Help wanted for making hash brown potatoes golden

[Caslon]

I have good luck with the patties. I use the toaster oven rather than heat up my oven. It comes to temperature in a matter of seconds and gives a nice crispy browned crust.

I also have used loose shredded (frozen) hash brown potatoes:

I just have some cooking spray on the pan, press them into the pan, and when the bottom is about done, put under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. It holds together and I usually cut into quarters to serve.

I can make a breakfast jack sandwich and it takes me about 6 minutes.
I know this is a cop out, but I'm gonna try and quick fry Ore-Ida pre-cooked patties. I tried Toaster Patties, they're not so good.

 

[Al Pine]

For too many years I was a cook for Denny's, Azar's, Bennigans, Days Inn,
and a few other "greasy spoon" type restaurants. In every restaurant that
I worked in, we cooked the meat and Hash Browns on a 350° griddle.
At "Denny's" we use the dehydrated Hash Browns; we would put a handful of
them on the griddle, pat them down till they were about 1" thick then pour
a little oil on them. We didn't even turn them over...until we placed them
on the plate, that way they were crispy on the top, and light and fluffy on
the bottom.

I think you will get the best results from using the dehydrated Hash Browns.
I have seen them at King Soopers (Kroger), also both Costco & Sam's Club
sell them.

Personally I never use Canola Oil for anything because of the potential
health risks it represents. I think you will get the best results by using
Butter, or there is a brand of cooking oil that was use in some of the
restaurants I worked at. It is called "Whirl". Below is a link to their
website....I think Costco may sell it too.

Stratas Foods | Whirl

Costco Business Delivery - Whirl Butter Flavor Liquid 1 gal

 

[CWS4322]

When my parents owned the restaurant, I peeled a LOT of potatoes. The ones for hash browns were left in water overnight, drained, and then grated, and then drained again/squeezed again. The patties were made, frozen, and then popped on a hot grill (the flat grill), bacon press on top. I still make hash browns this way. I have no problem re: having them brown--but DO NOT be tempted to flip them too soon.

 

[bakechef]

For too many years I was a cook for Denny's, Azar's, Bennigans, Days Inn,
and a few other "greasy spoon" type restaurants. In every restaurant that
I worked in, we cooked the meat and Hash Browns on a 350° griddle.
At "Denny's" we use the dehydrated Hash Browns; we would put a handful of
them on the griddle, pat them down till they were about 1" thick then pour
a little oil on them. We didn't even turn them over...until we placed them
on the plate, that way they were crispy on the top, and light and fluffy on
the bottom.

I think you will get the best results from using the dehydrated Hash Browns.
I have seen them at King Soopers (Kroger), also both Costco & Sam's Club
sell them.

Personally I never use Canola Oil for anything because of the potential
health risks it represents. I think you will get the best results by using
Butter, or there is a brand of cooking oil that was use in some of the
restaurants I worked at. It is called "Whirl". Below is a link to their
website....I think Costco may sell it too.

Stratas Foods | Whirl

Costco Business Delivery - Whirl Butter Flavor Liquid 1 gal

I worked in a bakery where we tossed bread cubes with Whirl, and seasonings to make croutons, it was so delicious, it was probably horribly unhealthy, lol!

 

[Addie]

For too many years I was a cook for Denny's, Azar's, Bennigans, Days Inn,
and a few other "greasy spoon" type restaurants. In every restaurant that
I worked in, we cooked the meat and Hash Browns on a 350° griddle.
At "Denny's" we use the dehydrated Hash Browns; we would put a handful of
them on the griddle, pat them down till they were about 1" thick then pour
a little oil on them. We didn't even turn them over...until we placed them
on the plate, that way they were crispy on the top, and light and fluffy on
the bottom.

I think you will get the best results from using the dehydrated Hash Browns.
I have seen them at King Soopers (Kroger), also both Costco & Sam's Club
sell them.

Personally I never use Canola Oil for anything because of the potential
health risks it represents. I think you will get the best results by using
Butter, or there is a brand of cooking oil that was use in some of the
restaurants I worked at. It is called "Whirl". Below is a link to their
website....I think Costco may sell it too.

Stratas Foods | Whirl

Costco Business Delivery - Whirl Butter Flavor Liquid 1 gal

Thank you. At last!!! A definitive answer.

 

[Caslon]

For too many years I was a cook for Denny's, Azar's, Bennigans, Days Inn,
and a few other "greasy spoon" type restaurants. In every restaurant that
I worked in, we cooked the meat and Hash Browns on a 350° griddle.
At "Denny's" we use the dehydrated Hash Browns; we would put a handful of
them on the griddle, pat them down till they were about 1" thick then pour
a little oil on them. We didn't even turn them over...until we placed them
on the plate, that way they were crispy on the top, and light and fluffy on
the bottom.

I think you will get the best results from using the dehydrated Hash Browns.
I have seen them at King Soopers (Kroger), also both Costco & Sam's Club
sell them.

Personally I never use Canola Oil for anything because of the potential
health risks it represents. I think you will get the best results by using
Butter, or there is a brand of cooking oil that was use in some of the
restaurants I worked at. It is called "Whirl". Below is a link to their
website....I think Costco may sell it too.

Stratas Foods | Whirl

Costco Business Delivery - Whirl Butter Flavor Liquid 1 gal

Frozen Ore-Ida hash browns in a bag isn't what to buy? Never seen diner hash browns weighted down.
Probably not a bad idea for home cooked hash browns.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Personally I never use Canola Oil for anything because of the potential health risks it represents. I think you will get the best results by using Butter, or there is a brand of cooking oil that was use in some of the restaurants I worked at. It is called "Whirl".

I always cringe when I see someone write about the "potential health risks" of Canola Oil. You may want to look into this a little more. Here's an article of interest at snopes.com (an urban legend website) that debunks a lot of nonsense that has been going around the internet. As far as vegetable oils go, Canola is actually pretty healthy and people have been using it for centuries. It has a lower percentage of saturated fat than any other oil, and a much better omega 3 to 6 ratio than even olive oil. It's just not suitable for high temperature frying.

When it comes to potential health risks, I would be far more worried about using a product like Whirl, which is made from high oleic sunflower and also contains artificial butter flavor. Sunflower oil (even the high oleic variety) is a known inflammatory agent, meaning that consuming too much of it may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

One point I will agree with you on is that butter will probably give the best results for golden hash browns.

 

[jennyema]

I decided to make some HBs for lunch. I grated a russet potato and wrung it dry by twisting it in a towel (as seen on TV). I pre-heated a non-stick skillet and added a pat of butter. Then the potatoes went in with some salt and pepper over medium heat. Topped that with my ridged bacon press. The ridges applied uneven pressure, causing the potato to brown unevenly but you can see they are brown and I can attest they were crispy. The sausages were good too.

Hahahaha!

I made them for lunch yesterday too!!!! This thread started my jonesing for them.

I used the frozen kind, smart balance and a cast iron skillet. Added onion. They were delicious !

 

[Andy M.]

Hahahaha!

I made them for lunch yesterday too!!!! This thread started my jonesing for them.

I used the frozen kind, smart balance and a cast iron skillet. Added onion. They were delicious !

Great minds think alike!

 

[Al Pine]

I always cringe when I see someone write about the "potential health risks" of Canola Oil. You may want to look into this a little more. Here's an article of interest at snopes.com (an urban legend website) that debunks a lot of nonsense that has been going around the internet. As far as vegetable oils go, Canola is actually pretty healthy and people have been using it for centuries. It has a lower percentage of saturated fat than any other oil, and a much better omega 3 to 6 ratio than even olive oil. It's just not suitable for high temperature frying.

When it comes to potential health risks, I would be far more worried about using a product like Whirl, which is made from high oleic sunflower and also contains artificial butter flavor. Sunflower oil (even the high oleic variety) is a known inflammatory agent, meaning that consuming too much of it may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

One point I will agree with you on is that butter will probably give the best results for golden hash browns.

People have NOT been using Canola Oil for centuries.....Canola Oil
did not exist until 1968.

I should have been more specific....I don't buy into the "Scary Stories"
people post on the Internet about Canola Oil, or any other product.
What I was referring to is that Canola Oil was originally too acidic, and
therefore too dangerous to be used for Human consumption. Eventually
scientists were able to breed the "Rapeseed" plant into the "Canola" plant
and finally reduce the level of Acidity to what was considered "safe" for
humans.....(maybe it is safe, maybe it isn't...there are other oils to choose
from that are safe; so why take any risk with the Canola Oil?)

In addition Monsanto has genetically modified the seed for the "Canola
Plant" and holds a patent for it. PERSONALLY.....I am not yet convinced
that Genetically modified foods are safe for humans to eat. This is the
primary reason why I do not use Canola Oil. The majority of the crop
that is grown uses the genetically modified seed owned by Monsanto.

There are also concerns about the "possible" harm that genetically modified
crops may do to the environment.
If you want to use Canola Oil....that's OK. Everybody has the right to use,
or not use it.
You can do a search for.....Monsanto canola oil...and also for...genetically
modified foods....as there are other genetically modified foods out there
as well.

As far as the product "Whirl" is concerned....it was made for, and is used
by Restaurants and the food service industry. I think it is pretty much
safe to assume that any product that is made for the food service
industry was not made to be a "health" type of product. Most likely it was
intended to be cost effective, and taste good.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I always cringe when I see someone write about the "potential health risks" of Canola Oil.

I too scoff that there is any health risk of using Canola oil than any other commonly used cooking oils.

 

[Steve Kroll]

People have NOT been using Canola Oil for centuries.....Canola Oil
did not exist until 1968.

Canola is Rapeseed oil. Rape (from the Latin "Rapa") is a type of turnip. The phrase "Canola" was invented in Canada, not the oil itself.

According to Purdue University, "Rapeseed has been important to Europe since the 13th century as a source of food and oil for fuel." It's not all genetically engineered. The lower erucic acid varieties available today were first bred in the field - not the lab - using traditional plant breeding techniques.

About half of the Canola oil today comes from genetically engineered crops. But the same goes for soy and corn. And no, I don't buy GMO, either. Certified organic non-GMO Canola Oil is the only kind I use.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I didn't know about the GMO stuff. There's a reason I would avoid using something, just because I'm not convinced GMO food is safe.

 

[Andy M.]

Like it or not, we all eat genetically engineered foods every day and have been for quite some time. Remember the story of Luther Burbank from school??

A few centuries ago, ears of corn were a couple of inches long and they were modified to be much sweeter and as big as we see them today. People buy heirloom tomatoes because modern tomatoes have been bred to be different (and not as good). Pigs have been bred to have leaner meat than before. Chickens and turkeys have been bred to produce larger breasts so for more white meat. Nectarines and Meyer lemons are genetically modified. The list goes on.

Canola oil comes from a modified rapeseed plant that produces a neutral oil with more healthful properties. There is nothing harmful about it. Why is it important who own the patent to the seeds?

There are all sorts of quasi-legitimate websites that have been created with the specific purpose of turning you off to a product. Typically, these sites are created by the product's competitions (think corn oil manufacturers) to keep you from switching to another product.

If you decide to avoid canola oil "Just to be on the safe side". You have been manipulated and they have succeeded in their purpose.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I didn't know about the GMO stuff. There's a reason I would avoid using something, just because I'm not convinced GMO food is safe.

If you use Canola Oil, one brand you might want to look at is Spectrum. They make an organic product that is non-GMO.

 

[Steve Kroll]

A few centuries ago, ears of corn were a couple of inches long and they were modified to be much sweeter and as big as we see them today. People buy heirloom tomatoes because modern tomatoes have been bred to be different (and not as good). Pigs have been bred to have leaner meat than before. Chickens and turkeys have been bred to produce larger breasts so for more white meat. Nectarines and Meyer lemons are genetically modified. The list goes on.

Andy, the difference I see here is that all of these food items were created by using selective breeding. That's not too far removed from what mother nature does. What Monsanto (and other Frankenfood corporations) have done is used gene splicing techniques in the laboratory to introduce foreign DNA to plants at the molecular level. For example, they've created plant species that are resistant to RoundUp or poisonous to certain insects. I don't think that's what Luther Burbank had in mind.

 

[Andy M.]

Different goals same process. The real difference is that it can be done much faster now and with fewer errors.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Andy, the difference I see here is that all of these food items were created by using selective breeding. That's not too far removed from what mother nature does. What Monsanto (and other Frankenfood corporations) have done is used gene splicing techniques in the laboratory to introduce foreign DNA to plants at the molecular level. For example, they've created plant species that are resistant to RoundUp or poisonous to certain insects. I don't think that's what Luther Burbank had in mind.

I have no problem with selective breeding.

Different goals same process. The real difference is that it can be done much faster now and with fewer errors.

The problem I have is when foreign DNA from other species are inserted into food crops. For example, insect DNA inserted into plant crops. I'm sure there's plenty of other better examples. Maybe most of the GMO examples are fairly sane things but my problem is when things not related to the crop species are inserted. I don't believe testing has reached the point of complete certainty that GMO crops are safe. I don't believe that science has reached that level of ultimate certainty.


I cook mostly using Olive oil and/or butter. I've been using Canola oil for frying, sometimes Peanut oil. I'm thinking maybe I'll switch from using Canola to Peanut. I probably won't be surprised if somebody tells me my Olive and Peanut are GMO too.

Sorry folks, I just don't want to use GMO stuff. And yes, I accept there's probably lots of GMO stuff in my diet that I don't even know about. That bothers me. Unfortunately you can't just quit eating.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I cook mostly using Olive oil and/or butter. I've been using Canola oil for frying, sometimes Peanut oil. I'm thinking maybe I'll switch from using Canola to Peanut. I probably won't be surprised if somebody tells me my Olive and Peanut are GMO too.

Not to my knowledge. But why not just use organic Canola oil? It's not GMO.

Peanut oil has some issues as well. It contains a great deal of saturated fat, and is very omega-6 heavy (omega-6 fatty acids are the ones that promote blood clotting). A single tablespoon of peanut oil contains 4 grams of omega-6 and virtually no omega-3.

 

[Andy M.]

Not to my knowledge. But why not just use organic Canola oil? It's not GMO.

Peanut oil has some issues as well. It contains a great deal of saturated fat, and is very omega-6 heavy (omega-6 fatty acids are the ones that promote blood clotting). A single tablespoon of peanut oil contains 4 grams of omega-6 and virtually no omega-3.

I don't fry in canola anymore because I sometimes get an off odor when I do. Smells of fish.