Best way to evenly brown hashbrowns? Every time I make them, they never seam to brown..Sometimes they will get

Question

stuck to the bottom of the pan..Could I be using too much butter to saute them?

Answer 1

Ingredients:
1 lb Russet baking potatoes, peeled and grated
3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Equipment needed:
Large stick-free frying pan (at least a 9" diameter bottom)
Potato ricer

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stick-free frying pan on medium high heat.

While the pan is heating, use a potato ricer much like you would a garlic press, and press out as much moisture as you can from the grated potatoes. If you don't have a ricer, you can use paper towels to absorb some of the moisture from the grated potatoes, but it doesn't work nearly as well.

When the oil heats up to the point of shimmering, but not smoking, add the grated potatoes. Spread the potatoes out along the bottom of the pan. They should not be too thick in any one place, no more than 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the poatoes. After a few minutes, lift up one edge of the potatoes and see how done they are. When they have fried to a golden brown they are ready to flip. Use a large spatula to flip the potatoes over all at once, or divide the large potato cake into halves or quarters and flip. Again, when golden brown, they are ready to serve.
The secret is getting as much of the moisture out...even with grated potatoes layer them in paper towels to soak up moisture and liquid

Answer 2

Butter tends to burn faster than other types of oil,therefore causing your hashbrowns to stick to the bottom of your pan. If you use oil and set the heat to medium high add your potatoes. After you have em in the pan for about five or ten minutes depending on how hot your stove gets then you add the butter for flavor. Like the other guy said, the key is to let them cook before trying to flip them. Some people get flip happy and the hashbrowns never get a chance to brown. Another trick I learned, and this one from my mom, is that you cover the potatoes in the skillet with a lid to cook em through and when you want em brown you take the lid off to release the steam. If you have a larger skillet with more potatoes sometimes i will cup my hands under the faucet so I can pour water on the potatoes to help jump start them to steaming their way to cooking.

Another way to cook up hashbrowns is to cut up and boil the potatoes first. I'm not sure if you're dicing em or using a cheese grater to make em but if you're making more of the home fry variety my good buddy Mikey always swears on boiling the spuds first. You drain the water and then once again make sure the oil is hot and drop em in. This way tends to stick more to the pan however because the spuds are already tender. You need a good metal spatula like the other guy was saying so that you can scrape all of that crispy goodness off of the bottom of the pan. Hope I was some help.
Try it out and see what happens. Happy cooking!

Answer 3

I always like to use fresh russet potatoes whenever I make hashbrowns. I use the largest grater I have and grate along the length on the potato, trying to get extra long shreds. After grating, I rinse the potato shred in cold running to remove the surface starch then drain them well on paper towel. If you have a well seasoned black iron skillet (or you can use any skillet) I melt about 1 tablespoon of butter with two tablespoons of peanut oil in a hot pan. Don't let the butter burn. I add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the butter-oil blend, then add my potatoes. After 1 minute reduce the heat to medium and let them brown. You may have to add more butter under the potatoes. When crisp, slip a large turner under the potatoes and turn them over. After a minute or two check to see if more butter-oil mixture is needed (this prevents sticking). Continue cooking until golden brown. Slide the hashbrowns on to a dinner plate and carefully slice to the size of the portion desired. Sprinkle with a bit more salt if necessary. You can also sprinkle the piping hot potatoes with grated sharp chedder and sliced green onions. They're so good I think I'm going to got out to the kitchen and fix some right now.

Answer 4

Removing the moisture from the potatoes is the correct way. I typically wrap them up in some papertowel to wick the moisture out of the grated potatoes.

I use a 9" nonstick skillet and salted butter. I'm not shy on the butter...at least a couple tablespoons or so. Using medium heat, after the butter is melted and distributed evenly in the skillet, add the potatoes until they are about 1/2 to 3/4" thick. Take your spatula and press down hard on the potatoes and flatten them out evenly, like a pancake.

Let the potatoes cook...untouched until you see plenty of brown around the edges. If you need to, you can lift up a corner with your spatula to check for desired browness.

Now comes the secret...when the bottom side is browned to perfection, take a paper plate, lay it face down on top of the potatoes and flip the skillet upside down, removing the large hashbrown cake from the skillet to the paper plate. Put the skillet back on the stove and add more butter. When it's melted, get your potato cake on the paper plate and slide it, the uncooked side down back in the skillet. After the other side is browned, the hasbrowns are done. Simply take that same paper plate, place it facedown on top of the hashbrown cake and flip the skillet to remove the hashbrown cake from the skillet back to the paper plate,

Cut the hashbrown cake into sections with the edge of your spatula. Try this...you'll love the results!!!

Answer 5

When making has brown make sure that the pan is hot place oil in the bottom of the pan 1/4 inch thick evenly do not move or mix. The cook till the hash browns hold together about 10 minutes making sure that the top portion is cook till soft. Flip them on your plate with the brown side up. I know this from working in breakfast resturants. I promise you will enjoy this method

Answer 6

Don't use butter, use a little bit of oil. It doesn't matter if it is vegetable or Canola. Just put enough in the pan to barely cover the bottom. The trick is to only flip them once. Watch them until you see the edges start to turn a golden brown and then divide them into sections and flip them once cooking the second side about the same amount of time you cooked the first side.

Answer 7

The trick to hash brown potatoes is the same as for french fries. The potatoes must be dry when they hit the pan, otherside the surface starch absorbs the water, not sealing the surface, allowing the interior to absorb the grease. Dry the grated potatoes very well using a kitchen towel. Then, don't even try to move the potatoes until the bottom is well browned, to avoid sticking. Russet, or high starch, potatoes make the best hash browns.
INGREDIENTS:

* 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled
* 1 Tbsp. butter
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil
* 2 Tbsp. grated onion

PREPARATION:
Peel potatoes and grate into a large bowl. Dry potatoes thoroughly by squeezing in a kitchen towel. You should have about 1-1/2 cups grated potatoes, loosely packed into measuring cups.

Place half the butter and half the olive oil in a heavy large skillet and heat until sizzling. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes over high heat. Then add all of the potatoes and pack down with spatula.

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 minutes. Then flip the hash browns onto a plate; add remaining butter and olive oil to pan. Slide the hash brown cake back into the pan, uncooked side down, and cook for about 5 minutes longer, until the bottom is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately. 4-6 servings

Answer 8

I had this same problem. I was using a fine analon pan, that was my problem.
. I bought a cheap non stick pan at Target and they now turn out perfect. This pan works so well that I am able to make a thick saucer of golden hashbrowns in the pan and toss it up to flip it.
In the other pan it did not matter how much butter/oil I used it stuck terribly.
Be sure however to keep your new/cheap pan nice by never EVER putting it in the dishwasher, the harsh detergent will ruin its finish.
Heat the pan to medium high, water should sputter on the hot pan when you put them in. Reduce the heat to low
Keep the heat low and do not turn them until they are golden brown on the first side. Leave them be. You will only turn them once. They should cook slowly so that they are crunchy on the outside and creamy soft inside

Answer 9

Either you need more butter or, better yet, add some oil to the butter or your pan is not hot enough. Make sure the butter and/or oil is hot before you put the potatoes in. Cook them on medium-high. Wait until they are nicely browned on the bottom then turn them rather than stirring them.

Bert

Answer 10

I never use butter, it burns too easily. I use a small amount of oil in the bottom of the pan and maybe a tablespoon on the top of the potatoes, too. Put in a preheated pan and cover the pan. When the potatoes start to get brown around the edges then flip them over. They should not be stuck to the pan. Cover pan again and watch the potatoes so they don't burn. You can take the cover off and flip them again to make them cook through better.

Answer 11

Try to use oil or Crisco instead of butter. Don't use too much. 3 tablespoons in a large skillet is enough. Heat the oil on medium with a few potatoes in it so that you can see when it's hot enough. Then dump the whole bowl into the oil. (Be careful) Spread the potatoes evenly and slap a lid on the skillet. They take about 10 minutes or so to cook, and then you can turn the heat down and just let them get as brown as you want. Yummy.