Hash Brown Potatoes - how to?

[firepatb]

Does anyboby know the secret of making homemade Shredded Hash Browns that taste as good as the froozen type you buy at the store? We have tried
to make them, but they don't nearly taste as good as lets saw Ore-ida style
froozen hash browns. Thank you

 

[ErikC]

The potatoes really need to be dry. Fresh potatoes often contain too much moisture to be of much use in hash browns. If you want to see just how much moisture they have, grate a potato and then squeeze the gratings over a bowl and see how much water comes out. Even then, you probably still have not removed enough water to brown them properly.

Parboiling sliced potatoes and leaving them on a tea towel may do the trick, and lightly salting them will help drawe out some water too.

Hope that helps!

 

[DramaQueen]

The potatoes really need to be dry. Fresh potatoes often contain too much moisture to be of much use in hash browns. If you want to see just how much moisture they have, grate a potato and then squeeze the gratings over a bowl and see how much water comes out. Even then, you probably still have not removed enough water to brown them properly.

Parboiling sliced potatoes and leaving them on a tea towel may do the trick, and lightly salting them will help drawe out some water too.

Hope that helps!

I bake my potatoes the day ahead, not til they're soft, but til they're still a little crisp. Cool, refrigerate then peel and shred. Erik is right about drying the potatoes completely. If they contain too much moisture they will steam instead of brown. This method gives me beautifully browned and crispy hash browns.

 

[ErikC]

Nice tip about the refrigerator! I had forgotten about that. Heston Blumenthal advised something similar for the "chips" in his episode about Fish and Chips.

The cool air in the fridge is very dry, and will remove moisture from spuds very quickly.

 

[Andy M.]

Shred the raw potato then wrap in a dish towel and twist to wring out as much water as possible. Then shape and fry in butter.

 

[Phil]

My twist...

I course,grate, a potato or two, then soak the strands in cold water about fifteen minutes. I drain and dry them on a cup towel. The frige sounds like a good idea, also. I use an iron skillet and a little oil, bacon drippings, or lard if you have it. I also use a grated onion and minced garlic, salt and pepper. I cook the potatoes half way before adding the other ingredients.

 

[George©]

Does anybody know the secret of making homemade Shredded Hash Browns that taste as good as the frozen type you buy at the store? We have tried
to make them, but they don't nearly taste as good as lets saw Ore-ida style
frozen hash browns. Thank you

What EricC said is the main reason people struggle with has brown...there is just so much moisture in potatoes.....that being said, my little recipe may sound odd, but it makes great hash browns....

The day before you want to make them, grate them up, wash them, and place them in a container full of very salty water (a brine)...let them soak in that for a day....remove them and place them in a slightly warm oven (like 200 deg) for about 10 minutes to dry them out...them, place them in a very hot, buttered skillet.....