# Do you freeze potatoes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 16, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533 "2011-09-16T17:21:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/1 "2011-09-16T17:21:11Z")
Suppose I have 30 pounds of potatoes. (I do, in fact. 🙂 Good sale.) I have always read to avoid freezing meals that contain potatoes because the potatoes get grainy. I have _also_ always read that you can freeze mashed potatoes, and today I saw directions for home fries (parboil, add onions & peppers, and freeze). I can store these in the garage for quite a while, but I like to bulk cook when I can and am wondering if freezing mashed potatoes/home fries has worked well for anyone here? I HATE it when I freeze something and it’s not-so-great heated up. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/2 "2011-09-16T17:27:32Z")
I freeze mashed potatoes. The secret is to use cream cheese when you make them. I use the [Pioneer Woman](http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/the_meal_of_love_part_2_roasted_garlic_mashed_potatoes/) recipe. ---
**Author:** ![Implicit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Implicit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Implicit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/3 "2011-09-16T17:46:17Z")
I’ve frozen twice baked potatoes, as mentioned by ENugent the dairy in them makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/4 "2011-09-16T18:25:37Z")
I’m making the Pioneer Woman recipe even as I type. But I might eat all of it myself tonight. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/5 "2011-09-16T20:07:10Z")
When I get around to it, I shred potatoes, squeeze the moisture out after a bath in ascorbic acid/water, and freeze them. Seems to work OK – the moisture is a problem IME, though, as is the tainting of the color (hence the ascorbic/Vitamin C/whatever you want to call it). ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/6 "2011-09-17T00:43:46Z")
Thank God I have 25 pounds of potatoes left. Because I’m never, ever going to eat anything BUT PW’s mashed potatoes ever again in my life. Mmmmmmmm. Heaven. I was only able to freeze 1 quart-sized ziploc because the kids and neighbors and I ate all the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/7 "2011-09-17T13:13:13Z")
I avoid freezing anything with potatoes in it, like soups or stews, because I don’t care for the texture of the potatoes afterward. I also don’t care for the texture of frozen french fries and the like that you buy at the supermarket, and I will avoid frozen dinners that include non-mashed potato. I know that some restaurants must be using frozen fries but I haven’t noticed textural issues with them, so I don’t know what’s different between them and the supermarket & home-frozen potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/8 "2011-09-17T14:06:25Z")
I regularly freeze, left over mashed potatoes. Just regular mashed potatoes. I just don’t worry about making too many and freeze the leftovers. When I microwave to reheat, I just stop, midway and stir, microwave a bit more. Seems to work perfectly. It’s great when there is leftovers and gravy, makes for a real quick meal. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/9 "2011-09-17T15:14:31Z")
Freezing potatoes any other way than mashed has resulted, in my experience, in abject failure. Commercial potatoes, french fries and hash browns and such, are flash frozen in a process we simply can’t do at home. No problem with mashed. I make potato patties, wrap them in cellophane wrap, and take them out of the freezer and fry them in a little butter on each side (while still frozen). Never heard any complaints this way! ---
**Author:** ![Jaledin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jaledin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaledin)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-freeze-potatoes/596533/10 "2011-09-17T17:16:11Z")
I got it. Several cups of bacon, mixed with mashed potatoes – _then_ frozen. Holy shit, who wouldn’t want to eat that (except a vegetarian or a salt-sensitive person, but even then, all things in moderation)? I do swear shredded potatoes work OK in the freezer, if you have strong hands and can get all the moisture out and don’t let them turn blue from oxidation. It’s so much work I rarely do it, but you could par-bake them to get most of the moisture out of them.