Ideas for freezing russet potatoes that are on the brink of going bad

[Shelby]

I have about 5 lbs of store bought russet potatoes that are on the verge of going bad.  We have cut back on eating potatoes due to health reasons which were discovered after we planted a ton of our own potatoes.  Anyway....ideas welcome.  

 

We don't eat a lot of hash browns.....

 

Can I make mashed potatoes and freeze them..I dunno.

 

 

[cdh]

Somebody I know sous vides whole sweet potatoes and then freezes them... then thaws them and does whatever he feels like with them and says they don't lose any quality.  Perhaps just bag 'em, cook 'em, and then freeze them.  

Edited July 25, 2021 by cdh (log)

[heidih]

If you are not eating many taters, and you are growing your own - my perhaps unpopular opinion is bin/compost them. Especially if they are not in prime condition. Just a couple bucks that hopefully won't keep you up at night. I do not like the frozen texture after defrost or cook. I find them watery and mealy. Sure you'll get some mre informative answers

[chromedome]

11 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I have about 5 lbs of store bought russet potatoes that are on the verge of going bad.  We have cut back on eating potatoes due to health reasons which were discovered after we planted a ton of our own potatoes.  Anyway....ideas welcome.  

 

We don't eat a lot of hash browns.....

 

Can I make mashed potatoes and freeze them..I dunno.

 

 

Mashed works, but you need to have a fair bit of fat in 'em for the texture to be passable. Lots of cream and/or butter, and perhaps even some cream cheese (I'm sure all those stabilizers and emulsifiers help). Cut and blanched for french fries works, too.

That's all I've got, but I'm sure others will weigh in.

[Darienne]

What does work fine for us is potato soup, made both à la Martha Stewart with a lot of cream  and also with no cream at all. 

[FauxPas]

Mashed potatoes can be frozen, just think of all the Hungry Man Dinners out there in Freezerland, ha. (Didn't/don't they have mashed potatoes in them?)  😀

 

You could make up something like some Shepherd's Pies (with venison?) with mashed potatoes on top and then have an easy meal to cook later on, if you have enough room in your freezer(s). 

 

I've frozen Cottage Pie before, but I can't remember if I browned the potato topping before freezing or not. I think either way will work, but you might want to allow it to thaw a bit before heating. 

 

Here's an example of one not browned in advance, but thawed before final cook. 

 

https://food.unl.edu/shepherds-pie-including-directions-freezing

Edited July 25, 2021 by FauxPas (log)

[ElsieD]

I hate peeling and cooking potatoes, but I sure like eating mashed ones.  My solution is to buy my mashed potatoes from Ikea.  They come frozen in a bag, in sort of bullet shapes, and I can take out as   much or as little as I want.  They are the real deal and we like them a lot.  If they can freeze mashed potatoes, I'd say you can too.  So I'd say cook, mash 'em up and freeze.

[Anna N]

I am of the compost bin crowd. You have said you want to reduce your consumption of potatoes so I don’t quite see the point in all the work needed to conserve these “far from peak of perfection”spuds. Ditch them. Make sure the calories you consume are the best they can be! The earth will thank you for the additional compost. 

[MokaPot]

In the potato salad thread (eGullet), @David Ross said that he successfully froze Yukon Gold potatoes. I don't know how to link individual posts, but it's on this page (page 4):

 

 

[Shelby]

Thanks so much everyone!

 

Potatoes can still be eaten....just not as many and since we have our own that we grew, the store bought got neglected.  I think I'll go through them again and throw out more and just do a cottage pie and maybe a bit of mashed to put in the freezer. Freezer space is not unlimited around here.

[TdeV]

I'm trying my hand at dehydration this season (in the Anova oven). I believe the cookbook authors recommend that one cuts the vegetables in the shapes one will use it: i.e. shredded, sliced, chips.

Tammy Gangloff (Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook) says

• Don't waste time trying to dehydrate mashed potaotes; getting the quality found in-store bought requires special commericial equipment. (She also can't get out the lumps).
• Recommends Yukon Gold or red potatoes. Doesn't recommend russets, Idahos because they do not dehydrate well.
• Says all potatoes must be cooked all the way through.
• She does have dehydrated potato recipes using shredded, sliced, chips.

[MaryIsobel]

When I make twice baked potatoes, I always make at least a dozen because they freeze well. When I mash the innards, I just use sour cream and butter - no milk or cream. Add whatever cheese we have on hand and some green onions. I guess bacon is an option too, but I don't use it. Freeze them on a cookie sheet until they're solid, then store in a container or ziplock.

Edited July 27, 2021 by MaryIsobel (log)