Like every red-blooded American, I love hash browns. Whats not to adore about a heaping plate of golden-brown, extra-crispy potatoes? The answer is nothing. Ive yet to encounter anyone who truly hates hash browns, and if I ever run into such a person, I will let you all know (and properly scold them, too). Theyre a staple of basically all worthy American breakfast menus, from bare-bones diners and fast food joints to lavish breakfast buffets and Continental spreads.
Though the awesomeness of hash browns may be a settled matter, not everyone agrees on what hash browns are. While potatoes are a must, how those spuds are cut varies wildly—for some, hash browns are a mess of precisely cubed potatoes, while others prefer oddly shaped wedges. Many diners like to cut their potatoes into half-inch-thick slices, while some fussy joints prefer to julienne them.
For me, hash browns are always made with shredded potatoes. When fried, the jumble of tangled strands forms an intricate lattice of crispy, golden-brown potato. There is a trade-off, of course—this method seems to maximize crunch at the expense of pillowy interiors. But thats a trade-off Im willing to make.
While this is the style I grew up eating, I never ate it much at home; like most people, I usually left the hard work of making hash browns to the pros behind the griddles. Fortunately, shredded hash browns are actually pretty simple to make at home.
In fact, if time is your only concern, a decent version can be cooked with a minimum of fuss. Just grate a potato on the big holes of a cheese grater, toss it in a skillet with some fat, and cook until golden. They wont be great—theyll brown unevenly and wont stay crisp for long—but they will get the job done.
First, start with the right potato. I knew I didnt want waxy potatoes, because they dont crisp up very well, and crispiness is the name of the game when youre making shredded potato hash browns. So I went with the good ol russet potato, which just loves to form crackly crusts. From there, I had a few ideas which I needed to test.
Grating and rinsing the potato will only remove some starch from the cut surfaces. Using warm or cold water in the rinse will not make any appreciable difference. However, multiple rinses or soaking will help reduce the starchiness, if so desired.
I was more of a home-fries gal, until we whipped up these bad boys. It only took a few tries but once we figured out a few key techniques, these potatoes became, in a word, addictive. We ate each batch in record time, only pausing to grab the ketchup from the fridge.
Confession: Until 2 weeks ago I was a full-on hash brown-hater. To be fair, the only hash browns I had experienced were soggy, greasy, half-raw piles of shredded potatoes sitting alongside imperfectly cooked eggs (why can no one serve a proper over-medium?) and bread so raw you could barely call it toast. I promise you there wasnt enough hot sauce in the world to make those things delicious.
Testing Different Methods for Making Shredded Hash Browns
The only thing left to do was buy a big bag of potatoes and get to work. For each one, I cooked an eight-ounce potato in one and a half tablespoons of canola oil in a nonstick skillet. Here are the six different versions I tried:
- Shred potatoes and cook in skillet.
- Shred potatoes, squeeze dry, and cook in skillet.
- Shred potatoes, rinse under water, squeeze dry, and cook in skillet.
- Shred potatoes, par-cook in microwave for two minutes, and cook in skillet.
- Shred potatoes, squeeze dry, par-cook for two minutes in microwave, and cook in skillet.
- Shred potatoes, squeeze dry, par-cook for four minutes in microwave, and cook in skillet.
Should you wash your Potatoes when making Hash Browns?
FAQ
Should I rinse shredded potatoes?
Why do you soak shredded potatoes in water?
How do you get moisture out of shredded potatoes?
What does rinsing potatoes do?
Why do I need to rinse my Potatoes?
It creates longer, more uniform strands and, believe it or not, that itsy bit more of surface area makes a difference once you add the potatoes to the pan. Rinse the potatoes. And I’m not talking about just rinsing.
Is it beneficial to soak potatoes in cold water?
Yes. Soaking potatoes in cold water before frying can have some benefits, such as: Remove the starch from the surface of the potatoes, so that they do not stick and become soft during frying; Hydrate the potatoes, improving moisture retention and leaving them soft inside and crispy outside; Prevent potatoes from browning, as cold water prevents surface oxidation.
How do you clean shredded potatoes?
Drain and rinse the grated potatoes again, and squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands. Transfer the shredded potatoes to a kitchen towel. Wring out any water you can, and press down well, drying them as much as possible. Make sure you use an actual towel here, as paper towel will not be strong enough to wring the excess water out.
Should you squeeze shredded potatoes before cooking?
Most recipes for shredded hash browns advise squeezing the potatoes to release as much liquid as possible before they’re cooked. This makes sense—potatoes are loaded with moisture, which makes browning difficult. By getting rid of excess water, you enable the potatoes to brown more evenly and quickly.