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Potatoes are great. There’s no question about that. Whatever the issues, there’s no problem too big that it can’t be solved with a generous helping of carbs.
As you probably already know, raw potatoes are perfectly safe to be frozen. That’s why there’s such a large portion of the freezer aisle dedicated to frozen fries and other varieties of this vegetable. But what about cooked potatoes? Can they be frozen?
In broad terms, the answer is yes. And one very popular type of cooked potato is, of course, the boiled potato. This type of potato makes the perfect addition to any meal and is a much healthier option than some of the other forms of potatoes that exist.
But can you freeze them?
Yes, you can, and we’re going to tell you how. So if you have boiled potatoes left over from a meal, keep on reading to find out how you can preserve them for future use.
How to Freeze Boiled Potatoes
As we have established, you can freeze boiled potatoes, and it is perfectly safe to do so. In fact, not only is it safe, but it is actually easy to do, and a great way to reduce household waste. So let’s take a look at what you need to do.
Well, to begin with, the first thing you need to do is prepare the potatoes for boiling. To do this, you should take your potatoes and a soft brush, and scrub them under cool running water to remove any dirt.
You should then peel the potatoes to remove any eyes or bruising, and then chop them if you have chosen to use larger potatoes. If you are using a smaller type of potato, then they are ready to boil.
You should follow the same method that you would usually complete to cook boiled potatoes, and then leave them to cool.
Once your potatoes are cooked, you should give them an ice bath to cool them down more rapidly. You should dry the potatoes, then lay them out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Spread the potatoes out across the tray and then lay the tray flat in the freezer for approximately 2 hours. Once the potatoes have frozen, you can then remove the tray from the freezer and transfer the frozen potatoes into a freezer-safe, airtight container.
This extra step might seem pointless, but it prevents the potatoes from sticking together in the freezing process and makes them easier to use when you want to eat them.
After you have filled the container with the potatoes, you should add a label to the lid of the container with the date of freezing clearly written upon it. Seal the container and then place it in the freezer ready for when you want to use the potatoes in the future.
Read:
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Can You Freeze Boiled Eggs?
Can You Freeze Rice?
Can You Freeze Chili?
How to Defrost Boiled Potatoes
While raw potatoes have a fairly long shelf life, once you boil potatoes you will be lucky if they last a week before they go bad.
Boiled potatoes can grow monotonous and you might not fancy eating them more than once in a single week, but that’s okay because you can freeze the leftovers to avoid waste.
Once frozen, boiled potatoes can keep for up to 4 months in the freezer. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how you defrost your potatoes when you are ready to eat them.
Like with many foods that can be frozen, defrosting boiled potatoes is incredibly easy. All you need to do is take the container of potatoes that you froze earlier out of the freezer and transfer them into the fridge.
You should do this the night before you want to use the potatoes as it can take several hours for the potatoes to thaw in this way.
Alternatively, if you decide to chop the potatoes before freezing then you do not need to thaw the potatoes, you can simply cook them immediately.
Once the potatoes have thawed, you should add them to a dish that is almost finished cooking. You do not want to cook the potatoes for an excessive amount of time as this can cause them to be soggy, so you should add them in late enough so that they have time to heat through, but not to turn into mush.
Once heated, your potatoes are then ready to enjoy.
Factors to Consider
Even though both freezing and defrosting boiled potatoes is a simple process, there are some things that you should consider before you decide to do this.
The first thing that you should consider is the fact that the consistency of the potatoes will change once they have been frozen.
The texture change is not massive, but it is big enough that you will be able to notice it, so if you are sensitive to the texture of food then this probably isn’t the best decision for you.
Alternatively, you might choose to freeze the potatoes but change the method in which you cook them after they have defrosted.
There are lots of different dishes that you can add boiled potatoes to, so if you are sensitive to changes in texture, perhaps you should add the potatoes to a dish where this will be less noticeable.
Additionally, you should consider whether or not you will chop the potatoes after boiling but before freezing. As we have mentioned, potatoes that have been chopped up do not require defrosting before being added to a dish, making them easier to use.
So if you want less hassle when you are using the boiled potatoes that you have frozen, you should consider chopping up the potatoes before you freeze them.
Summary
In short, yes, you can freeze boiled potatoes and they taste pretty good once they have been defrosted. There are some slight changes to the texture of the potatoes once they have been frozen, but nothing that is noticeable once the potatoes have been added to a recipe.
So if you cooked too many boiled potatoes, and don’t want the leftovers to go to waste, freezing is the best way to extend the shelf life of your boiled potatoes.