My mom used to make flat potato 'pancakes' just like you would flatten some gr beef to make a burger (whenever we had leftover mashed potatoes.) Then she would wrap them in waxed paper & freeze them flat. To re-use, she'd saute them in a little butter and serve them with eggs & bacon for breakfast. Delicious! Also wanted to say your freeze dried potatoes will be a great addition to any homemade soups you'd like to thicken. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Hi Rachel missed you 😊🤗 , I pray the family's well and my prayers are with you, and I agree you with on the pantry challenge we need to be responsible on it took us a lot of work to get the pantry setup and expired food still last a long time and we can also re-can them!!,you know with the war going on Ukraine effects prices and the prices are going up and people can get laid off still from the jobs ,I know it's happened to me and I had food put away for year for my children and family, so we do ,have be very responsible and be careful with these pantry challenges are going on RU-vid right now , people keep in mind a rainy day can still come,be stocked for it all right everyone take care 👍😊🌻
Thank you for filming and sharing this adventure with the rest of us. Watching the struggle you had trying to rice the cold potatoes I kept thinking how much easier it would have been to just grate or shred them with a box grater or a mandolin. Shredded potatoes can be frozen as is or dehydrated and then powdered to store with dy goods. As for longer term storage for quick meals, on another channel an elderly Italian Grandmother made fresh gnocchi with freshly boiled potatoes, but she made about three times more than she would use for that dinner that night. She then divied up the rest of the gnocchi and froze them uncooked. To cook the gnocchi you just thaw at room temp and then drop into boiling water and when they float to the surface they are done.
My self-cleaning gas oven works well on everything except the door glass. When finished, if it was extra, extra dirty, I see a little bit of ash in bottom of oven which a damp paper towel easily removes. No smell ever. However I seldom use it as it so much quicker to just put a bowl of boiling water with 2 lemons sliced in half in a 250° oven for 20 minutes. Then turn off oven, cool enough to take out the bowl and wipe oven down with damp sponge. I didn’t really believe it would work but it certainly did. Cleans just as well but saves many hours of oven usage and I don’t have to pull out from the wall because of the extreme heat. No harsh chemicals either. Just my experience.
My husband & son love home fries or French fries, so I prep mine with a mandolin slicer or chopper, soak them in salt water overnight to draw the starch out (learned that trick from seniors I used to take care of) blanch if needed, lay them out on single layer sheets in the freezer then vacuum seal them in portions. So handy on busy nights.
I am going to try this! I love homemade fries and don’t care for store bought ones. I’ve never gave it a thought to try and freeze my own! Light bulb moment 💡 I thank you for!
Thanks for holding down the fort while Rachel is away. I wonder if the oven cleaning alerted the pup’s senses like a fire and he was barking to warn/save his humans? Todd, I was curious if you would ever consider doing an educational video on cutting various meats, how to recognize the grain in the various proteins and cutting across grain or other various instructions found in preparing meat dishes? Just thought I would mention my interest since this is a year of rest for the land.
I really enjoyed how you were recording this through learning and gave all your best input. I'm thinking if you used Boiling water it might make them Less gritty, possibly they needed to be hotter, then try adding the milk and butter. It's wonderful you were able to take over and try something new and share it with everyone. I'm new to your channel but really have been enjoying it and I'm so glad I came across your channel in time for all the canuary videos this month. I've been learning a lot about canning and how to have a nice usable pantry that will be very useful for my family soon.
I soo Love you and Todd ❤. You two are awesome!! Thank you for sharing your life , your homestead journey, the failures and the WINS!! You two inspire us. THANK YOU
Becky at Acre Homestead made potato gnocchi and froze them. I thought that was a good method. I would personally make a shepherd's pie for a freezer meal with mine.
Clean oven glass with a cleaner meant for glass top stoves. Apply when glass is warm and wipe off. Sometimes you have to use a razor blade to get the tough stuff off. Works like a charm.
I always look forward to your content. When my MIL got older and found it harder to cook for herself, I used to bring her little meals I vacuumed sealed and froze for her. One of her favorites was mashed potatoes, and I would make a big pot, scooping them onto a parchment lined sheet pan into mounds, before freezing them. She loved those most of all, and those were always the first thing she dipped her fork into. Sometimes I would freeze them with gravy, or a pat of butter. Individual servings are so nice, although they do take more space in the freezer. It will be fun to see what you decide to do in the future. BTW, I own that Chef’N ricer, and it works like a charm.
I have that feature also. No my oven doesn't clean the glass either. But you can spray it with oven cleaner or rub on some wood stove glass cleaner and you should be satisfied .
Lot of great ideas. You could rice and make hash browns or potatoes cakes/patties. My self clean never cleaned the glass. Try baking soda paste with rock salt with door open. Then warm vinegar. Sit for 10 minutes and clean up. Thanks for sharing
You can also dehydrate the potatoes as either instant (powdered up) or sliced for scalloped. Great option for those of us who can't afford a freeze drier or don't have freezer space. You can also make gnochi and freeze or dehydrate that!
I have a self-cleaning oven and the glass always comes clean. I have some potatoes that I need to use and I will dehydrate and then powder them. Thank you for sharing.
Those riced potatoes remind me of hash browns, which I believe are grated raw before frying, but you could fry cooked potatoes as well. I appreciate the trial and error and success you and Rachel share with us!🥔
I worked as a young teen in an old fashioned diner. We boiled the potatoes whole, cooled, refrigerated overnight or until needed, peeled and then grated hashbrowns or American fries. Portion size bags for freezer, dehydrate, or freeze dryer. Love the reminder for potatoes. I'm using some heirloom varieties to plant again this year from last years harvest. I pluck off early eyes, multiple times, until 6 weeks before planting out for your zone. Some varieties are a few years old now. Organic potatoes are what I've continually used. God bless 🌻
I like this idea. Can u share about how long u boil the whole potatoes? Like until fork tender or not that long? I have a large amount of potatoes that need to be preserved in the next few days and I wasn't looking forward to peeling all those spuds lol. Thank u for ur info.
I think the ricer took all that energy is cuz they were cold. If they’re warm it works perfect. I’ve had one forever and makes super smooth mashed without all the water. I think dehydrated potatoes take more liquid to get the texture right. I use my self cleaning oven. I open all the windows for the dog. (And us). Sometimes the window cleans if it’s not super dirty, but I use ammonia on it and it cleans to a shine.
I would reconstitute them in a little boiling water first, let them sit a bit then finish off with hot milk and butter. It may help for a better texture.
Self cleaning does nothing to the glass. Mr. Clean magic eraser’s are the bomb!! I even use them on the outside - the stove part, it doesn’t scratch it
The glass on my oven door can be cleaned by hand as the self cleaning feature doesn't clean my glass either. You have to take the door off and lay it down. Then there are small screws on the bottom of the door that you unscrew and that lets you take off the front of the door allowing the glass to be exposed and you can clean by hand. I only learned this before Christmas when on of my burners needed replacement and the repair person did this for me for free. Is amazing how gross the inside of the door was though 😳!
Also, spray with dawn degreaser®️ or a mixture of 50:50 vinegar and dawn. Sprinkle on sodium bicarbonate and let sit overnight. I then scrape off with a razor blade ( a special one I have for cleaning glass top stoves). Rinse and reinstall the door.
The self cleaning feature on my oven doesn’t clean the glass door. While the glass was warm-not hot-I used a sponge with one scratchy side. I mixed up a lot of Dawn and a little water, dipped the sponge and I didn’t have to use the scratchy side but on the really baked on spots. It cleaned it up well!
I have the exact same stove as you have. My oven door does not come clean. I have nothing to suggest but will certainly be looking back here to see what advice you get!
Interesting video, thank you! I still like my dehydrated sliced potatoes they make awesome scalloped or au gratin dishes. I also like freezing mashed potatoes in those little mini loaf aluminum tins, it's perfect for two servings on a busy night.
Great idea! The store bought use 2 parts water to 1 part flakes. Don't know if that helps or not!! Hope all is well with the family and nothing too serious! Thanks for all the great content!
We freeze dry all the leftover mashed potatoes.. saves a step. Great video. I’ve contemplated on getting a ricer, but it just seems like a tool that’s not really necessary in my kitchen. Thanks for the video! P.S. the grit is from not letting the water hydrate the potatoes for long enough. Lots of people make the mistake of not allowing enough rehydrate time for freeze dried food. Just a suggestion. Allow more rehydrating time.
I ordered 5 lbs potatoes on grocery delivery and they brought 10 lbs! I rinsed and parbroiled a few pounds for about 8 minutes, let cool then peeled and shredded them. I formed the shreds into rectangles on a baking sheet and froze them for a couple hours, then packed the hashbrowns into gallon ziplocs. They can also be diced and frozen for frying potaotoes or even french fries.
Todd, to answer your question about the stove glass. I've been cleaning apt move outs for 20+yrs and no self cleaning oven setting doesn't really do the trick. Yes it will help out and turn food to ash. However I always have to spray Mr. Muscle oven cleaner to get it all the way clean especially the glass. Brillo soap pads and a scraper also do wonders (if you need to just get it done quickly) Hope that helps 😁 fyi your an awesome hubby to Rachel love seeing you step right in "it's ok dear I'll do the taters for ya"
I've frozen mashed potatoes as well. Only issue I find is that they give off water when thawed. I place them on paper towel or a towel to thaw. That makes them better.
I know this is an older video, but I just found your channel. For best results with reconstituting the potatoes, do what the commercial products directions list. We do not have a freeze dryer, that is on our wish list, but we do eat a lot of commercial instant potatoes. We usually do not follow the written directions exactly, but kinda wing it. We use a ratio of 2:1:1/2 with the liquid - 2 parts water, 1 part milk, 1/2 part butter, salt & pepper to taste. Bring it to a good simmer turn off heat, and slowly mix in enough potato flakes to reach your desired consistency, stirring constantly to ensure the flakes don't clump up and leave globs of dry flakes. It is easy to go overboard with the potato flakes, as they do take a little bit to soak up the liquid, and the mixture will stiffen as they sit and cool down. Once you mix them this way a few times you will get a good feel for what ratios work for you. You can also add cream cheese, sour cream, and/or heavy whipping cream, whatever floats your boat. As for your oven door cleaning, yeah, the self cleaning mode is actually really hard on your oven. Using a spray on oven cleaner wait for a bit and wipe it out works ok. If you are looking for a more gentle chemical cleaner, use baking soda, a few drops of 4x Dawn dish soap, and Hydrogen Peroxide. Make a paste on the soupier side and slather it all over your oven door and glass. You can take the door off your stove and work outside or on a counter top to make it easier on your body. Let the slurry sit on the door and glass parts for at least 10-15 minutes, longer is ok as well it will not hut the over or the glass at all. If there are some serious tough spots let it sit longer covered with plastic wrap to keep the mixture from drying out. You can use this for the whole oven. Wipe off the mixture with a clean cloth (microfiber works very well), If gunk remains reapply and use a razor blade scraper to help convince the gunk it needs to go. You can also separate the glass in the door to clean in between the glass layers if that is where the stuck on stuff seems to be lurking. Make sure everything is wiped down well with water so when you use the oven next it won't burn any residual baking soda that may have been missed.
Thanks for bringing us along on this experiment! Looks like a great option to store potatoes especially if you’re a hiker, camper, or backwoods type enthusiast. Would be easy and light to pack on overnight trail hikes.
Hey Todd! Self cleaning mode has never cleaned my glass. But, the glass can be cleaned by unscrewing two screws on the face of the door and it slips out. Google it for more detailed info. Pretty easy 😉
Todd I boil, rice potatoes and freeze them. Once you prepare them for a dish they taste as if freshly prepared. Saves a ton of time during holidays and special dinners.
I knew you were going to have a little difficulty using those potatoes that way, only because I know they need to be done while they're hot. But it was interesting to see how you overcame that problem! Good job, Todd......and I appreciate you experimenting with that new monster of a ricer. It showed me that I would not struggle with it like you did. It seemed like you really had to have a lot of strength to use it, however it did cause me to think about my KitchenAid and the meat grinder attachment....wonder how that might work! I don't have a dehydrator or a freeze dryer so I won't be able to do potatoes that way, but freezing them in already mashed portions works pretty well. I only can red or gold potatoes because of the russets tendency to break apart and or be quite mealy in texture. We like potato cakes and the slightly gritty texture would be fine in those because I add onions and usually an egg to mine, along with different cheeses, on occasion....even a little parm sometimes.... then fry them. Probably wouldn't even notice the texture difference then. Yum. Thanks for a great video!
Thanks for some great ideas. I enjoy watching you and Rachel. I have been watching the Canuary videos after Rachel talked about the collaboration. I am so glad I have found a lot of inspiring new channels. I love obtaining a lot of food preservation ideas. Thanks again.
When I had a big upright freezer, I would make 10lbs of mashed potatoes, portion them in Ziploc bags, and freeze them. Then pull them out to thaw and reheat in a pot on the stove.
Slowly catching up on the few most important channels, but wanted to get the word out about modern fridges and potatoes. None that I've used in the past 20+ years are unsuitable to store potatoes in! We don't have basements around here, and potatoes do worse than sprout, left alone for a few weeks. This is how I have stored most any potato variety (other than russets) for a year or more in the garage fridge. (Almost no russet experience because they just don't grow well here.) Wash and dry the potatoes after harvest, or clean them up to where you are sure the bugs and yuck are off. Wrap each variety in labeled paper bags. That's if you want to know which are which or to pull from later for seed potatoes. Otherwise just in paper bags after cleaning, and or cardboard. The veggie keeper drawers, if only using paper bags and kitchen towels; to block light. With a double walled cardboard box they can stay anywhere in fridge, long term. Thin cardboard, like the priority mail, stay good in the fridge door sections, or a handful of months anywhere in fridge. Danger these days actually seems to be drying out. Basically use thick breathable light blocking methods. No sprouting, firm perfect potatoes, for up to two years with some of our favorite reds. To use some for seed, remove a month or three before planting time, and let them warm in house. Some varieties or types take longer to sprout from fridge than others. Like a few of the purples. Same deal works for garlic, or onion varieties (the best bulbs) you want to set back out in spring for seed production. All the literature saying don't do it, my guess is that's about old fridges that were not very dry inside. If you can set something like washed berries to dry in the fridge you use, it's more than dry enough.
I've used a product called Potato Buds. When you add the milk and butter, it looks like it may be too much. After 5 minutes they will have absorbed all of the liquid. Then fluff with a fork.
Recently we had to replace the thermostat in our oven. The appliance repairman said not to use the auto-clean for oven cleaning because the temp gets to about a thousand degrees and over-heats the thermostats and other parts.
Oven cleaning smells more in the winter, do it in the spring and open your windows. Try whisking your freeze dried potatoes into a simmered milk with butter, it may dissolve them more. Great idea. I just chunk them up, blanch and freeze them to fry later on.
I would add the hot milk and butter and use a hand held mixer to mix them up; i believe it would have a smoother texture then; or mash them and then freeze dryer
One thing I have not seen on any of the homesteading channels is anyone who invested in a good chamber sealer. It is such a money saving investment compared to the cost of food saver or the cheaper bags that you don’t get the best results from. I have made soo many make ahead things that I freeze.
Great ideas here, Todd. I hope by now Rachel is back home and things are better with the family situation. The ricing idea is really enticing, but I don't have freezer space and wonder how it would work to use a standard dehydrator, then give the dried potatoes a spin through the Vitamix to break them down smaller? I've got a bag of commercial russets forming eyes and there is only so much potato soup I want to eat, haha. We already have plenty of home dehydrated slices and also chunks.
I just used my self cleaner yesterday. It did not work on the glass. I just used a stainless steel pad thing and scrubbed it with that. It looked great.
Great idea, I need a freeze dryer. Still trying convince my finance manager (wife) that it's worth the money. I get what you were saying about the grittiness of the potatoes, but I think rather than powdering all of them, it would be good to add a tablespoon or two of the riced freeze dried potatoes back into about a cup of the powdered potatoes. It might give a more home style (lumpy mashed) feel.
I have the same oven as you and did a cleaning cycle around the same time you did and I was very disappointed at the glass gunk that was caked on. I wants to try the easy off cleaner next.
For the racks: put a towel in the bottom of the bathtub, put 6 dryer sheets on top, put the second rack down and add 6 more dryer sheets. Fill the tub with hot water enough to cover the racks plus a couple of inches. Let them soak for at least 4 hours then wipes them down with the dryer sheets. All the gunk comes right off. No scrubbing needed!
My mother always riced her hot potatoes before mashing because it makes them more fluffy. I think if you used more hot milk and used an electric mixer, you would be thrilled with the results.
Thanks for sharing! I find with ricers or food mills, that smaller quantities in them are easier because I don’t have strong hands. Your stove manual will tell you to wipe off large deposits off the glass or anywhere in the oven before running the clean cycle. I find that large amounts of stuff in the oven will cause more smell. I always open my window when running the clean cycle, so I wait for warm weather to do it. I still find it’s not as bad as the chemicals in spray oven cleaners, which they recommend NOT using in self-clean ovens. Blessings to your family 🤗💕🇨🇦
