Step-by-step guidance explaining how to make homemade shredded hash browns from scratch perfectly every time.
I went slightly overboard perfecting this homemade hashbrowns recipe. Eating frozen hash browns wasn’t good enough for me; I needed to know how to make them from scratch and how to do so perfectly. So for about a year, I stocked up on the required simple ingredients and made them multiple times a week until I could fully understand each facet of the process.
Why did some recipes call for soaking the potatoes and others rinsing them? Is changing the water or using ice cubes really necessary? I don’t like blindly following recipes. I want to know why I am doing something so I can figure out for myself if there is a better way.
Here is what I learned:
Ingredients you will need
- Russet potatoes - Also known as baking potatoes, the best potatoes to use are russets. You cannot make crispy hash browns with waxy potatoes such as reds or yukon golds, so stick with starchy potatoes like russet potatoes.
- Salt - I like to use finer grain table salt on my hash browns, rather than kosher salt.
- Black pepper - Fresh ground pepper is best.
- Butter - Bacon grease can be substituted.
- Cooking oil - I use a high-temperature vegetable oil when cooking these, such as canola oil.
How to make homemade shredded hash browns
First thing I learned: Peel the potato only if desired. This will not affect the final dish. Some like the rustic look of potato skins in their food, others do not. Pick a side. Then shred the raw potatoes with a box grater and quickly move on to the next step to prevent oxidation.
Second thing I learned: Some recipes call for soaking the potato in ice water, while others just say to rinse the shreds. What you are actually doing here is removing the excess starch from the shreds so you get a crisper final product. Cold water prevents oxidation and if you decide to soak the potatoes changing the water will remove more starch and speed up the process. Personally, I prefer to rinse the shreds in a strainer under the faucet until the water runs clear because it is easier to tell when the objective has been accomplished. When the water runs clear I know the excess starches have been removed.
Third thing I learned: For the crispiest hash browns the stored water must be removed from the grated potatoes because you can't have the potatoes holding too much moisture. There are multiple ways to accomplish this. Personally, I like to just grab a fist full and squeeze it over the sink. However, if you are cooking for others you may want to ring it tightly in cheesecloth, paper towels, or just squeeze out the excess water in a ricer. Whatever method you choose, be sure to work in batches so the water can easily disperse. The more water that is removed, the crisper the hash brown will be. Once the water has been drained, mix in salt and pepper.
Tip: I don't recommend using a salad spinner to remove the water, you will be left with too much water in the potatoes to make crispy homemade hash browns.
Fourth thing I learned: Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat (This pan has been my main workhorse for years and I would buy it again in a second) with a mixture of enough oil and butter to coat the bottom of the nonstick skillet in a thin layer. Butter gives hash browns better flavor, but adding oil prevents the butter from burning by raising its smoke point. The fat mixture lies more thinly in the pan and also coats it more evenly which allows for more even contact with the hash.
Fifth thing I learned: Place the shredded potatoes in the hot pan and press with a spatula to flatten the shreds into an even layer, then brown the potatoes until they have crispy edges. Thinner is better as this will ensure everything cooks. If you desire healthier hash browns you can use less oil and butter, but using more fat will result in deliciously crispy hash browns.
Sixth thing I learned: Once the bottom is crispy you can use a spatula to divide the hash brown into four sections and then proceed to gingerly flip them. OR you can flip the whole thing in the pan with a quick upward flick of your wrist. Once flipped proceed to cook until the bottom is crisp.
Once you have finished cooking your homemade shredded hash browns you can serve them immediately or place them on a baking sheet in a warm oven to keep them warm while you work on additional batches of deliciously crispy potatoes.
How to make hash browns in advance
You can shred the potatoes and leave them soaking in water for a few hours until you are ready to cook. This will remove the excess starch and prevent oxidation until you are ready to cook.
I never had good results with par-cooking the hash. Blanching the potato shreds did prevent oxidation but the hash browns never stayed together when cooked and the flavor was off.
I doubt that I just spared any of you from a year-long sabbatical to fully understand the inner workings of the perfect shredded hash brown. However, if I have perhaps given one person a sense of personal satisfaction for not only following my recipe but actually understanding what they are doing and why… then I am just as happy.
How to Make Homemade Shredded Hash Browns
Equipment
- Large nonstick skillet
Ingredients
- 1 russet potato
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- Peel desired amount of skin off potato,
- Shred potato through a cheese grater or food processor.
- Rinse shreds under cold running faucet until starch has been removed.
- Drain the water and wrap clumps of shredded potato in cheesecloth or ricer and squeeze tightly to remove all excess moisture.
- Place shredded potaotes in a large bowl and mix with salt and pepper to taste.*
- Melt butter in non-skillet with oil. Place hash in hot pan on medium-high heat and press with spatula to flatten into a uniform thickness around pan.
- Once bottom is golden brown and crispy divide into four sections and flip (or keep it whole if you are able to flip it), continue cooking until it has the desired crispness.
Notes
Nutritional Information
This recipe was originally published on FoxValleyFoodie.com on June 3rd, 2012.
Steve
Did you use an infrared heat gun to measure or find the desired skillet temperature? Any advice for using clarified butter to raise the cooking temperature? How long does each side typically take to cook? We love the IHOP version of hash browns, although other places like the Waffle House elect to make the crispy version. While we love crispy hash browns, they are higher in oil than IHOP's style. Any advice on making the non-crispy hash browns like IHOP...assuming you have tried that version? Instead of running water, we used the Asian rice technique. Fill a bowl with water, stir by hand then drain and repeat until excess starch is removed; the critical step in making non-mushy hash browns (as you recommend). Did you try Alton Brown's technique for opening holes on a box grater...to make the shreds thicker? I ask technical questions only because you appear serious and dedicated a year to developing your techniques?
Charlie
Most of the previous comments were filled with things I had intended to say, but i didn't want to repeat any of those. The only thing I WILL repeat is a heartfelt THANK YOU.
Melba Myrick
My question is: Can I freeze them after cooking? I don't use many potatoes (widow) but buy the bag as its less expensive.
As I have quite a few, thought maybe make a batch and freeze? If so, then I don't have to buy the ones at the grocery. Whats your opinion/
Fox Valley Foodie
I have never tried freezing them, so I am not sure but now I am curious. If you try it please let me know how it turns out. I would suspect it would turn out ok, though I would probably reheat them in the oven rather than the microwave (but then again I hate reheating most things in the microwave).
Mo
Nice! I do all sorts of things to my potatoes and this helped with the rinsing the strach part, thank you!
Michelle Ford-Copley
I've learned my salad spinner is an invaluable tool when making hash browns. Just run cold water over shredded raw potatoes until they run clear, shake excess water off, line salad spinner with papertowels and spin all the water out. Crispy, golden and no gray mushy gluey mess...Just like waffle housees scattered covered and smothered here, though you don't HAVE to scatter them, they will stick together if not
Ellen
I am almost 66 years old, and have never, EVER been able to prepare hash browns that turned out anything other than a gloppy, sticky, greasy mess (shame!). For some reason, this morning I got it in my head that I WAS going to find out how to make perfect, crispy hash browns. I would not want to die without having this knowledge! As my husband and I both appreciate perfectly prepared potatoes for breakfast, I naturally went on Google. Yours was the first ~ and ONLY ~ link I clicked on, much to my extreme pleasure! I'm relatively certain that the step I routinely skipped was to rinse the taters once shredded, for that made all the difference in the world. So, I shredded, rinsed well, blotted in paper towels, and poured them into the pan which was waiting with your recommended mix of butter and oil. Rather than further elaborate on my elation here, I will just send you a huge THANK YOU!! for your post here. I'll be making many, many batches of hash browns in the future, and will always say a silent "thank you" to you! I'm not on my death-bed by any means, but now, when the time comes, I can die 100% happy!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Jerry
Ellen, I'm coming up on 71 and have never had decent hash browns. Frozen were almost as bad. This works FANTASTICALLY! Likewise, I never "Cured" my fry pans. What a difference that makes. And, they ask, "Going to buy an new knife set, Don't...". I splurged and bought four and a steel. All I will ever use... This ole Dog learned a new trick!
Jerry
Donna
I'm going to try making these now. But i have lots of potatoes that i got on sale and want to make up and freeze. Any sugguestions? Would you peel, shred, wash, dry and then freeze and store? Or do you recommend cooking up the hasbrowns and then freezing them?
Joe
Good advise. I love making weekend breakfast for the family, but always use frozed HB's execpt once. The first time I made homemade hashbrowns I thought it was just peeled potatoes. I didn't rinse them. I didn't remove any water. I just shredded potatoes and threw them in a pan with oil ...I pretty much ruined that pan. Thanks again, and I'm off to the kitched.
Jane
Wish I had this information over the weekend. Tried a recipe and what a flop it was. Talk about oxidation, starch and excess liquid. Anyhow, thanks. I'll look forward to trying them again.
Yvonne
I have the same reaction to my cooking. I want to know how/why something affects the taste of the food I am cooking, especially if it's delicious. Last night I sauteed onions, cabbage and bowtie pasta (and then cooked in small amount of chicken stock) seperately and then combined at the end. ( I may add shredded carrots next time. It's an Eastern European dish. The recipes I found just asked for one to sautee onion and cabbage which I did. I've sauteed (carefully) the dry pasta before for different dishes. It adds a nice 'brownness'. We like things spicey so I may add a spash of sriracha too.
Sarah Cruickshank
You just saved my Sunday morning breakfast. Thank you!
msprissysmom
Thank you so much for this, it actually works! No more gummy/sticky hash browns for me ever again. Been making the potato pancakes, cause I never could get those hash brown correct.
Jesse Short
Just followed your recipe and my hash browns turned out PERFECT! It was my first time ever cooking hash browns. Thank you so much for sharing. Can't wait to make them for friends. Had them with pan fried flat iron steaks and eggs....ummm! J.S.
Jeannie
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I've always hated that my homemade hash browns turned a yucky grey when I put them in the pan. Now I understand the process and I'm gonna go make some.
kimberly
I laud your efforts. I get obsessed as well, most recently w/ cheesecake. I use my neighbors as test subjects.
On to the hash browns. This is absolutely the best way to make them. There is a step to be saved however if you are making them immediately. The rinsing is unnecessary. I shred them w/ my box grater, give them a vigorous squeeze(removing as much water as possible is imperative), and get them into a hot pan.
I flatten them w/ spatula after seasoning w/ salt and pepper, a little garlic and red pepper flakes. This flattening of them really does aid in the crispiness. These are so crispy when done I cut them w/ a pizza cutter. Absolutely fabulous!
Sean
Your commitment to making the perfect hash, sir, is commendable! I salute the techniques you've described, and I have been, over the past several days, indulging myself completely! I now fear I may have a problem, since I can produce the perfect hash at will!
If I cannot get this under control, and have to go through some 12-Step program, please keep an eye out for a bill to your email...
Sean
😉
Bob
I've also boiled them and cooled them, this makes them firm and cold when they hit the oil. So start the oil. peel and shred the potato and cook immediately.
Some alternate ingredients:
Mushrooms
Onions
Bacon bits (real or soy)
Country gravy
Chili
Chili and cheese
Cheese (grated)
And anything else you can think of when you eat potatoes or rice
Just tired them your way and took out the water never quite understood why my boiled potatoes always came out crisper and your way is much better than mine.
Gracie
Chelsea
So happy you posted your potato experience! I'm preparing grated potatoes for tomorrow - grated potatoes with white cheddar and bread crumbs - most amazing cheesy potatoes on the planet. But as soon as they started turning pink I got worried about them! Googled some nonsense about potatoes and found your amazing post! THANK you!
Jacqui
You taught me too! I just tried out my new cuisinart griller and decided to make eggs & homemade hashbrowns. I just shredded, seasond & cooked. It was a super-gross, brownish, sticky mess. I had to get online and see what to do right away. I have another potato shredded, rinsed & soaking for when my hubby wakes up. He won't even know I'm not a hashbrown expert!
Annie
I just made hash browns the way you recommended and they were great! I just added cheese and made them yummier! Thanks for the advice. You succeeded in giving one person satisfaction in making better hash browns.
Carrie J
Thank You, It is our Anniversary and I am going to do a Surprise Breakfast and my hash browns are terrible, I see what I have been doing wrong. 😉