How can you freeze raw potatoes in the freezer without them darkening and spoiling?

With the advent of refrigerators with spacious freezers, freezing food has become more popular than ever. Housewives freeze not only meat and fish, but also herbs, fruits, vegetables, honey, and milk. Sometimes questions appear online: is it possible to freeze raw potatoes? There's even room for it in the freezer. However, chefs do not recommend this storage method. Raw potatoes spoil at low temperatures. Its taste and structure deteriorate, and dark spots appear. Freezing potatoes is possible only after pre-treatment.

What happens to raw potatoes when frozen?

When they suggest freezing raw tubers, “experts” for some reason forget what happens to potatoes that have been exposed to subzero temperatures even for a short time. And the following happens to her:

• Like water, potatoes freeze at temperatures below 0 degrees. To be precise, the freezing point of potatoes is -1.7 degrees.
• After just a few hours at sub-zero temperatures, dark spots appear on the flesh, like apples.
• Starch, which is found in large quantities in potatoes, turns into sugar.
• The potato flesh becomes rock hard.
• When defrosting, it becomes very wet and limp.

Let us remind you that the optimal temperature for storing raw potatoes is +3+5 degrees. At lower temperatures, the vegetable freezes. The risk of fungal diseases increases sharply. At temperatures above +6+10 degrees, the tubers begin to germinate, gradually lose their elasticity, and turn green.

Can frozen potatoes be fried or cooked?

Based on the fact that freezing temperatures increase the sugar content of raw potatoes, some “experts” recommend intentionally freezing them to make sweet mashed potatoes. We hasten to debunk this myth.

Raw potatoes that have been in the freezer actually become sweeter. But other processes are also at work that affect its taste and structure. Dishes made from frozen raw potatoes are inedible.

You can fry frozen potatoes only if they have been specifically prepared: cut into pieces, soaked in water and blanched.

Is it possible to cook something else from frozen potatoes? With specific processing, yes. The product can be used to prepare French fries, baked potatoes, stews, and some other dishes. But you won’t get a tasty and homogeneous puree from it. The pieces hold their shape too well due to the fact that they contain little starch. You can boil frozen potatoes for salad or add them to soup.

Shelf life of frozen potatoes

Many people are used to frozen food being stored for months. But potatoes are an exception among them. Even if it is frozen according to all the rules, the shelf life will barely exceed 4 months. Storage duration depends on the freezer temperature.

How to freeze potatoes correctly?

Most often, potatoes are going to be sent to the freezer for one simple reason: the dish is cooked, and a few peeled tubers turned out to be unnecessary. If you don’t plan to cook anything from it in the next couple of days, it’s really worth freezing the potatoes.

How to do it right:

1. Before freezing, potatoes need to be cut into strips, slices, cubes or cubes (your choice).
2. Next, you need to soak it in a solution of sugar and salt. For 1 liter of water take 1 tbsp. spoon of one and another ingredient. Soaking time – 10-20 minutes. This treatment helps wash away excess starch, which darkens and turns into sugar when frozen.
3. The next step is blanching. While the potato pieces are soaking, you need to boil water in a saucepan. Take cold water into another pan and add ice. When everything is ready, the potatoes need to be immersed in boiling water for 5 minutes. You cannot boil it so as not to destroy the beneficial substances. After 5 minutes, drain the potatoes in a colander and place them in ice water for the same amount of time.
4. Dry the cooled potatoes with paper towels or lay them out on a clean cloth and let them dry on their own.
5. Before freezing, potatoes intended for frying are dipped in heated vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes or lightly sprinkled with flour.Then it doesn’t stick together and turns out crispy and golden.
6. It is important to freeze potatoes quickly. You need to choose the coldest compartment in the freezer and arrange the pieces in a thin layer (on a tray or special tray).
7. After 3 hours, completely hard potatoes can be poured into a thick plastic bag or plastic container. The storage container must be clean and tightly closed.

How to defrost?

Frozen potatoes are considered a semi-finished product. There is no need to defrost it before cooking. When defrosted, it softens greatly and becomes tasteless. Frozen potatoes are cooked immediately. If the product is covered with a layer of frost, you can rinse it in a sieve with cold running water and then dry it with a paper towel.

What can be cooked from frozen potatoes - 3 recipes

If potatoes have been frozen without pre-treatment, it is better not to eat them. Any dish with it will have an unpleasant aftertaste. As a last resort, you can use the preparation for making cutlets. Bright spices will overcome the unpleasant sweetness. After taking the potatoes out of the freezer, you should immediately grate them and knead the dough into cutlets. The recommended ratio with meat is 1 to 5. You also need to add 1 part of onion, an egg and a little flour to the dough.

French fries are mainly made from raw potatoes that have been frozen after being cooked.

But you can experiment a little and prepare a casserole with meat or another dish from the preparation that does not require a lot of vegetable oil.

French fries

You can buy frozen French fries in the frozen vegetable section of the supermarket. It is frozen in the same way as we described above. Cut into strips 1 cm thick.

The preparation is simple:

• In the deep fryer. You need to fill the bowl with vegetable oil so that all the potato straws are covered. You can save on oil if you fry the potatoes in small portions. The temperature on the machine should be set to 175 degrees, and when the oil warms up, place the frozen potatoes into the bowl. In 3-4 minutes the first portion will be ready. Place the fries on a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb excess fat.
• In a frying pan. First you need to heat 100 ml of vegetable oil in a frying pan. Frozen French fries are fried over medium heat in portions of 80-150 g. Stir gently several times. Frying time is 10-15 minutes. Place the finished potatoes on a napkin, otherwise they will turn out too greasy.
• In the oven. Frying frozen potatoes in the oven does not require oil. The downside is that it turns out dry. It needs to be served with sauce. The oven should be preheated to 220 degrees. Place potato strips in a thin layer on parchment. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Stir several times.

Lazy gratin with frozen potatoes and sour cream

Potatoes frozen in rings are well suited for preparing a hearty and very tasty dish.

You will need the following ingredients:

• potatoes – 500 g;
• onions – 150 g;
• sour cream – 50 g;
• water – 50 g;
• egg – 1 pc.;
• hard cheese – 100 g;
• salt, black pepper and other spices - to taste.

Recipe:

1. Prepare a filling from eggs, sour cream, water and 1 teaspoon of salt (mix).
2. Cut the onion into half rings.
3. Salt, pepper and add your favorite spices to the frozen potatoes.
4. Grease a baking dish with oil.
5. Place half the potatoes, then the onions, and then the potatoes again.
6. Pour the filling on top and sprinkle with grated cheese.
7. Cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 60 minutes.
8. Remove the foil and leave in the oven for another 20-30 minutes until golden brown.

Potatoes with chicken in a baking sleeve

Another quick and tasty dish that can be prepared from frozen potatoes, even for a holiday table.

You will need:

• 1 kg chicken thighs, legs or drumsticks;
• 2 kg frozen potatoes;
• 3 tbsp. spoons of chicken seasoning;
• 50 ml vegetable oil;
• 30 ml soy sauce (optional);
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 1 bunch of fresh herbs;
• sleeve for baking.

Recipe:

1. Mix vegetable oil, seasoning, crushed garlic and soy sauce (if available) in a bowl.
2. Place the chicken and knead it with your hands in the aromatic mixture.
3. Transfer to sleeve.
4. Add potatoes.
5. Pour the aromatic mixture into the sleeve and tie.
6. Shake slightly so that the seasoning is well distributed.
7. Bake in the oven at 230 degrees for 60 minutes.
8. When serving, sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Questions and answers

How to store peeled potatoes without freezing?

Peeled potatoes can be filled with cold water and placed in the refrigerator in the freshness zone. In such conditions it is stored for no more than 1-2 days.

Is it possible to freeze raw potatoes whole?

Yes, if it is small, the size of a walnut or a little larger. Large potatoes are not frozen, since even pre-treatment does not save them. Without cutting, it is difficult to wash off the starch and blanch the product well. When cooked, it will be tasty only on the outside, but in the middle it will be slippery and unpleasantly sweet.

Freezing raw potatoes is not a good idea. Without special treatment in the freezer, it spoils. And after blanching, the potatoes become more boiled than raw.This product can actually be stored in the freezer and used as a preparation for French fries. But you need to take into account that the shelf life of the semi-finished product is short, and is, on average, 1 month.