6 Potato Dishes And Ways You Can Properly Freeze Them To Avoid Blackening After Thawing

The key is to make sure you prepare the potatoes correctly before popping them in the freezer. Our compilation includes some of the most common potato dishes: french fries, mashed potatoes, stuffed potatoes, blanched potatoes, roast potatoes, and hash browns. Read on if you don't want the disappointing sight of the potatoes turning black after thawing.

1. French Fries

Method 1

• Wash, rinse, and peel the potatoes.
• Cut them into lengthwise sticks like the typical french fry.
• Blanch the potato sticks in a bowl of boiling salted water until they are slightly soft.
• On a tray sprayed with cooking spray, drain, and evenly place the blanched fries.
• Freeze the fries until solid then, put them in freezer bags to keep.

Method 2

• This method is best for mature potatoes, which have been stored for at least a month.
• After cutting the spuds into fries-shaped strips, rinse them in cold water, and drain.
• Transfer the fries onto a tray and coat them with oil.
• Bake until they turn into a very light golden shade.
• Let the fries cool and freeze them in airtight containers or bags.

Method 3

• Cut the potatoes into strips.
• Rinse in cold water, and drain thoroughly.
• Deep-fry the potato strips till they are cooked, but not browned.
• Drain the excess oil with some absorbent paper towels.
• Flash-freeze them in the deepest part of your freezer. Keep them for later use.

2. For Stuffed Potatoes

Method 1

• This method doesn't require blanching. All you have to do is prepare your twice-baked (stuffed) potatoes however you'd like.
• Place the halves on a tray evenly, and freeze. Make sure to store in tightly sealed containers and bags for later use.

To thaw: bake the frozen potatoes for 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Method 2

Halve the potatoes and bake them with their skins still on. After cooking, scoop out the potato, mash it, and put it back into the skins.Wrap these potatoes with foil or cling film and freeze. These can keep for 2 – 3 weeks.

3. Blanching and Freezing Potatoes

Method 1

Peel the potatoes and dice them into cubes of about 1-inch thickness. Blanch the potato cubes in salt and water solution for 5 minutes.Apply cooking spray on a tray and spread the cubed potatoes afterward. Let the cubes freeze. Transfer the cubes into an airtight container and seal. Place these back in the freezer.

Method 2

Clean the potatoes and peel the skin, if you prefer Boil water (about 1 gallon is needed for one pound of potatoes) Blanch the potatoes for 3 – 5 minutes, depending on their size.Take the potatoes out of the hot water and immediately transfer them into an ice-cold water bath to stop the cooking process.Transfer the potatoes to airtight containers or into Ziploc bags. Make sure to remove as much air as you can before sealing the bag. Place the bags into the freezer.

4. Mashed Potatoes

• Prepare mashed potatoes.
• Cool the mash in the refrigerator, and shape them into patties.
• Freeze the patties on a sprayed baking tray till solid.
• Transfer the mash patties into bags or containers, and save till you want to use them.

5. Roast Potatoes

Method

• Prepare the roast potatoes as you usually would.
• Let the potatoes cool then freeze them in moisture-free bags or containers.

To thaw: place the frozen mashed potatoes in a fridge for at least 7 – 8 hours.

6. For Hash Browns

Method 1

• Shred the potatoes.
• Put the grated potatoes into an ice-cold water bath.
• Blanch the potatoes in boiling water till slightly tender. Drain.
• Apply some cooking spray to a tray.
• Distribute the shredded spuds into hash brown shaped patties, place them evenly across the tray, and freeze them till they turn solid.
• Transfer the hash browns into freezer containers and bags.

Method 2

• Grate the potatoes and wash them with cold water.
• Drain the water and make hash brown patties.
• Shallow-fry till lightly browned.
• Cool and flash freeze.

Method 3

• Scrub and clean the skin of the potatoes.
• Pierce the skin of the spuds with a fork
• Bake for 1½ hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Allow the potatoes to cool, and then peel them.
• Grate/shred the potatoes and evenly spread them out on a tray.
• Freeze them in a tray till solid. Then, transfer them to freezer bags.