Can You Freeze Potatoes?

Contributor

By Patricia Bryant Resnick
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating: (23 Ratings)

Russet potatoes

In just a few hundred years, potatoes have gone from a little-known South American tuber to a starchy staple for people all over the globe. You can find potatoes at every meal--hash browns for breakfast, french fries with your lunchtime hamburger and a big fat baked potato with your dinner. Italians eat gnocchi, Southeast Asians eat potatoes in their curries and Europeans use potatoes in almost every way imaginable.

The one problem with potatoes has traditionally been their storage. Many varieties of potato can be kept for months under the right conditions, but not many of us have root cellars these days. Potatoes can be canned, but they are a low-acid vegetable, requiring a long period under pressure--so their texture suffers. You can dry them, but a reconstituted potato is seldom as satisfactory as a fresh one.

So, can you freeze potatoes? Yes and no. Freezing and thawing whole raw potatoes will damage their cell structure until they are useless in any typical potato recipes. There are, however, some ways around that. A little work will be involved, but it will save you time when you get ready to cook dinner in the future.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Freezer bags Aluminum foil Sheet pan Cooking spray

Step 1

Diced potatoes for freezing

Peel 2 lbs. of potatoes. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Cook in simmering, salted water to cover until just tender. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place in the freezer until frozen solid. Transfer the cubes to a heavy-duty plastic freezer bag and keep them in the freezer until needed. Reheat in simmering water and proceed with your recipe. Or thaw completely and use for potato salad.
Step 2

Hash brown potato patty

Shred or grate 2 lbs. of potatoes. Keep shredded potatoes in a bowl of iced water until all potatoes are shredded. Spray a sheet pan as in Step 1. Drain the potatoes thoroughly and pile mounds on the sheet pan in the shape of hash brown potato patties. Freeze until solid, then store in a plastic bag in the freezer. Remove the frozen patties and cook as usual.
Step 3

Stuffed baked potatoes

Bake 2 lbs. of potatoes until done. Cut in half and remove cooked potato from the shells. Mash cooked potato with cream, butter, green onions, cheese, cooked ham or sausage, or any other desired ingredients. Pile mashed potatoes back into shells and top with additional cheese and green onion. Place on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Wrap tightly in foil and place in bags for storage in your freezer. Bake frozen halves on the sheet pan at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, or until browned on top and heated through.
Step 4

Home-frozen french fries, ready to fry

Cut 2 lbs. of potatoes into medium french fry shapes. Cook in simmering, salted water until half cooked. Drain thoroughly and place in a single layer on a sheet pan. Freeze until solid, then transfer to bags as in the previous steps. When you're ready to cook, toss potatoes with 2 tbsp. of oil, place in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 425 degrees until nicely browned (about 15 to 20 minutes). Keep an eye on them, turning occasionally. Salt immediately when done, then serve.
Step 5

Make any other favorite potato recipes, including soup. Freeze in containers or on a sheet pan until solid, then store in plastic freezer bags. Reheat according to recipe directions, or thaw and finish cooking.

Comments

mtaylor96 said

Flag This Comment

on 3/4/2009 I am looking forward to being able to make unbelievable buy on 10 lb bags of potatoes now that I can fix them in several different ways to use for side items and save the cost of prepackaged versions. This will help with meal planning and cooking for others.

gailM said

on 1/17/2009 These are the only way to freeze potatoes. If you do store potatoes be sure they are out of the sunlight because that is what turns them green and that is not good for you. Peel all the green off.