Potatoes

[rodentraiser]

The thread about canned potatoes got me thinking (and I'm always dangerous when I do that - LOL).

Anyway, I have the same problem a lot of other people do. If I buy a 5 lb bag of potatoes, they go bad before I can use them all. Now I know you can freeze mashed potatoes, so what about whole potatoes?

What if I just spent a day boiling potatoes and then putting them in freezer bags and freezing them for future use? Is that possible? Would they taste OK when thawed and baked in a casserole or soup or used as mashed potatoes?

Has anyone every done something like this before?

 

[GotGarlic]

Why not buy fresh potatoes a few at a time as needed? They keep for months. I have a lot of freezer space, but I wouldn't want to fill it with potatoes.

 

[bethzaring]

I would be inclined to encourage you to eat the fresh potatoes instead of fooling with trying to freeze them. Is there an underlying problem; don't cook much, don't like potatoes? Potatoes do not last long in my house and I buy them in 10# bags. Try fried potatoes for breakfast, or hashed browns. Baked potatoes for supper or potato soup. I think people are not trying if potatoes are going bad!

 

[Dawgluver]

My mom used to buy tubs of frozen mashed potatoes along with frozen twice-baked. I've frozen them mashed in my Thanksgiving in July casserole (leftover turkey layered with everything else.)

I haven't seen frozen whole potatoes. I would mash or hash them first.

 

[GotGarlic]

I'm not saying it wouldn't work; I have frozen potato innards in my freezer right now, from making potato skins. I would freeze leftover potatoes, but since they keep well and are inexpensive, I don't see an advantage to cooking and freezing them in advance.

 

[Cheryl J]

Hi rodentraiser. It can get pretty warm in the Puget Sound area where you're from - if I buy a 5 or 10 lb. bag I have to be pretty sure I'm going to use them quick. I'm in the CA desert and have to buy them as needed during the summer months - there's no way potatoes would last more than a week, if that.

I mash some with just a little milk and doctor them up when I take them out of the freezer. I've never tried freezing whole potatoes but I don't think that would work very well, the texture would change unfavorably.

 

[RPCookin]

The thread about canned potatoes got me thinking (and I'm always dangerous when I do that - LOL).

Anyway, I have the same problem a lot of other people do. If I buy a 5 lb bag of potatoes, they go bad before I can use them all. Now I know you can freeze mashed potatoes, so what about whole potatoes?

What if I just spent a day boiling potatoes and then putting them in freezer bags and freezing them for future use? Is that possible? Would they taste OK when thawed and baked in a casserole or soup or used as mashed potatoes?

Has anyone every done something like this before?

I never buy a bag of potatoes unless I'm cooking for a crowd. I usually buy 2 or 3 potatoes at a time. I can get russets, gold, or red potatoes that way, so I'm covered for whatever use I may have in mind.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

rr, when my SIL lived in Florida, she would keep her potatoes in one of her veggies bins in the refrigerator. If you have room for them, you might want to try that. Just make sure you plan on using some of them the same day you buy them - that way you'll have less fresh ones to store.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Instead of spending a day preparing potatoes for the freezer I would do it as needed or as one step in the process of using five pounds of potatoes.

When the bag is new use some as needed fresh out of the bag, try freezing a few of the leftovers prepared for a meal and see how you like them, as you get to the bottom of the bag and the remaining potatoes need to be used up then make an effort to cook and freeze the few that remain.

I have only frozen mashed and twice baked potatoes with good results, I think that is due to the addition of high fat items like milk, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc...

I have read about freezing home prepped hash browns and french fries that have been blanched or boiled for a few minutes prior to freezing, I have never felt that the savings were worth my effort. You can get some great inexpensive frozen items for about the same price as fresh. Do a little experimenting and see what works for you.

Good luck!

 

[Aunt Bea]

and another thing!

Instead of freezing the potatoes look for ways to incorporate them into your weekly meal plan.

Along the same lines as Beth's comment above, when I was a kid growing up we always had a bowl of plain boiled potatoes, leftover mashed or baked potatoes in the refrigerator, they were viewed as a sort of convenience food that could be relied on to help get a quick meal on the table. If you boil three or four potatoes they will keep in the refrigerator for a few days and can be used to make a quick potato salad, creamed potatoes, home fries, hot German potato salad, hash, potato patties, etc...

In the beginning it may take a little thought and foodsmanship* to see the possibilities that will allow you to come up with a loose plan for the week. Think about the foods you enjoy and read some recipes then adapt those recipes to create a single serving or two using what you have on hand. Making a pound of potato salad, as an example, using a couple of leftover boiled potatoes, a hard boiled egg, celery, onion and a dab of mayo will cost pennies and be 100% better than the salad from the deli. If you don't keep celery and onions on hand then try celery seed and dehydrated onion in place of fresh.

*foodsmanship is a word I first encountered in this great little book from the 70's. http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Pinchpennys-A-Penguin-handbook/dp/0140462627 Judging from the prices on Amazon it seems to have become a cult classic, who knew!

 

[tenspeed]

I made Tuscan sausage soup with sliced potatoes and froze some - once. Freezing the potatoes changed the texture to something unrecognizable. I now use beans if any is going in the freezer.

 

[rodentraiser]

Well, it's just me and if I get a 5 lb bag, I would have to eat them all in one month or less. Probably a lot less. I got a 5 lb bag of potatoes in January and ended up tossing them at the end of the month because they were already starting to rot. And not just get soft, these were rotting. Phew!

I've never known potatoes to keep beyond a couple of weeks. They always get soft, sprout eyes, and then they get the green layer under their skin. Now I've peeled them and eaten them anyway (I peeled off all the green part), but I'm not sure how long a potato is good for after getting soft like that.

The only reason I thought this might work was because I only go to the store once a month or so and make one big shopping day (which is going to happen this Friday). I don't really plan my meals and usually only eat what I feel like having that night. The most I'll plan ahead is to take some meat out of the freezer and thaw it.

I've made mashed potatoes before and separated it into batches with meatloaf and frozen it, so if I don't feel like cooking on a particular day, I can just throw this into the oven and reheat. It's always come out fine.

Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea. *sigh*

I guess I should also add that I would really like to cut down on eating potatoes if I could. For some reason I thought it wasn't healthy eating so many of them. Besides of which, I haven't met a potato yet I can't keep from putting bacon and cheese on.

 

[GotGarlic]

Well, it's just me and if I get a 5 lb bag, I would have to eat them all in one month or less. Probably a lot less. I got a 5 lb bag of potatoes in January and ended up tossing them at the end of the month because they were already starting to rot. And not just get soft, these were rotting. Phew!

I've never known potatoes to keep beyond a couple of weeks. They always get soft, sprout eyes, and then they get the green layer under their skin. Now I've peeled them and eaten them anyway (I peeled off all the green part), but I'm not sure how long a potato is good for after getting soft like that.

It's not good for very long after it starts to soften Do you keep them in a cool, dark place? Warmth and light will cause them to sprout and turn green - that's their signal to start growing and reproducing. In the "old days," people kept potatoes and other root veggies in cool, dark cellars through the winter. People have also buried them in sand or layered them in boxes with straw. Also, keep them away from onions; storing onions and potatoes together limits the life of both of them.

The only reason I thought this might work was because I only go to the store once a month or so and make one big shopping day (which is going to happen this Friday). I don't really plan my meals and usually only eat what I feel like having that night. The most I'll plan ahead is to take some meat out of the freezer and thaw it.

I've made mashed potatoes before and separated it into batches with meatloaf and frozen it, so if I don't feel like cooking on a particular day, I can just throw this into the oven and reheat. It's always come out fine.

Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea. *sigh*

I don't think anyone said it wouldn't work, just that it may not be the best option, which of course, depends on your circumstances. We shop weekly and sometimes stop in for forgotten items during the week, so getting fresh stuff is not a problem for me.

I guess I should also add that I would really like to cut down on eating potatoes if I could. For some reason I thought it wasn't healthy eating so many of them. Besides of which, I haven't met a potato yet I can't keep from putting bacon and cheese on.

In that case, what is this thread all about?? Just kidding. Potatoes are not unhealthy unless you're diabetic, since they have a lot of carbs. If you use them in soups and stews, there are usually other veggies, chicken stock, etc., that contribute to the healthfulness of the entire meal.

Try this: Buy four potatoes, so you can have one per week this month, make sure you're storing them properly, and see how that goes. If they start to go in a couple of weeks, then you can make mash or twice-baked potatoes, etc., and freeze them then.

 

[CWS4322]

Why not grate, blanch, drain and freeze for hashbrowns? Do the same for fries/wedges/chunks for soups/stews. I have done that for hb.

 

[Kayelle]

I made Tuscan sausage soup with sliced potatoes and froze some - once. Freezing the potatoes changed the texture to something unrecognizable. I now use beans if any is going in the freezer.

Amen to that 10speed! What a disgusting mouth feel. I've had no luck at all with frozen potato pieces in soups or stews.

Recently someone here was trying to rescue some frozen potatoes that had frozen in his garage without luck. As someone else mentioned, if they have been mashed and mixed with fat, freezing works well.

 

[msmofet]

rr, when my SIL lived in Florida, she would keep her potatoes in one of her veggies bins in the refrigerator. If you have room for them, you might want to try that. Just make sure you plan on using some of them the same day you buy them - that way you'll have less fresh ones to store.

The problem with putting raw/uncooked potatoes in the fridge is that when they are cold the potatoes have a slightly sweet flavor after cooking in my opinion.

 

[rodentraiser]

I really don't have any dark cool place to store anything. I'm on the third floor of a brick building with a west facing window - and you should try summer in here. I swear, some days I feel like I'm a pizza in an oven. It doesn't help that we've had some record breaking heat for the last couple of years.

I guess I may just bite the bullet and buy a couple potatoes at a time as I need them. That means planning ahead and thinking for two minutes more a day. So if you guys see smoke coming out of my ears, that's why!

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and knowledge.

 

[creative]

Roasted, Hassleback, Fried, and More: 23 Ways to Cook Potatoes Slideshow