With basic food supplies in high demand during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s more important than ever to make full use of what we already have in our kitchens.
Rather than letting our valuable stock go off, freezing food can be a great way ensure we’re not needlessly putting more pressure of the supermarkets by saving it for a later date.
Potatoes are a staple of so many popular meals, with options for the versatile vegetable including roasting, mashing and frying – meaning they are a great ingredient to have on hand when planning meals.
But can you freeze potatoes? The good news is you can, but if you want them to remain tasty, then there’s a few steps you should follow before you throw them in your freezer.
Potatoes are high in water content, so freezing them without the correct preparation can ruin the flavour and consistency when they are cooked later down the line.
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You should begin by washing the spuds before cutting to size, or leaving them whole, depending what you plan on using them for.
You can also peel the potatoes at this stage, and if you want to freeze them with the skin on, it’s recommended you cut them as the blanching process which comes next works best when the skin isn’t forming a protective later, as reported by the Daily Express.
Next, you’ll need to blanch the potatoes to make sure they last longer in the freezer, which involves cooking them in boiling water for a few minutes.
Bring a pot of water to the boil on a high heat, and also prepare a bowl of cool water of a similar size to have on the side.
Put your potatoes into the boiling water, leaving small ones for three to five minutes, and up to ten minutes for larger, uncut spuds.
Be careful not to overfill the pan and aim for a single layer of potatoes on the bottom so they cook properly.
Once the time is up, transfer them quickly into the cool water, and leave them there for the same amount of time as they were on the boil before draining.
Place them all into a bag or container before putting them in the freezer. You should also write the date on so you know when they went in, as potatoes can be stored for a maximum of about 12 months.
