Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes – How to Freeze Potatoes: A Step-by-Step Guide

by

Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes: Freezing potatoes is a practical, economical and useful way to keep them fresh and tasty over a longer period of time. But, to perfectly freeze your potatoes you will have to know a few important things and follow proper steps because if you don’t you might end up spoiling your potatoes instead.

In this article, we are going to learn about all of that to store your extra potatoes inside the freezer for a long time without ruining their taste or texture. Keep reading to find out!

Can Freeze Raw Potatoes

Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes To Use Later?

Technically Yes, you can freeze potatoes for future recipes by cutting them into your required sizes and storing them inside the freezer. But, you will need to make sure to blanch them first because otherwise, your potatoes are going to become mushy and tasteless if frozen completely raw.

The huge water content inside the potato freezes and once you thaw them while cooking the potato will get mushy and grainy. You might also find a sharp change in taste where the potatoes will taste way sweeter than usual ruining the taste of your recipes too.

Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes

How To Freeze Raw Potatoes?

Freezing raw potatoes needs eight major steps. You can use these techniques to preserve your potatoes to be used in a variety of dishes for a really long time. Follow the steps given below thoroughly:

  • Wash – Choose fresh pieces of potatoes that have not yet sprouted and wash them thoroughly to clean them.
  • Chop – Next, use a sharp knife to chop the potatoes to your desired thickness. You can cut them into dice squares for roasting them into chips later, or cut them into strips to make french fries. Peeling is optional, you can freeze potatoes with or without the skin.
  • Blanch – Blanching is a very important step here. For blanching, put a large pot of water on your stove to boil. Next, put the washed set of potatoes in the boiling water to blanch.
  • Cook – Start cooking the potatoes a little bit, until they are slightly tender but still have some crispiness to them, make sure you don’t boil them all the way through. The cooking time for potatoes may vary depending on the size and breed of the potatoes, for example, new bred potatoes may take some more time to cook, but aim for upto two minutes. Blanching will help in deactivating the enzymes that can cause the potatoes to spoil in taste and lose their texture.
  • Ice bath – When these cut potatoes are partially cooked from the above step, transfer them to a large bowl of ice water using a spoon. This cold water will force- stop the further cooking process.
  • Dry – Next, drain the potatoes in a colander of all the excess water and dry them by spreading them on paper towels or fine cotton cloth.
  • Freeze – Now, arrange the potatoes on a tray in a single layer on a baking sheet using parchment paper. Place this tray with a baking sheet in the freezer for until the potatoes are frozen solid, generally for six hours. This flash freeze will help in preventing the potatoes from sticking to each other.
  • Store – Lastly, transfer the potatoes from this baking sheet to a plastic freezer bag, squeezing out all the air before sealing. You can also use an airtight container to store them for that matter.

Always remember that you should not freeze potatoes if your intention is to make a dish with baked potatoes. This is because if you bake a frozen whole potato, then the outside layer of the potato will burn in the oven while the center is going to remain the same frozen solid.

How To Freeze Raw Potatoes For Roasting?

Freezing raw potatoes for roasting them later on not only saves a lot of cooking time but also results in super crunchy spuds. For this, peel your potatoes into desired shapes, blanch them, and store them inside your freezer in air-tight storage options. This will help keep your potatoes fresh for up to three months.

Next, when you are ready to roast your potatoes, simply thaw them first and then toss them in olive oil, season them with pepper, red chili, and salt, roast until golden and crispy, and finally serve them hot with ketchup or mayonnaise.

Read More:

Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes Without Blanching?

Yes, but only certain forms of potatoes can be frozen without blanching. This is something that also depends on what recipe of potato you are making, which cannot be preserved for the next few months. Just baked potatoes are going to freeze the same way as blanched ones but may not last quite as long when it comes to quality. None of your recipes are going to taste good.

While the potato itself can last probably around three months or so, the taste and texture will start deteriorating more quickly in comparison to the condition it was when you first put it inside the freezer despite the food being completely safe to eat. If you can get away without blanching before freezing potatoes, then you can just simply seal the potatoes in an air-tight container while putting them inside the freezer.

Can You Freeze Boiled Potatoes?

Yes, you can definitely store boiled potatoes inside the freezer later on. You can store them as they are or can also mash them and keep them inside the freezer. Mashing them can be more beneficial because it will help get rid of all the excess water from the center of the potato which will extend the oxidation process further and keep your potatoes fresh for longer. Go through our article on Can Freeze Boiled Potatoes to know about the process in depth.

How Long Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes?

Generally, raw potatoes last for about two months when stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight and humidity, while inside the refrigerator, they can last for up to two weeks. If you can store your raw potatoes inside the freezer properly then they may last for up to 10 to 12 months.

But, if you tend to store them improperly under temperatures lower than 50 degrees, it will cause the potato’s starch to convert to sugar, which will result in a sweet taste and discoloration. Hence, to avoid this change in flavor and discoloration, make sure to launch them which will also cut down on cooking time after your potatoes have been thawed and have come to room temperature.

How To Use Frozen Potatoes?

Frozen potatoes can easily be used straight from the freezer, but it is always recommended to defrost them inside the freezer if you want to thaw them. You might find the taste and texture slightly different, but not to worry, make sure you use the right ingredients in the particular recipe and also be careful to not overcook your potatoes. You can use frozen potatoes in a variety of dishes like french fries, roasted potatoes, hash browns, mashed potatoes, potato salad, etc.

How To Defrost Frozen Potatoes?

Defrosting frozen potatoes is a must at the time of thawing them, before adding them to any recipe. There are three different methods that you can use to defrost the potatoes, and each of them takes separate time periods. You can defrost your frozen potatoes either by the refrigerator, microwave, or plain water.

In the refrigerator, it will take about twelve hours and in the microwave, it can take about 10 minutes. You can also defrost the frozen potatoes by running cold water over them which will take a total of fifteen minutes. This method is considered better than microwaves because microwaving can spoil the natural texture of potatoes.

You might be interested in learning about Can You Freeze Potato Salad as well and know the entire process involved.

FAQs on Can You Freeze Raw Potatoes

1. Why do potatoes turn black when frozen?

Potatoes turn black when frozen because if you store raw potatoes inside the freezer without blanching, then the high water content in the potatoes tends to mix up with the freezer’s dry cold air and oxidize the outer surface of the potato.

2. Should you thaw frozen potatoes before cooking?

Yes, frozen potatoes must always be thawed and defrosted at room temperature before exposing them to direct heat while cooking.

3. What is the best way to freeze potatoes?

The best way to freeze potatoes is to first slightly boil them, transfer them to an ice water bowl, drain the water and then freeze them in an air-tight bag or container inside the freezer. This process is called blanching which prevents your potatoes from getting mushy.

4. How long do uncooked potatoes last in the freezer?

Uncooked potatoes may last for up to six to twelve months inside the freezer if pre-blanched and stored properly.

Conclusion

Although this article was all about refrigerating potatoes, we still recommend that the best method, by far, is to store them in a cool, dark, and dry kitchen pantry where they can easily last for up to two months. Freezing potatoes can significantly increase the formation of acrylamide which is a naturally-based compound in plant-based foods. When this gets exposed to heat while cooking, it can increase the risk of cancer. Well, that’s it for today. Let’s meet in our next article.

Leave a Comment