Rinsing removes the surface starch, causing the hashbrowns to brown spottily and not cohere very well. The final hashbrowns end up looking like this instead of this.
I’d bet the first pic didn’t have enough fat, not an rinsing issue.
I disagree.
I agree. My hashbrowns are evenly browned and crispy, and they hold together. Before I started rinsing them, the insides came out gooey.
I should clarity–for hash browns, you really should only need to flip once, but if one side is not quite as done as you’d like it, it’s fine to flip back. With hamburgers and steaks, flipping many times is one acceptable method for getting a good exterior, and some argue better. I’m usually too lazy to do the many flip method, but it works, and the idea that you only flip a burger or steak once is one of many food myths.
I didn’t know you could do this. Do you just put the plates in set the timer for 1 min? Does it really work?
Yep. Just vary the time based on the size and weight of your plates. I suppose that some plates may break; but consider that you heat stuff on plates all the time in the microwave oven and they don’t break.
We have some large, heavy bowls. These particular bowls get very hot very quickly. When we heat them, it’s usually for 30 seconds. Forty-five seconds can make them too hot to handle.
If it’s Saturday, it must be hashbrowns.
This morning Mrs. L.A. said, ‘Yep. Your hashbrowns are better than at the restaurants.’ 
We are switching back to hashbrowns for our fry-ups instead of chips. Just can’t get the requisite crispness on the chips without breaking out the fryer. So next time it will be eggs, hashbrowns, beans, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms. All with HP sauce and a Hawaiian Screwdriver.
Sounds good, I’m going to try this. I like breakfast any time of day. The microwave trick sounds handy too of course.
LOL!! Wha?!?
One of my all time favorite meals is just two poached eggs over buttered toast, or crispy English muffin. The runny yolk part is what makes it so good.
They go well with hash browns as well, sausage gravy, and a few dashes of hot sauce, and buckets of hot coffee. Maybe I should have been a long haul Trucker!
Silenus, despite all his otherwise unassailable opinions about food (especially when it comes to chili, hot sauce, and barbecue), has weird ideas about eggs, so don’t count it against him. None of us are perfect.
Add just a little water. Microwaving the diced potatoes first lets you put the potatoes and onions into the grease at the same time without fear of burning the onions.
You have the breakfast curse. We almost never go out to breakfast because mine are always much better. Although the deli down the street has a killer breakfast sandwich that she’s partial to.
Hm, too late for that part of it. They are frying now. I often use an electric skillet, but potatoes do seem to crisp better in cast iron.
Some people suggest adding cream to hash browns? I tried it a few times, the first time I used vanilla ice cream figuring that was the same thing, though with sugar. They were awesome, fluffy etc. But mostly, I’m a simple guy, trying to do a simple job.
I agree on the “cover first half” regimen, and then flip and finish uncovered.
Ice cream on hash browns–now I’ve heard everything! :eek:
And
“Betty please – pick up your ‘hash blacks.’”
No, nothing like that. There was no hint of ice cream. The idea is to smooth out the flavor I’m thinking, in the same way that milk is used when making mashed potatoes. They were excellent.
Thanks. I think.
The only time I’ve had a runny egg and liked it was at Bouchon one morning, when the waiter didn’t note my request for scrambled and brought me their pulled-pork eggs benedict with poached eggs. I was hungry so I started eating anyway. By the time he caught his error I had already dug into what was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever had. The yolk blended perfectly with the pork and made it even more unctuous, without triggering my gag reflex about runny yolks.
The cartooned hash browns mentioned above are quite acceptable in a pinch. Just squeeze them dry before cooking or you’ll be at the stove for days.
OK, they were good, but a little inconsistent. Mostly the crispy bits were crispy, but some of them were real chewy. I’m not certain if I nuked them too long? Diced them, rinsed them, dried them with a paper towel and then froze them till needed. Nuked 4:45, fried till golden brown, mostly.
So you have discovered the beauty of an egg yolk! It’s like nature’s sauce that makes everything, especially meat, taste better and richer. (Deliciously decadent on a hamburger, but sloppy as shit.) “Unctuous” is the perfect adjective.
The rinsing and drying are for the hashbrowns.
I don’t do that for ‘home fries’. You may have nuked them too long. You don’t want them cooked; only partially cooked. Freezing may also have had an effect, but I don’t freeze prepped potatoes.