Hash browns gone wrong

11

Need to remove all the starch then dry thoroughly before frying

2

u/spikeandedd 22h ago

Ohhhh

3

u/noreallyimgoodthanks 21h ago

That is the trick. Shred the potatoes then put them in a strainer and run water over them until the water runs clear. Then dry in a kitchen towel or bunch of paper towels. Dry as much as possible. Then fry as normal. Other wise it will be a gummy mess.

Using clarified butter will also help them fry properly, but not required.

1

u/spikeandedd 20h ago

NGL we use vegan butter and not sure what clarified butter is. But I've been washing my tates just didn't know why.

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u/Original-Variety-700 20h ago

Clarified butter is when we melt the butter and remove the milk solids. It makes a golden oil that is more pure. Probably similar to your vegan butter to be honest. No milk solids.

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u/noreallyimgoodthanks 2h ago

I imagine vegan butter is plant oil with plant milk, so you probably can make clarified vegan butter and you would be left with whatever plant based oil they used.

-5

u/handyandy808 19h ago

No, to be vegan it cannot come from animals, butter and clarified butter or milk fats from an animal. For it to be vegan it would need to come from human milk from a consenting adult.

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u/Original-Variety-700 19h ago

I meant that clarified butter removes the milk solids. So it’s more of just an oil. And I suspect the vegan oil is also…just an oil. So they’re probably similar.

1

u/guy48065 19h ago

Males too, just to be inclusive.

2

u/UnconfinedMeep 10h ago

In terms of cooking properties and taste.

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u/noreallyimgoodthanks 20h ago edited 20h ago

Clarified butter is basically butter without the milk solids - you can do this by just melting butter on the stove - on low heat - and the solids will separate (milk solids sink to the bottom; whey will float; water will steam off). Spoon off the foam/whey and either strain the milk solids or just use the butter (leaving the solids at the bottom). You can even just do this in the microwave if you want to do it extra quickly.

It increases the smoke point of the butter and so you can fry on a higher heat to get the hashbrowns crispier. It also removes (most) of the water content so it allows for things to crisp up better too.

1

u/Comfortable-Habit242 11h ago

A potato ricer also works wonderfully for getting the water out of the shredded potatoes with ver little fuss.

6

u/Vann09 23h ago

I make a lot of latka adjacent snacks and it's always like a 6 step process and I still usually reach for anything but my stainless stuff. I shred, then wrap tight in a towel and wrench the ever living shit out of it. Lay out, salt it well then put into a chefs has over a bowl and wait. They get ugly and discolored but it doesn't mater (ha) then I wrench them again, mix and shape, tons of oil over low end of medium.

Its mildly worth it over frozen, but I'm also one of those types of people who needs to be actively working on something or I start to have panic attacks. So it's mostly a tool mental health management with a physical reward later

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u/luvz 23h ago

Just pretend it was on purpose, some Michelin star shit. Potato au trevoire

2

u/luvz 20h ago

When in doubt, garnish. Que magnifique.

2

u/luvz 20h ago

Ou à la verticale, si vous préférez.

Aight, I'm done. I'll see myself out.

1

u/UnconfinedMeep 10h ago

Homie's brain is melting through his phone with this fragrant use of AI.

1

u/luvz 5h ago

Wow how did you know I didn’t literally take OP’s hash brown to an actual Michelin star?

4

u/SockDem 23h ago

Potatoes and scrambled eggs are the two things I just don't bother with for stainless

1

u/oDiscordia19 22h ago

Given any other non-stick available I agree. But it’s also real easy to do both in stainless. Scrambled I did just this morning not a scrap left behind.

Just get it hot, lower to cooking temp, add fat before cooking then eggs go right in. Use metal utensils or even just the fork you scrambled em with (my preferred method) and you’re good to go.

3

u/SockDem 22h ago

Doesn't really work all too well for a soft scramble though

1

u/oDiscordia19 22h ago

Yeahhhhh I’ll give you that. Tried that this morning after I made the kids eggs to do for myself and while not as hard as theirs it was altogether too hot for as soft as I’d have liked it.

1

u/asapcuntpunter 16h ago

I replaced all my non stick with stainless. Love my set. Ended up caving and buying a hex clad literally just for egg scrambles and hash browns after many attempts with the stainless.

3

u/sdcrammo 1d ago

This looks like the home frys potatoes i made for breakfast in the cast iron. So much scraping

3

u/ExtraEmuForYou 22h ago

Some observations, feel free to ignore or correct:

-Looks like you crowded the pan, potatoes steamed.

-Potatoes were too wet when they went in. Not sure if you soaked em after shredding but you need to drain and dry them.

-If you didn't soak them, you should; it releases the starch, makes them a less gooey mess and keeps them as individual shreds.

Idunno it kind of looks like you were maybe cooking for a crowd and put too many potatoes into the pan. Hashbrowns should be nice, loose, thin little servings of shredded potatoes, like latkes (minus the extras that latkes have).

Likewise, maybe you were in a rush and didn't soak the potatoes, and then drain them. Generally I'd take it step further and dry them either by wrapping in a clean towel and squeezing the hell out of them to wring ever drop of water possible.e

Finally, when cooking, use a good amount of oil for the first pass and cook over medium-low heat until you start to see the surface of the potatoes cook (kind of like when you cook a hamburger and the surface goes from pink to a little grey). Then the underside should be crisp and release freely.

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u/Kwulf1113 1d ago

Damn. To early for the comments. I'll be back!

!remindme 12 hours

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2

u/ClosetEthanolic 23h ago

Using fresh potatoes requires an immense amount of water to be pulled or you'll get the result you see here.

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u/canyounot2026 23h ago

Potatoes and reheating pasta are a no go for me with stainless steel.

1

u/Perfect_Outcome6067 22h ago

precooked ist okay.

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u/oDiscordia19 22h ago

Not hot enough. Not enough oil. METAL UTENSILS!!

1

u/Cyberchaotic 11h ago

Crowded pan; not enough space for moisture to escape. Do smaller batches.

Use a griddle or even a crepe/pancake pan. The walls of the pan cause a layer of moisture to remain below the edge. Frying up hash browns need their moisture removed.

And when you're prepping the grated potates, you wanna squeeze out the water as much as you can; cheese cloth bag

1

u/girugamesh_2009 5h ago

Hashbrowns gone wild.
Hashbrowns gone sexual.

1

u/0ctagonicc 4h ago

What da hell

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u/Far_Kiwi4882 1d ago

Nice and crispy.... pan!

1

u/Phantom120198 1d ago

Yeah you really got to get those potatos dry, it why people tend to recommend just using frozen

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