Dehydrating Potatoes

Dehydrating potatoes is a great way to have easy-to-make food on hand at a fraction of the cost and without all the harmful chemicals.  It's also a good storable food that kids love. 

I became addicted to dehydrated hash browns a couple of years ago when I became serious about buying dehydrated food in bulk and wanted to expand my horizons beyond dehydrated green beans and carrots.

The dehydrated hash browns I bought were fantastic.  Refresh them and fry them in a pan, and they taste just as good, if not better, than the hash browns you buy in a restaurant.

The kids and I love them so much we were buying 60 pounds of dehydrated hash browns at a time, and eating through those potatoes in less than a year.  But even when bought in bulk, dehydrated hash browns are expensive, so imagine my delight when I discovered I could make my own dehydrated hash browns at a fraction of the price.

You can either make dehydrated potato slices or hash browns.  Both can be refreshed in about 15 minutes and can then be used in casseroles as well as for frying.

Getting Started

It's important to parboil your potatoes first before putting them in a dehydrator.

When dehydrating potatoes, it is essential that you parboil your potatoes whole first.   Unlike other vegetables, dehydrating potatoes raw won't work because the raw tubers turn black when exposed to oxygen over a length of time.  That's why parboiling them first is essential.

Wash your potatoes well and place them in a large pot, covering them with cold water.  Place the pot on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

 Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the burner for anywhere from five to seven minutes.

You want the potatoes to be easily stabbed by a fork, but not mushy.  The bigger the potatoes are, the more time they will need to sit in the hot water.

Then drain the potatoes and allow them to cool completely.  Store them in your refrigerator overnight so they will be easier to work with.

Dehydrating Potatoes

Either slice your cold potatoes thin or shred them with a grater.  Place the shreds on your dehydrator and allow them to dehydrate until the shreds turn yellow.  The process will generally take about six to eight hours.

Store your dehydrated potatoes in plastic ziplock freezer bags, pressing out all the air before you seal them and then store the bags in a five gallon, plastic container. 

Or better still, vacuum seal your dehydrated potatoes in mason jar.  If properly sealed, your dehydrated potatoes can last for years.

Cooking Dehydrated Potatoes

Place the dehydrated potatoes in a pan and cover them with cold water.  Allow them to sit for fifteen minutes.  Drain off any excess water and fry them as you would any hash brown.  Or use them in a casserole. 

Learn More About Dehydrating Foods

Learn More About Being Prepared

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