Quick Answer: Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes?
Yes, raw potatoes can be frozen, just as long as they are blanched first. Freezing raw potatoes directly does not make it very easy to freeze them, so partially cooking them first and freezing them is your best, safest bet. You can either freeze blanched potatoes whole or in portions; whichever you feel would be more convenient for you.
This comprehensive guide on how to easily freeze raw potatoes at home.
Taking help from time-tested personal opinions and hours’ worth of research, this guide will arm you with everything you need to know about freezing potatoes!
Let us dive right in with the first method – freezing blanched potatoes whole.
How to Freeze Shredded and Blanched Potatoes in Mounds?
This method of freezing potatoes comes of good use if, say, you are freezing uncooked shredded potatoes to use for hash browns for breakfast over a week or two. Whatever be your reason, freezing shredded potatoes is a great way to preserve them in freezer storage. The process is also simple and similar to the first two.
Materials
- Knife/hatchet
- Cutting board
- Food processor/shredder
- Bowl of ice
- Baking sheet
- Airtight freezer bags
Tools
- No special tools needed
Instructions
- Wash and prep the potatoes for freezing – As already discussed, make sure that the raw potatoes are washed and cleaned thoroughly to leave no dirt or grime sticking to them.
- Blanch the potatoes – Blanch the potatoes in the same procedure as discussed earlier.
- Transfer to an ice bath to blanch – Transfer the cooked potatoes immediately to an ice bath.
- Peel off skins and shred – Once the potatoes have cooled down and been drained of any moisture, shred them as needed.
You can use a food processor, a shredder or grater, or even good old knives and chopping boards to shred the potatoes. - Arrange as mounds on a baking tray or sheet – This is where it depends on what you will be using the thawed shredded potatoes for.
If you need only some shredded potatoes at a time, form the shredded potatoes into different mounds based on serving portions to flash-freeze accordingly. - Flash-freeze the shredded potato mounds – Go with six to seven hours, or even overnight if possible.
- Pack into freezer bags and freeze - Once frozen hard enough, transfer the potato mounds individually into airtight resealable freezer bags and label them. They are ready to freeze!
Freezing Cooked/Blanched Potatoes Whole
Time Taken: 30-40 minutes
What You Need:
- Knife/hatchet
- Cutting board
- Blanching basket
- Bowl of ice
- Airtight freezer bags or tight-fitting airtight freezer-safe containers
Blanching is a fairly easy process that is especially helpful when you are freezing vegetables such as beets.
It essentially stops the cooking process before they get fully cooked, prepping them for freezing.
Blanching is very helpful in protecting the flavor, taste, and texture of your potatoes while freezing.
Wash and Prep the Potatoes for Freezing
The raw potatoes have to be washed and cleaned thoroughly; make sure there is no dirt or grime sticking to them. Scrub them vigorously, and then peel them.
Blanch the Potatoes
Next, cook the potatoes in a large pot with water. You should require around 1 gallon for every pound of potatoes.
Use a blanching basket to lower the clean potatoes into the boiling water, and blanch for around 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer to an Ice Bath to Blanch
Transfer the cooked potatoes immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. This is essentially what blanching consists of.
Dry the Potatoes
You can use a colander to completely drain the potatoes.
Make Sure They are Totally Dry Before you Package to Freeze Them
If they contain moisture, chances are they will not freeze well and even get mushy after thawing.
Put into Freezer Bags or Containers and Freeze
Once dry, transfer the potatoes into airtight resealable freezer bags or tight-fitting freezer-safe containers.
Try to pack them in tightly to minimize chances of exposure to air.
Seal very carefully, whether you are using freezer bags or containers. This is essential in ensuring that the potatoes freeze well.
Label the bags or containers. Your potatoes are ready to freeze!
Freezing Cut/Chopped and Blanched Potatoes in Portions
Time Taken: 6-8 hours
What You Need:
- Knife/hatchet
- Cutting board
- Bowl of ice
- Baking sheet
- Airtight freezer bags
It is commonly always suggested to freeze any food in serving portions.
This ensures that they freeze better and also makes it easier for you to take, thaw and use just the amount you want at a time without having to thaw and re-freeze the whole batch.
This method is also quite simple, albeit a little more time-consuming.
It also involves blanching and for you to flash-freeze the chopped potato pieces before freezing.
Wash and Prep the Potatoes For Freezing
Similar to the previous method, the raw potatoes have to be washed and cleaned thoroughly; make sure there is no dirt or grime sticking to them.
Scrub them vigorously, and then peel them.
Blanch the Potatoes
Blanch the potatoes in the same procedure as discussed earlier.
Transfer to an Ice Bath to Blanch
Transfer the cooked potatoes immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
Peel Off Skins, Cut, and Slice
Once the potatoes are cool enough, peel off the skins off the beets.
They should come right off; in case they don’t, you can use a vegetable peeler but use it softly and carefully.
Cut the potatoes into whichever shape preferred: slices, wedges, pieces, etc., and then spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Flash Freeze
Transfer the baking sheet into the freezer. They should be kept to freeze depending on the size of the potatoes; to be safe, you could just keep them overnight.
Put into Freezer Bags and Freeze
Once frozen hard enough, transfer the potato pieces into airtight resealable freezer bags and label them. They are ready to freeze!
How to Freeze Cooked Potatoes
Time Taken: 8-9 hours
What You Need:
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper / wax paper
- Aluminum foil/plastic wrap
- Large heavy-duty resealable airtight freezer bag
Here is some good news: you can freeze cooked potatoes of any kind and form as well!
The methods to freeze are more or less the same if you are cooking the potatoes from scratch from beforehand to freeze for later use; or if you are freezing leftovers.
It is a fairly easy process and needs cooling before you freeze the cooked potatoes.
Cool the Cooked Potatoes on a Baking Sheet
If you are freezing leftovers, this step can be skipped.
Arrange on Baking/Cookie Tray
Once your cooked potatoes are cooled enough, drain them.
Line a baking tray (or a cookie tray) with parchment paper or wax paper, and arrange the potatoes carefully on the tray so that they have some distance between them.
Flash-Freeze
Place the baking tray inside the freezer and let the potatoes flash-freeze for at least six to seven hours.
To be on the safe side, you can even flash-freeze the potatoes overnight.
Wrap Each of the Cooked Potatoes in Aluminum Foil or Plastic Wrap
Once they have frozen hard, make sure the potatoes are wrapped firmly and securely to cut off oxygen exposure entirely, or the texture might be ruined.
This step is just an added precaution to make sure to cut off any possible exposure and keep the cooked potatoes at their flavorful best.
If you want, you can skip this process and go directly to the next, your cooked potatoes should freeze fine either way.
Transfer into Freezer Bags
Transfer the foil-wrapped (or not) cooked potatoes into a large, heavy-duty resealable airtight freezer bag.
Squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing.
Seal, Label, and Freeze
Be sure to seal the bag securely and carefully. Label the bag. It is ready to freeze!
How Long Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes?
For best results, the frozen raw potatoes should not be kept in freezer storage for beyond four to six months and should ideally consumed within that time frame.
However, potatoes can indeed be frozen for up to 6 months and even longer, again, provided that the temperature requirements are met and remain steady.
Note, however, that while the potatoes (provided that they are blanched carefully) will taste great within a couple of months of freezing, the longer they stay frozen, the more the taste and texture may degrade.
Ultimately, they may not be very appetizing in, say, 6 or 8 months.
It is recommended that you plan to eat them accordingly.
How to Store Frozen Raw Potatoes?
For all the processes and methods prescribed here, using heavy-duty, airtight, resealable, freezer-friendly bags and pouches to freeze the raw potatoes in is a must.
If you are using containers instead, ensure that they are freezer-safe and have tight-fitting lids.
And they need to be sealed really well. A vacuum sealer is actually a great investment for this purpose, especially if you freeze food often. It would help get all the air out.
Other storage tips to ensure better storage in the freezer for raw potatoes include making sure that the temperature remains constant in the freezer.
Do not store raw potatoes in the freezer for more than six months.
How to Defrost Frozen Raw Potatoes
There is no need as such to defrost frozen raw potatoes; you can simply use them in your recipe as you would fresh potatoes.
If you have to thaw them, I recommend keeping them in the refrigerator overnight or over a day; they should be thawed fine.
Because you have blanched them first following the instructions given here, the potatoes’ quality, taste, and flavor are bound to be preserved, making it safe for you to use them however you want, as long as they have not been kept indefinitely in the freezer.
Can You Re-freeze Frozen Raw Potatoes?
It is not advisable at all to re-freeze frozen raw potatoes.
The consistency, texture, and taste might change significantly if frozen again after already having been frozen and thawed once before, ultimately making them inedible.
Avoid re-freezing raw potatoes.
This is actually why it is always highly recommended to freeze food in portions (in the case of potatoes, following the second method given here.) Try your best to make a nice meal out of it the first time around that you thaw it.
In case you do end up with leftovers, it is usually a good idea to discard them.
Do Raw Potatoes Freeze Well?
Raw potatoes actually do not freeze well at all.
They contain quite a lot of moisture, so when frozen directly, without cooking or blanching, the moisture usually makes the potatoes very grainy and changes to a watery, unappetizing consistency.
However, partially cooked (blanched) or cooked (in any form, including baked, mashed, etc.) potatoes usually freeze quite well.
For a more detailed insight into freezing potatoes of different kids, feel free to go through:
FAQs
If you are planning on keeping the raw potatoes in freezer storage longer than the advised time, you could try using a food saver.
This extracts all the free air from the freezer bag and makes sure it is sealed perfectly. This ensures that the baked potatoes kept inside keep longer.
Yes, absolutely. If you follow the methods and instructions given here to a T, you should be able to freeze potatoes just fine, whether leftover or excess.
It is not at all recommended to freeze raw uncooked potatoes without blanching or at least parboiling them first, as it is highly likely that they will get too mushy and impossible to eat and would not hold up well at all in the freezer.
Blanch them first for optimal results.
Do not keep frozen and thawed potatoes outside at room temperature for too long. It is advised that you use them up at the earliest; and leave them outside for no longer than an hour. So, plan and thaw the frozen potatoes accordingly.
Yes, absolutely! Blanched or partially cooked potatoes require much less oven time, so once frozen and thawed and ready to use in your recipe, partially cooked potatoes save you a lot of time and added effort.
Some specific potato preparations freeze significantly better than others. For example, mashed potatoes come out even creamier after being frozen and thawed.
This is because the fat from the cream and butter helps preserve the texture, flavor, and taste of the mashed potatoes.
Bottom Line
We hope this comprehensive, step-by-step guide covering the best methods to freeze raw potatoes successfully at the safety and ease of your home has helped you!
For any further questions you may have regarding freezing potatoes, please do let us know by reaching out to us!
If you have any other tips and tricks, feel free to reach out and let us know; we will add them to this guide so they can help more people!
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