Ask Dr. Potato : Frozen
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Q: Is it possible to freeze fresh potatoes?

Q: I accidentally left a bag of frozen French fries out for three hours before I realized it. I put the bag back in the freezer, but was wondering if it still safe to use next time?

Q: Why is it that when I take out frozen French fries from the bag to cook my hands are sometimes greasy afterwards?

Q: I heard that McDonald’s used to make their fries fresh and use animal fat. What variety of potatoes did they use? What else changed over the years?

Q: I have several packages of hash browns in my garage refrigerator freezer. I noticed that the freezer is not keeping them frozen solid. They are soft, but still very cold and have ice crystals. Is there a risk with cooking and eating them? If so, what specifically would be the concern?

Q: We used to have just one choice of a side with our bundled meals and that was fries. Now we have lots of side dish options and I think I have discovered why my food costs have been climbing... the fries were much more profitable than offering a side salad or fruit. How can I get my profits back up?

Q: My French fries are cooking up really dark and the potatoes don’t look that fresh. What should I look for?

Q: I like to experiment and try new recipes for Thanksgiving, especially with mashed potatoes and I prefer to cook with fresh rather than frozen. Any ideas I can try?

Q: I run a small diner and we are looking to use homemade French fries as opposed to the frozen variety. I have seen all of the suggestions about blanching. I have two, two bay Fryolators. I am a 24 hours operation and we have very little time when the fryers are freed up, especially to blanch the volume we need. On an average week, we go through 500lbs of French fries. What other suggestions do you have in order to improve our quality and efficiency?

Q: Dr. Potato, why do I love Waffle House-style hash browns more than ones I make at home? What do they do to the food service version that makes them so good? Are they partially dehydrated? Or maybe seasoned with some kind of chemical? I mean the shredded kind that come in boxes, not the deep-fried QSR formed hash brown.