Sunday, January 26, 2014

Dehydrating Hash Brown Potatoes (How to dehydrate potatoes)

     If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, then you know I am a dehydrating fool.  I LOVE to dehydrate and I use my dehydrator almost every single day.  Dehydrating just makes sense to me.  Dehydrated foods last a LONG time; dehydrating is easy and fun; dehydrated foods take up less space than even home canning. 
 

 

     I usually dehydrate my potatoes into the au gratin/scalloped potato style but we love having hash browns for breakfast and use them in casseroles so I decided to start dehydrating some shredded potatoes also.  Here is how I do it:

Dehydrating Hash Brown Potatoes

    Scrub your potatoes and then peel each one.  I have four dehydrator trays so I peeled 4 large potatoes.

dehydrating potatoes, how to dehydrate and use dehydrated potatoes, drying hashbrown style potatoes, making hash brown potatoes, breakfast potatoes
I always peel potatoes with a paring knife.  I just don't like to use a potato peeler. 

   Now, shred your potatoes.  I used a cheese grater to shred mine but you can use whatever you have on hand.  Once shredded, drop the shredded potatoes into boiling water and let boil for 2 minutes.  Drain quickly and run cold water over the potatoes to cool them off and stop the cooking process.    Spread the potatoes out on your dehydrator trays.
   
dehydrating potatoes, how to dehydrate and use dehydrated potatoes, drying hashbrown style potatoes, making hash brown potatoes, breakfast potatoes
Spread the shredded potatoes out evenly on your trays.

   Turn on your dehydrator and let them dry.  It takes about 8 hours to dehydrate them completely.  I just turn the dehydrator on before I go to bed and they are ready the next morning.  You really can't "over" dehydrate them so don't worry.    Now just put the dehydrated hash browns into a baggie or mason jar and store them on your shelf.  :-)

dehydrating potatoes, how to dehydrate and use dehydrated potatoes, drying hashbrown style potatoes, making hash brown potatoes, breakfast potatoes
Ready to use.  
  
     To use these, just place the dehydrated potatoes into a bowl of really hot water (just enough water to cover the potatoes) and leave for 5-10 minutes. Use as desired.    For example, put 1 cup of dehydrated potatoes into 3 cups of boiling water.  Remove from the stove and wait 5 minutes.  At this point, your potatoes should be ready to use.  Just cook them in a greased skillet like you normally would.  Or if you are cooking them in a casserole, just put them in with the rest of the ingredients. 


Follow us on Pinterest
Follow us on Twitter
Follow our Youtube Channel
Follow us on Instagram


8 comments:

  1. I love these dehydrating ideas. Recently, I dehydrated some carrots, celery, and green pepper. I do have a question, though, do you store them in the refrigerator, freezer, or on a shelf? Patricia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I store all of my dehydrated goods on the shelf. Thanks for your question Patricia. :-)

      Delete
  2. I recently bought a dehydrator and am enjoying these posts so I can try to learn what to do. When you want to use these potatoes, do you cook them as if they were raw? What is usually the shelf life of dehydrated food? Thanks for taking the time to answer this newbie's questions. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lisa, thank you for your questions. I am more than happy to help. I edited the post and at the bottom, I clarified the directions a bit more so let me know if that helps. Also, they can store on your shelf for years and still be good. They say if you stick an oxygen absorber in the jar, it can last over 10 years. I never use oxygen absorbers for my dehydrated food and have used them up to 6 years later and they were still perfect!

      Delete
  3. Do you use the fruit leather trays or just put them on the regular trays?

    ReplyDelete

How to Make a Classic Christmas Rainbow Poke Cake

            This recipe has been around for a LONG time and to me, it never goes out of style.   It is colorful, festive, moist and utterl...