Plan Ahead Freezer Potatoes
I mentioned back when I made Crockpot Potatoes that I had purchased 4 – 5 lb. bags of potatoes for $1 each at a sale my local Kroger was having.
As we get closer to winter we get closer to soup and stew weather. I knew purchasing those potatoes was a good idea at the time but I was unsure of how I was going to keep those potatoes from rotting without having to make a giant batch of soup or stew.
The same day I made these taters I also prepared potatoes for the freezer to use in the future knowing I was not going to be able to use up those potatoes anytime soon. I started to wonder if buying potatoes in bulk was such a good thing.
Then I had a lightbulb moment.
I did three different things with the leftover potatoes.
First.
I peeled and sliced a few and laid the sliced on a baking sheet that I had covered in tin foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Then I drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over the pretty little taters added a bit of salt and pepper and baked in the oven on 350 for about 20 minutes. I put these aside and used them for that nights dinner.
Second.
I peeled and sliced some potatoes until I had 2 – 3 freezer bags full of slices and immediately put those in the freezer. I will use these in the future for fried in the pan or faux fried/baked potatoes.
Third.
I peeled and diced potatoes until I had 2 smaller size freezer bags full of potatoes. These will be perfect for hash or mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans). I also had 2 bags that I used for larger quartered potatoes that would be perfect for a stew.
Since freezing the potatoes I have used the sliced potatoes. I learned that you don’t thaw them prior to cooking or they will turn a little brown. I cooked them anyway and they turned out fine and the brown cooked out.
Freezing potatoes is a great idea, especially when you get an amazing deal like you did.
I hope they have a deal like that again soon!
These are some great suggestions for buying potatoes in bulk. I’m going to take your advice. I never thought of freezing potatoes before.
There are so many wonderful things you can do with potatoes! Just don’t thaw them before use – if you do, they will brown.
Great tips for freezing potatoes. It is the sort of thing I never thin about doing but clearly a very good idea.
I never really thought about doing it either because I was afraid of the browning or the mush. But I learned do not thaw prior to use. In stew or soup just drop it in frozen and when doing the crockpot freezer potato, just pop them in the oven to warm and eat right away. When we did the sliced potatoes we let them thaw before we fried them and they did turn brown, but it cooked right out. I guess because they were retaining the water. It was an interesting learning experience. My mom said my great-grandparents froze a lot of potatoes. I guess they would have to in those days.
I’ve never frozen potatoes before, I guess I’ll have to try it sometime!
My experiment worked out pretty well! I hope it works out for you too!
This is a great idea. Do you they stick together? do you put water in there? I learned after working at a restaurant that you can cut/peel potatoes and keep them fresh in the fridge for up to 2-3 days just by have them in water the whole time. That’s what I do when I cut too many but in the fridge. I would think if you put water and froze it then you would have a block but could then thaw it and they wouldn’t brown? Maybe?? Thanks for the great info though!!
For the sliced potatoes I lay them flat in the freezer bag. When I am ready to cook them I just dumped them in the fry pan with a little olive oil and cooked them up. No problems. One time I did thaw them before cooking and they did turn a little brown but once I cooked them they were fine. From what I learned the browning is caused by the water absorption (freezer ice). Cooks out when frying.
For the diced / cubed potatoes I just filled a freezer bag and when I am ready to use them I dump them in the stock pot (since I use these mostly for stew, soup, and roasted chickens. No problems here either.
With the crockpot potatoes, when their are extras we freeze those by placing the tin foil wrapped potatoes in freezer bags. When we are ready to eat them we pop them in the oven for a few minutes. This saves time because baking a potato in the oven can take at least 30 min. This only takes 3-5 min to warm and since I am usually baking anyway I just pop them in. Larger potatoes might take a few minutes longer. I have noticed a potato here and there have a little brown color but nothing major and it hasn’t caused any flavor problems.
Great tips, Chrystal! You must have had more than your fill of potato peeling though! HUGS
This is a great idea. no tonly do you save some money by buying bulk when they are on sale, but you don’t have to worry about running out of potatoes. Would it be possible to mash them first and then freeze them? Would it be better to just use the diced potatoes for this?
You can mash them first or even dice them. With the mash you may have to use a thickener when you prepare them just due to the extra water. I run in to this problem from time to time.