Vegetables

5 Methods of Dehydrating Potatoes at Home

dehydrating potatoes

Potatoes have always been a crowd favorite. Aside from being inexpensive, there are countless things that you can do with a potato. You can fry, mash, mix into a soup, and many more. Because of this, you may want to store potatoes for future use.

Potato storage can be quite easy. That is if you have a cool, dry, dark place. But since most of the houses now are airy, it is quite difficult to find one. So how do you store potatoes? The best alternative is to dehydrate them.



Dehydrated potatoes are the best for your slow cooking recipes, for scalloped potatoes, and for stews and casseroles. They are also perfect for your camping trips and ocean adventures. So, how do you go about the process? Below are the most common ways of dehydrating potatoes and how to store them properly for longer shelf life.

In this guide about dehydrating potatoes, the following methods are covered:

Dehydrating potatoes in a food dehydrator

  • Using fresh potatoes
  • Using fresh potatoes with lemon juice or/and vitamin C
  • Using fresh potatoes and blanching before dehydrating
  • Using frozen hash browns
  • Dehydrating shredded potatoes

Dehydrating potatoes without a food dehydrator

  • Sun drying potatoes
  • Dehydrating potatoes in the oven
  • Dehydrating potatoes in the microwave
  • Using your oven toaster

READ ALSO: 10 Amazing Benefits of Dehydrating Food



How to Dehydrate Potatoes at Home

Dehydrating potatoes in a food dehydrator

Using fresh potatoes

Fresh potatoes have higher amounts of usable vitamin A, C and some B vitamins like niacin and thiamin. They also have traces of folate and vitamin K. Essential minerals like magnesium and calcium can also be found.

Steps:

  • Wash and scrub the potatoes in your sink.
  • Place potatoes in a pan of water. There is no need to add salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
  • Put the potatoes in a bowl or container and let it cool off.
  • Once cooled off, place them in the refrigerator overnight. Putting them in the fridge will help you slice them easily into thin slices in the morning.
  • Cut them into thin slices. You may leave the skin on if you want to. Different vitamins and minerals can also be found on the potato skin.
  • Put them in your food dehydrator. Make sure that the potatoes do not overlap when placed on the dehydrator trays.
  • Set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F or as per the instructions of your dehydrator.
  • Let it dry for around 6 to 14 hours. The potatoes may be hard and brittle or leathery once fully dried.
  • This method is the most basic process for dehydrating potatoes. It is also the easiest way because of its simple preparation.

However, sometimes, the potatoes become black or darkened after drying.

Using fresh potatoes with lemon juice or/and vitamin C

One concern mentioned above is that dehydrated potatoes become black or darkened after drying.

The key to let the potatoes stay white even after drying is using lemon juice.

Others have also tried mixing a crushed vitamin C tablet instead of using lemon.

Steps:

  • Wash and scrub the potatoes in your sink.
  • Peel and cut the potatoes in slices of about ¼ of an inch. You may try using a mandolin or food processor for even and uniform slices.
  • Once peeled and cut, place them in a bowl of cold water with lemon juice.
  • Put the potatoes and water with lemon juice in a pan and bring to a boil for about 4 minutes.
  • Place the hot potatoes in ice cold water with lemon juice.
  • Once the potatoes cool off, arrange them in your food dehydrator on about 125°F until hardened.

This method will prevent your potatoes from darkening or turning black even when exposed to air for drying.

There is also no sour or lemony taste in your dehydrated potatoes after the process.

Using fresh potatoes and blanching before dehydrating

Another way to keep the potatoes white even after drying is through blanching before dehydrating.

Steps:

  • Wash and scrub the potatoes in your sink.
  • Cut them into thin slices. You may leave the skin on if you want to. You may use a mandolin or a food processor for even cuts.
  • Immediately after cutting, put them in a bowl or basin of water to prevent potatoes from turning brown because of oxidation. Usually, after about 60 to 90 seconds after cutting, potatoes already starts to turn brown.
  • Blanch the potatoes by placing them in a large pot of boiling water. Let it sit for around 4 to 5 minutes until you can easily insert a fork without crumbling the potatoes.
  • Strain the potatoes.
  • Lay the potatoes on your food dehydrator and make sure that they are not overlapping.
  • Set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F or as per the instructions of your dehydrator.
  • Let them cool down for storage.

If you do not have a lemon juice or vitamin C tablet on hand, blanching is the best alternative method to do prior to dehydrating potatoes. It even more economical compared to the previous method.

Using frozen hash browns

While it is more common to use fresh potatoes to make dehydrated ones, using frozen hash browns can make things a bit easier. You can now skip the peeling and cutting portion of the process.

Steps:

  • Drop the frozen bag of hash browns on your countertop or sink to break clumps. If clumps are still present, let the clump stay under cool running water to de-clump the hash browns.
  • Arrange the hash browns on your food dehydrator. Make sure that they do not overlap on the trays.
  • Set the temperature between 125°F and 135°F or as per the instructions of your food dehydrator.
  • Let the hash browns dry up for about 6 to 14 hours.

Dehydrated hash browns are best to use in vegetable soups and in casseroles. Just like any vegetable or fruit, you can just proceed to rehydrate your dehydrated hash browns. Once fully rehydrated, they will become plump again and you can fry them like the usual ones.

Shredded potatoes

While it is more common to cut the potatoes into thin slices, some cut the potatoes into shreds. To do this, you may use the same utensil or food processor that you use to shred your cheese.

All the other steps for dehydration are same as of the thinly cut potatoes except:

  • While thinly sliced potatoes should not overlap on the dehydrator, shredded potatoes can.
  • Shredded potatoes need lesser drying time than that of sliced ones. Therefore, if you dehydrate a mix of sliced and shredded potatoes, you will have to rotate the trays every now and then or remove the trays of the shredded ones that are already completely dry.

You may also use non-stick dehydrator sheets to prevent shredded potatoes from falling through your dehydrator trays. The non-stick sheets also keep the potato starch from sticking into the mesh part of your dehydrator trays, which makes it easier to clean after the process.

READ ALSO: Which Food Dehydrator is Right for You

Dehydrating potatoes without a food dehydrator

Dehydrating potatoes is one of the ways to store your excess without having to compromise its nutritional value. But, what are the other ways to dehydrate potatoes if you do not have a food dehydrator?

Here are some of the alternative methods for dehydrating potatoes.

Sun drying potatoes

Though there are varying outcomes for different foods, sun drying is also an effective way of dehydrating potatoes.

Simply slice the potatoes thinly and put them on a baking sheet. Leave the potatoes openly in the sunny area until they are completely dried up.

Take note that this process can take up to several days. You may also put a mesh over the food to prevent insects from getting to it.

Dehydrating potatoes in the oven

You may follow through the usual preparation of the potatoes. Then, place the potatoes into your tray with a lined sheet.

Put your oven in its lowest setting and bake the potatoes to about 6 to 8 hours.

But if 6 to 8 hours is quite long for you, you may increase the heat to about 225°F for around 2 to 4 hours. Keep the oven door slightly open. Air should circulate.

Dehydrating potatoes in the microwave

Although it may take some time, you may also use your microwave oven when dehydrating potatoes. This method is a trial and error process because microwaves can have different strength and heat.

Using your oven toaster

Prepare the potatoes just like when using a food dehydrator. Put them in your toaster using the lowest setting. Leave the oven toaster door slightly open to prevent condensation. The processing time varies so make sure to check the food on the toaster every now and then to check if they are ready or not.

Storing Dehydrated Potatoes

Canning jars are the best option to keep dehydrated potatoes for longer shelf life.

Nevertheless, any airtight container will do.

It should just keep humidity in the air from coming in contact with the dehydrated potatoes. Aside from preventing the dehydrated potatoes from being soggy and uncontaminated, it also makes it easier for you to carry during camping and other family trips.

Dehydrating potatoes is one of the best methods to store your food. It can be both fun and exciting. It can even make your home smell like cooking freshly baked potato dish. Moreover, while there are various methods to use, you may proceed to follow which one suits you best.

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