Shea Simmons
Freezing grocery items is a fantastic way to ensure they stay fresh and usable for as long as possible. No one is looking to waste food, after all, but if you’ve recently overbought potatoes, do they fall into the freezable foods category?
As it turns out, yes, you can freeze potatoes.
While the starchy vegetable might not be the first thing you think of freezing (they do have a long shelf life when stored properly), if you really want to prevent that dreaded sprouting, it’s the way to go. Plus, there’s not a lot of prep work involved.
When it comes to potato freezing, it should be done when the spud is fully or half cooked. You can’t just toss a whole, uncooked potato into your freezer. Instead, chop the potato into cubes (you can peel them if you want but it’s not required). Then, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and drop the potato cubes in to blanch them. Let them boil for three minutes if smaller and up to 10 for larger cubes.
Remove the potatoes and immediately submerge them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain the potatoes, pat them dry, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Place the sheet in the freezer for at least four hours. Then, pop them into an airtight container, and you’ve got usable frozen potatoes.
Whether you plan to make mashed potatoes galore this holiday season or just want to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your potato bulk-buying buck, your freezer can be you (and your potatoes’ best friend).
