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Discussion Thread š¬ Thursday 5 June 2025
(aussie.zone)
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this post was submitted on 04 Jun 2025
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I made hash browns. It just aināt the same. Maybe brushed potatoes arenāt the best for it.
They should be ideal. What recipie did you use?
I followed this one to the letter and it really doesnāt work well. Itās also pretty time consuming
Hash Brown
Recipie uses russet spuds - which are not common here. Also they recommend Idaho spuds, also not easily found here. Both of these are extreme 'floury' spuds and used for french fries and mashing. If your brushed spuds were a bit more waxy, then I can see that this recipie wouldn't work so well. Brushed spuds are usually a good allrounder variety, mashes and bakes fairly well, but are not extreme floury or waxy though they do tend more towards the floury sort. I also use a salad spinner to remove moisture rather than the towel method, as I'm lazy and it works very well. I usually add a couple of heaped tablespoons of plain flour and an egg to the shreds (well mixed in) before frying as I find this works to hold the shreds together reliably with practically any potato, and gets nicely crispy.
Also, the heat in the pan matters for getting that nice brown crust. A hotter pan and use a mixture of butter and oil so it doesn't burn as quickly, then let the hb sit on the heat for a good 5 mins to get a nice crust on it before turning. Cast iron is perfect for hbs, as it holds the heat so well. I think the recipie is probably very good indeed for extreme floury spuds, but might be difficult to adjust for less floury spuds unless you add a bit of flour and an egg to bind.
Interesting thank you š
What was up with them?
I had a look and apparently brushed potatoes are often Sebago which are floury. They would get crispier than a waxy potato but maybe not hold together as well.
Thereās also other stuff people do like rinsing the starch off the shreds, squeezing them bone dry with a tea towel or a ricer, and pre-heating the oil before frying.
Using enough oil also makes potatoes crunchier, as well as using a type of fat that can be heated higher. (Not butter, more something like tallow or ghee. Edit: Canola or coconut would also work.)
Iām not an expert and havenāt really made hash browns so thereās no criticism here. Just curious about the science of the process and see people talking about different methods.
Yeah did all that, I used butter and a medium heat setting on cast iron. They really didnāt turn out like I expected. My imagination has got the best of me haha.
Damn. Maybe trial and error will help, or higher heat, or a different recipe.
Thereās also r/askculinary on the other place?