French Fries? Why Not?

Dehydrated French Fries

I wanted to find a variety of ways to dehydrate my fifty-pound box of potatoes. Variety, as we know, is the spice of life… and with foods this is especially true.  So here is my rendition on dehydrated French fries. 

Rather than repeat myself, if you want details on how to prep your French fries, check my post on And Then There’s Shoestring Taters. Same process, just sliced thicker.

• Dehydrate at 115º for one or two days, depending on the humidity where you live. They should be firm and hard when dry.
• When you bag them for storage, you will need to double-bag them because the sharp edges will put tiny pinholes in the bags.
• An alternative to bags might be to store them in jars. Of course, the jars should be kept in a closed cabinet to avoid extended exposure to light. See my post on Canning Jars are Not Essential to learn more about this.

About a cup of Potatoes 

• I think one cup of potatoes is just about right for two people. In most cases, I try to bag just enough for two people with no leftovers. Adjust the quantity according to the needs of your family. 

Rehydrating 

• Cover and soak your potatoes in cold water.
• It will take most of the day to rehydrate them.  If you want French fries for supper, then put them on to soak first thing in the morning, or possibly the day before.
• While they are rehydrating, you simply refrigerate them.

Soak a Little Longer 

• In retrospect, I think these thicker fries should have soaked a bit longer.  Notice how the edges tend to turn up a bit and the middle part is a bit concave?  They were flexible, but the end product turned out a bit chewy.
• The next time I do them, I will put them on to soak the day before.

Linda’s Note:

• Some people might consider this to be a bit of a nuisance. But how else can you store that fantastic bargain on potatoes (or that bumper crop from your garden) for up to ten years without dehydrating them? To my mind, it’s worth the effort because nutritionally, they are much better than canned or frozen potatoes. If you want to learn more about the nutritional loss of canned and frozen foods vs. dehydrated foods, check my post Dehydrating If For No Other Reason.

Ready to Eat!