How To Freeze Dry Potatoes?

Introduction to Freeze Drying Potatoes

Did you know that you can actually freeze-dry your potatoes? White and sweet potatoes both are good candidates for this method. Whichever you choose to process – if you have a spare half-hour, give it a try, especially if you are the kind of person who routinely ends up with leftover mashed potatoes.

Benefits of Freeze Drying Potatoes

Not to mention, freeze-drying potatoes, including sweet and mashed, helped save space and was a quick option at mealtime! The best part is that they still resembled the normal products, and they did not change their taste or texture; all you needed was a little hot water to reconstitute it.

What You Need to Freeze Dry Potatoes

Basically, just a freeze-dryer is needed to freeze-dry potatoes. They will make the whole process much easier and faster, and you can have some shelf-stable instant mashed potatoes everywhere.

Preparing Potatoes for Freeze Drying

Place your potatoes in your machine to freeze down. First, you can cook your potatoes. If you know of a good mashed potato recipe, look it up, make it, and let it cool.

Detailed Steps to Freeze Dry Potatoes

Freezing and then freeze drying potatoes sounds complicated but it's not. The process is the same for regular, sweet, or mashed potatoes.

How to Freeze Dry Mashed Potatoes

Next spread out your cooled mashed potatoes on a clean freeze dryer tray to a depth of about ½ inch (about 1.3cm) — any thicker may inhibit the freeze drying. Set your unit to run one full cycle before checking to see if they are dry. If in doubt, add more dry time. When thoroughly dried, crumble and pack into a clean jar with oxygen absorber or into bags for longer storage time, or mylar bags for maximum time The process takes minutes for the potatoes to go from frozen to completely dry with the product expanding many fold. The reason for freeze drying is to protect against unwanted bacteria and mold producing spores.

How to Freeze Dry Sweet Potatoes

Instructions: freezing dried sweet potatoes are almost similar to the regular or mashed ones. You just have to cook the potatoes before making them dry. Just like the mashed ones.

Tips to Ensure Successful Freeze Drying

For best results, don’t press the mashed potatoes tightly into the tray. If they are too packed, the freeze dryer may not be able to get all the water out. Also, do not process more than 5 lbs of any food altogether in order to prevent ice from building up in the freeze drying machine.

Rehydrating Freeze Dried Potatoes

For water, you may use fresh water, milk, cream, half-and-half, or any other liquid stock such as chicken or vegetable stock. The liquid selected depends on the food being rehydrated.

Rehydrating Freeze Dried Mashed Potatoes

Mix with 1/2 a cup of liquid per 4 cups of mashed potatoes, dry. Make sure you split the recipe in half when you pour in the liquid so you don’t make potato soup. Taste and add more butter, salt and even sour cream if you like.

Rehydrating Freeze Dried Sweet Potatoes

And similar to mashed potatoes, you can incorporate freeze dried sweet potatoes with any liquid you choose. Hydrate them slowly and to taste.

Frequently Asked Questions about Freeze Drying Potatoes

One commonly asked question is whether potatoes can be freeze dried raw. While freeze drying raw potatoes is possible, since potatoes are white on the inside they will oxidise and turn brown without blanching first – then you won’t be motivated to eat them.

Conclusion

Potatoes that have been freeze dried, particularly in the case of starchier, drier potato varieties, make for great potato ‘leather’ free of any preservatives that can damage the potatoes. After having the potatoes dried out, slicing and reconstituting them gives you the best of both worlds – fresh-tasting instant mashed potatoes just waiting for your next meal. All you need is a freeze dryer and a steady hand.

FAQs

Can you freeze dry mashed potatoes?

Yes You can still make use of mashed potatoes by freezing-drying them to give you instant shelf-stable mashed potatoes… These items can be rehydrated by adding some hot water.

Can you freeze dry sweet potatoes?

Yes, Sweet potatoes are one type of food that are processed by method of freeze drying similarly as can usual or mashed potatoes.

How do you rehydrate freeze dried potatoes?

I’d like to add water, milk, cream, half-and-half, chicken or vegetable stock to reconstitute the freeze-dried potatoes, what’s the right amount? A: Make is gradual to not over saturate the potatoes liquid should only be added as your stirring, never all at once.