How To Dehydrate Potatoes- Everything You Need To Know

Potato is one of the many vegetables which find its use in almost every dish that we make regularly. Be it in the form of a potato casserole or chips; you need this particular starch-filled vegetable for making entrees, snacks, fries, and so on. But, these are usually prepared while using fresh potatoes harvested from the farms or your garden. However, have you ever thought of using dried potatoes in your dish? No right? Well, that’s the reason why today we will be discussing how to dehydrate potatoes in multiple ways, and how you can preserve them and then use them in your dishes. So, without wasting any more time, let’s delve into this amazing culinary conversation. 

What Are The Different Types Of Potatoes Found In The Market?

Potatoes are the best source of starch. This is because the fleshy part of the vegetable contains both monosaccharides and polysaccharide starch molecules. It has quite a high water content that you can easily see once you will cut down the vegetable in half or pieces. The best part about drying potatoes is that you can have different forms of the vegetables in your dried collection.  

So, here are some of the most common types of potatoes which are used daily for preparing the meals. 

• Red bliss potato has a reddish skin which is usually covered with a waxy substance, thereby making the peel smooth and flawless. 
• Russet potatoes are one of the famous types that are used in multiple dishes, including mashed potatoes and baked fries. 
• Another type which you will be able to incorporate in numerous dishes is the Yukon Gold potato. The main feature of this vegetable is its smooth feel and butter-like taste. 
• French fingerling is a kind of potato group where the center of the vegetable has a slight pinkish color with the rest of the periphery having the usual cream color. 
• Jewel Yam has a sweet taste which can be incorporated into both desserts and savories efficiently. 
• One of the antioxidant-rich potato groups is that of the purple majesty, which has a deep purple coloured flesh because of high anthocyanin content. 

How To Dehydrate Potatoes Efficiently?

As you now know the different forms of potatoes, let’s focus on the main topic of discussion – how to dehydrate potatoes easily at your home. Here, the main component that we will be discussing is the dehydrator. There are different ways in which you can enhance the taste of the dried vegetable easily using this device. The rest methods will describe how you can dry the potatoes without the use of a dehydrator. So, let’s find out!

How To Dry Potatoes In A Dehydrator?

A dehydrator is a special kind of machine that comes in different shapes and sizes. The best thing about getting a dehydrator is that you can dry almost anything, starting from juicy vegetables to herbs and even meat. This appliance comes with different drying settings which will allow you to dry the items under different conditions. Also, they have multiple trays which will help you to dry a bulk volume rather than a few slices like you do with the microwave oven or the regular ovens. So, let’s see how to dehydrate potatoes using this amazing device in your kitchen!

Drying Fresh Potatoes – Since fresh potatoes are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, it’s one of the most preferred ways for dehydrating potato slices for regular uses. 

• Take a bunch of fresh potatoes and then wash the skin properly so that all the dirt and bugs can be removed. You can also scrub the skin if you aren’t satisfied with the regular washing procedure. 
• Put the vegetable in a water pan and then allow it to simmer for around twenty minutes. You can put a pinch of salt if you are planning to make dried chips or fingers. 
• After boiling it for twenty minutes, take those potatoes out and place them in an ice bath which will help you to lower the temperature. After this, put them in the refrigerator and leave them overnight. This will allow you to cut the vegetable into thin slices the next day. 
• After taking out the frozen potatoes, cut them into very thin slices, maintaining an even thickness throughout. You can either peel them off or leave the skin as it is. But, we would suggest leaving the skin since it is a rich source of antioxidants and vitamins. 
• Once the slices are prepared, arrange them in single layers on the dehydrator trays. Even though the slices are thin, you cannot place two or more pieces in a stacked form on the trays since that will reduce the efficiency of drying of the appliance. 
• Put these trays inside and then turn the temperature to a hundred and twenty-five to hundred and thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Set the times to ten hours, and then leave the trays inside. 
• Once the indicator will go off, take the trays out. The dried slices can become brittle or leathery as per the time setting of the dehydrator. This is how to dehydrate potatoes with a food dehydrator.

Black Dehydrated Potatoes? Use Lemon Juice

In the method mentioned above, there is one little problem- the potato slices can become black which won’t be a desirable condition for dehydrating the slices. That’s why you need to know how to dehydrate potatoes without blackening the pieces. This can be easily done if you use the lemon juice or any other source of Vitamin C. 

• After you have washed the potato skin thoroughly and scrubbed them, dry the potatoes by patting them between kitchen towels. 
• Remove the skin properly without losing large chunks of the fleshy part inside. Once done, make thin slices of the potato such that each such piece will have a uniform width.
• After you get all the slices, put them in an ice bath. Before this, add a little amount of lemon juice depending on the volume of the potato slices. For example, if you have sliced three to four potatoes, you have to use at least a cup of lemon juice in the ice bath. 
• Place this entire pan on the oven and then simmer it for around three-four minutes. Once over, take the pan out off the heat, and then transfer the potato slices to another bowl having ice cold water and lemon juice. 
• Check the temperature of the slices periodically and wait for them to cool down. Once the slices will get their normal temperature back, start arranging them on the dehydrator tray in a single layer. Do not overcrowd them since that might alter the drying rate. 
• Set the temperature of the dehydrator to a hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit and leave the slices for a minimum of six hours. After this set time, take the trays out and check whether the slices have hardened or not. If you feel a little amount of softness in the flesh, put the trays back for another couple of hours till they get hardened and you get the dried potatoes. 

Why You Need To Blanch Potatoes Before Dehydrating Them?

Blanching potatoes and then dehydrating them – If you want to know how to dehydrate potatoes while helping them to retain the white, cream color, then you need to learn about blanching the vegetable and then using the dehydrator. 

• While washing the potatoes properly under the cold water, use a scrubber to ensure that you are cleaning the skin and removing all the dirt and bugs. Since potatoes are grown under the soil, there are high chances that the skin will have some soil on it, 
• Once the vegetable is washed, you can peel off the skin or leave them as it is. But, if you want to enjoy the nutritional value of the vegetable completely, it will be better to leave the skin. Cut the potatoes into thin slices which will make it easier for dehydrating potatoes. 
• Do not leave the slices out in the open since that can trigger rapid oxidation and turn the flesh brown in color. Once you are finished with a single potato, place them into a water bowl and then move onto the next piece. 
• When all the potatoes are cut and placed in the water, switch on the gas and allow it to boil for at least five minutes. Using a fork, check whether the potatoes are crumbling or breaking. If yes, take the bowl out of the heat and leave it for about a minute. This is the process of blanching where you make vegetables soft using boiling water. 
• Now, strain the water and then take out the potato slices off the strainer. Carefully place the slices on the dehydrating tray without breaking them off. Place them in a single layer so that they can get dried effectively without any hassle. 
• Put the trays inside and turn the temperature to a hundred and twenty-five degrees to a hundred and thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the timer to six hours minimum since that is the time it will take to dehydrate the potato slices. 
• Once the alarm will go off, take the trays out and check whether the slices have become hard or not. If some of them are still soft, separate those slices, arrange them on the trays, and again put them inside the appliance for making dried potato slices. 

Making Hash Browns Using Dehydrated Potatoes

If you are in love with hash browns, you can easily use these tips on how to dehydrate potatoes easily for making hash browns. Let us talk about dehydrating potatoes for hash browns.

• Frozen hash browns are easily available in the market in the packet form. Either you can use them, or you can prepare the hash brown batter in your home, and then put them into a desirable shape and freeze them overnight. Sometimes, homemade hash browns take longer to get frozen. So, check the hardness of the pieces if you are not using the packet form. 
• Once the hash browns have become hard, you can take them out of the freezer. Directly place those on the dehydrator trays and then put those inside the appliance. 
• You have to set the temperature to around a hundred and twenty-five to hundred and thirty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Also, set the timer to six to fourteen hours depending on the thickness of the hash browns. 
• Once the timer will go off, take those pieces out and check whether they have become brittle or not. If not, you might have to place them inside once again and then re-do the dehydration process for a couple of hours to make the perfect dehydrating hash browns. 

Also Read: 5 Innovative Ways To Cook Potatoes With No Onion And No Garlic

Drying Shredded Potatoes 

You have learned how to make dehydrated sliced potatoes in the previous steps. But, now you will learn how to dehydrate potatoes in a shredded form. This actually enhances the versatility of the dried vegetable, thereby helping you to use the shredded pieces for different purposes. 

• Use a cheese shredder, or a food processor to prepare the shredded potatoes. The thickness of each such shredded piece will depend on you and hence, choose the shredder correctly. Also, make sure that the surfaces of the shredded potatoes are smooth, which will make the dried shreds tastier and better. 
• Before shedding, do not keep the skin on the flesh. Use a peeler to remove the skin and then shred it using the device you have in your home. Place the shredded potato in ice-cold water for about a couple of minutes. 
• If the trays of the dehydrator are in rack style, you will have to place a brown paper or a paper towel over the surface so that the shredded potatoes don’t fall off. 
• Insert the tray into the dehydrator. To learn about the temperature and time for how to dehydrate potatoes in the shredded form, you can read the dehydrator’s guidelines. Usually, the time taken is much less as compared to drying the potato slices, and hence be very careful about the hours for which you are leaving the shreds inside. 
• Also, unlike in the slices, you can pile up the shredded potatoes easily at a single spot, and this won’t harm your dehydrating procedure by any means. 

How To Dehydrate Potatoes Without A Dehydrator?

If you do not have a dehydrator machine in your home, you can try out any of these following methods for dehydrating potatoes raw at your home. 

• You can make sun-dried potatoes by placing the thinly cut slices into the lemon juice first and then arranging them on a tray and placing them directly under the sun. 
• You can use an oven to dry the slices while making sure that you are aware of the correct temperature and time for the drying process. 
• The microwave oven will shorten the time limit of drying the potatoes, but you won’t be able to dry a bulk volume at a time. 
• Another way for drying the slices is by placing them in an oven toaster and then leaving them as it is with a slightly ajar door. 

Also Read: Best Potato Peelers And Scrapers For Your Kitchen

How Can You Preserve Dried Potatoes?

Since now you know about the various processes of how to dehydrate potatoes, you need to learn about the preservation way also. After all, unless you are preserving them right, all your efforts of drying them will go into vain. So, use a canned jar or an airtight container to keep the slices or the dried shreds. An airtight container will be best since it wouldn’t allow the humidity to come in contact with the potato, thereby preventing the starch from getting oxidized. Also, the dried pieces won’t get contaminated if you are using an airtight container. 

In What Dishes You Can Use The Dehydrated Potato?

Lastly, after learning about how to dehydrate potatoes, it’s time to know what dishes you can use them. So, here are some ideas we have picked from around the world to help you with your culinary skills. 

• Pork loin soup with dried potato slices sauteed in olive oil and pepper
• Sliced potato and corn soup
• Homemade Pringles with dried sliced chips
• Dried blanched slices in a burger
• Dried hash brown to make skillet pork hash
• Tenderloin roulade with dried potato stuffing and cheese
• Shepherd’s pie with dried potato shreds
• Dried shredded potato in mac n cheese
• Hash brown dried soup with sausage slices
• Sauteed dried potato meal with ham and pepperoni
• Sheet pan-grilled potato dried slice with olive oil and mixed herbs.
• Sali or aloo lachcha

Conclusion 

We can say that if you know how to dehydrate potatoes, you can increase your food collection stocks easily. This will help you not only in preserving the various versions of potato-like russet or the purple delight but also you can use either the dried slices or the dried shreds anytime. So, start reading this guide and choose the most convenient drying way for your homemade collection.