes out and put them in an ice bath. After that, dry them and keep them in your freezer.
French Fries
If you plan to freeze uncooked french fries, you must blanch them first. But if your fries are already cooked, simply put them in a tray and freeze them for a few hours.
Then take them out, transfer them to a bag, and then put them back in your freezer. You can use a similar technique to freeze your potatoes in any form, be it hashbrowns or mashed potatoes.
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What Is The Best Way To Freeze Potatoes?
As I told you earlier, there are many ways of freezing potatoes. You can freeze them as cubes or whole, you can freeze them in the form of french fries or wedges, or you can make hashbrowns or even mashed potatoes and freeze them.
I prefer freezing them in halves. I peel my potatoes, cut them in half, blanch them, dry them, and put them in my freezer. This way, when I defrost my potatoes, I can use them to make anything, from fries to hashbrowns.
How To Thaw Frozen Potatoes?
The easiest and fastest method to do this is to microwave your potatoes. But I do not like doing this, as it affects the texture of potatoes. I usually take a bowl of room-temperature water and simply submerge my bag of potatoes in it.
This method takes a bit longer than simply microwaving the potatoes. Still, this way, the texture of the potatoes remains smooth.
You can also defrost your potatoes in the refrigerator. Take the frozen potatoes, and keep them in the refrigerator, and your potatoes will defrost within a few hours.
How Long Do Frozen Potatoes Last?
Raw potatoes can last a week or two out in the open. Keeping them in a cold place like your refrigerator can last a few more weeks.
But if you freeze your potatoes correctly, they will last for months without going bad or affecting their texture or taste. So if you have any excess potatoes in your home, cut them and freeze them.
Do Potatoes Freeze Well?
Potatoes are one of those vegetables that are the easiest to freeze. Freezing potatoes does not take long and increases their shelf life significantly. You can freeze your potatoes for three or four months without worrying about them going bad.
So it is very safe to say that potatoes do freeze very well. Just make sure you blanch your potatoes or cook them before freezing them, or else their texture may get affected.
Final Verdict:
So this is how you can freeze your potatoes. I hope you find these tips helpful in your daily culinary routine and that freezing potatoes save money and time and make cooking food fun.
So this is it for today. I will see you very soon with another new and exciting blog. Till then, keep cooking and keep on making your inner foodie happy.
