Hash Browns

[EZEtoGRU]

Not hash brownies!!

One of my culinary pet peeves for the last 40 years is that seemingly no-one knows how to make hash browns anymore.  They used to be served crispy golden brown with a savory buttery taste.  They paired well with breakfast egg dishes and were a delight(albeit not healthy) to eat.  What happened? 

I travel all over North America and rarely find even decent hash browns anymore.  They often arrive undercooked, oily, soggy, and hardly browned.  Worst of all, there is rarely even a hint of any flavor.  The most common version you see now is barely cooked shreds of potato in an oily mess with zero flavor.  

I'm not a cook, but I assume that butter is no longer used in the cooking process anymore and most places opt to cook them in cheaper oils.  Why are they so often undercooked?  How did has browns used to be prepared versus now they are done nowadays.  What changed?  Any thoughts?

[mike carey]

There's a challenge! What's your secret to cooking hashbrowns from scratch? The rectangular or triangular bricks of grated potato from the freezer cabinet don't count!

[+ azdr0710]

Somewhat related....many years ago during a family trip to Switzerland, we were eager to try a local delicacy called 'rosti'. I still remember other US tourists we met agreeing with us that they were nothing more than hash browns. Stick to efficiency and on-time trains, Switzerland!!

[mike carey]

Or perhaps hashbrowns are nothing more than rösti?  

[BSR]

3 hours ago, EZEtoGRU said:

Not hash brownies!!

One of my culinary pet peeves for the last 40 years is that seemingly no-one knows how to make hash browns anymore.  They used to be served crispy golden brown with a savory buttery taste.  They paired well with breakfast egg dishes and were a delight(albeit not healthy) to eat.  What happened? 

I travel all over North America and rarely find even decent hash browns anymore.  They often arrive undercooked, oily, soggy, and hardly browned.  Worst of all, there is rarely even a hint of any flavor.  The most common version you see now is barely cooked shreds of potato in an oily mess with zero flavor.  

I'm not a cook, but I assume that butter is no longer used in the cooking process anymore and most places opt to cook them in cheaper oils.  Why are they so often undercooked?  How did has browns used to be prepared versus now they are done nowadays.  What changed?  Any thoughts?

I saw a YouTube video on how to make proper hashbrowns. It’s a bit laborious:  peel & shred the potatoes, rinse and stir them around in a big bowl of cold water to rinse off the starch, drain, rinse again, drain again, in small batches put in a cheesecloth & wring dry, spread on paper towels, salt generously, let rest for 30 minutes, put in cheesecloth again to wring out excess water (because the salt will draw out more water), spread on paper towels, pat dry with more paper towels, fry in avocado oil (for its high smoke point), set on a wire rack to drain off excess oil (paper towels trap moisture & cause the hashbrowns to steam).  If you want them really crispy, allow them to cool to room temperature, pat off excess oil with paper towels, fry a second time.  For more flavor, butter can be added near the end of the fry time (too early and the butter will burn due to its low smoke point).

Option 2:  shred potatoes and fry them in huge batches, which ensures that they come out undercooked and soggy.

Given today’s obsession with cost-cutting and wringing out maximum profit, gee, I wonder which option restaurants choose.

[EZEtoGRU]

Yes I've heard that after you shred the potato, you need to rinse the shreds thoroughly and dry them to get the starch out.  I suppose most places are not doing that.  In fact, most places probably are not even shredding the potatoes themselves.  The likely buy the potatoes already shredded.   I'm sure lack of using butter in the cooking process is at least part of what's missing as far as flavor goes.

[d.anders]

I don't find good hash browns to be that complicated. The best ones do require a small amount of prep work, but it's easy. Simply parboil whole potatoes for 12-15 minutes with skins on. Remove them and let them cool a bit. I don't remove the skins, but you can. Cut them to your desired size and shape, and fry them in a pre-heated skillet with a combo fat of olive oil and butter. Salt and pepper to taste. If there is a secret, it's to leave the potatoes in the pan for 5-minute intervals over medium-to-high flame before turning or tossing. If you toss too early or too much, they won't brown properly.

Actually, olive oil alone produces wonderful fried potatoes. You do not need any butter. Certain olive oils will offer a buttery aftertaste.

In the last 2 minutes of frying, add chopped rosemary and chopped garlic, if you like garlic. Toss to mix well. Taste a potato for salt. Your potatoes should be picture perfect and taste like a pro chef made them.

[samhexum]

On 7/1/2025 at 1:21 PM, BSR said:

I saw a YouTube video on how to make proper hashbrowns. It’s a bit laborious

Just make a batch of hash brownies, go to McDonalds, & order from the breakfast menu.

[BSR]

44 minutes ago, samhexum said:

Just make a batch of hash brownies, go to McDonalds, & order from the breakfast menu.

Better yet, go to Trader Joe’s, buy their 6-pack of hash browns, and toss them in the air fryer.  They come out tasting just as good as McDonald’s but at 1/5 the price.

Edited July 3 by BSR
Typo

[MikeBiDude]

10 hours ago, d.anders said:

I don't find good hash browns to be that complicated. The best ones do require a small amount of prep work, but it's easy. Simply parboil whole potatoes for 12-15 minutes with skins on. Remove them and let them cool a bit. I don't remove the skins, but you can. Cut them to your desired size and shape, and fry them in a pre-heated skillet with a combo fat of olive oil and butter. Salt and pepper to taste. If there is a secret, it's to leave the potatoes in the pan for 5-minute intervals over medium-to-high flame before turning or tossing. If you toss too early or too much, they won't brown properly.

Actually, olive oil alone produces wonderful fried potatoes. You do not need any butter. Certain olive oils will offer a buttery aftertaste.

In the last 2 minutes of frying, add chopped rosemary and chopped garlic, if you like garlic. Toss to mix well. Taste a potato for salt. Your potatoes should be picture perfect and taste like a pro chef made them.

Good process, but that doesn’t sound like hash browns? Cut, not shredded potato?

[d.anders]

7 hours ago, MikeBiDude said:

that doesn’t sound like hash browns? Cut, not shredded potato?

I had a lot of hash browns throughout my younger years, when I learned to cook professionally, and none of them were made with shredded potato. I would call that a McDonald's thing. Using my version above, you can easily cut up the potatoes in the pan to make them as small as you like during the frying process. A lot of diners do this.

Frying shredded potatoes is a unique endeavor. It requires more work and technique, without great results. I've tried several shredded versions, and none can compare to the version I wrote above. You can get a tasty version with shreds, but IMO, they come out too greasy and too mushy. Not crispy enough. I also think the McDonald's version is too greasy, but those are deep fried. No matter how much rinsing you do, if the potato bits are too small, it is very difficult to brown them and crisp them, and avoid major fat absorption. 

Edited July 3 by d.anders

[+ poolboy48220]

I tried the 'soaking in salt water' method on a camping trip; before we left I shredded the potatoes and put them in a ziploc bag with salt water. My turn for breakfast was a couple days in - that bag was a black disgusting mess.  I'm not sure how long you can soak them, but definitely not a couple days. 

[TonyDown]

My friend the amateur chef does not salt potatoes before or while they're frying in the pan.

He would never do that so he said, recently.

His hash browns are tasty.

Edited July 3 by TonyDown

[samhexum]

1 hour ago, TonyDown said:

His hash browns are tasty.

Is that a euphemism?

[d.anders]

I just remembered, if someones wants great fried potatoes using shreds, they would be far better off making latkes. IMO, latkes are the best fried shredded potatoes I've ever had.

[BuffaloKyle]

On 7/1/2025 at 9:44 AM, EZEtoGRU said:

I travel all over North America and rarely find even decent hash browns anymore.  They often arrive undercooked, oily, soggy, and hardly browned.  Worst of all, there is rarely even a hint of any flavor.  The most common version you see now is barely cooked shreds of potato in an oily mess with zero flavor.  

Or they arrive where half on my plate is undercooked and the other half is all burnt and dried out.

[+ Gar1eth]

When I go to ihop and order the hash browns, I usually tell them I want them crispy. I really like hash browns-but I probably like Potatoes O'Bryan better.
 

 

[+ jeezopete]

On 7/2/2025 at 11:41 PM, MikeBiDude said:

Good process, but that doesn’t sound like hash browns? Cut, not shredded potato?

According to the potato professionals at Ore-Ida there are apparently both versions. I guess it depends on your background or familiarity.

   

[EZEtoGRU]

1 hour ago, jeezopete said:

According to the potato professionals at Ore-Ida there are apparently both versions. I guess it depends on your background or familiarity.

   

It might be a regional thing.  Growing up in Michigan, Hash Browns were always the shredded kind not the other kind shown here (for me those would just be called diced or cubed breakfast potatoes).  

[Thelatin]

If you don't have time - make toast