A few months ago I got a great deal on potatoes, ten pounds for two dollars! There was a two bag limit so I got two. Even our big family cannot eat twenty pounds of potatoes before they go bad so I decided to make a huge batch of mashed potatoes and freeze it.
When thawing frozen mashed potatoes you end up with a lot of extra water. At first I tried to squeeze the water out by cutting a small hole in the corner of the ziploc bag they were stored in. This worked, but I always ended up losing a bit of potato as well.
As I was thawing my frozen mashed potatoes today, I realized I could reheat them on the stove and add 1/4 cup of mashed potato flakes to thicken the potatoes. The potatoes thickened up immediately and tasted great!
To thicken watery frozen mashed potatoes place in a pot and heat until bubbling.
Add a small amount of potato flakes. I added 1/4 cup to 3 cups of frozen mashed potatoes.
Mix in the potato flakes and remove from the heat.
The mashed potatoes will immediately thicken.
Serve.
Kristi says
I freeze mashed potatoes quite often and when I do, I make them stiffer than I normally would. That way when they thaw out, the extra water can be stirred in to help thin out the stiff potatoes. I like this idea, but I never seem to have potato flakes on hand…..
TheHappyHousewife says
I keep potato flakes for a few bread recipes, and I have one child who loves instant mashed potatoes… I prefer the real thing. 🙂
Brenda says
I reheat my frozen mashed potatoes in the microwave. They often seem watery at first, but I remove the lid and they seem to thicken up as they heat. Good idea about the instant flakes, though.
Michelle says
Brilliant idea with the instant flakes! We don’t eat potatoes much in our family but this would be great if I find a sale on potatoes. It’d be nice to make croquettes out of frozen leftover mash!
Tonya says
Never thought of this. I wonder if thawing and then re-beating them would work, too.
Brenda says
I’ve fully thawed and then reheated them. I’ve only ever done the reheating in the microwave, though.
At first, I tried to reheat with a cover on them. They came out kind of too wet, like Happy Housewife said. I didn’t think to add instant potatoes, and just heated them with the cover off the container. Seemed to keep the steam down and evaporated some of the liquid that way.
FoodontheTable says
Great discovery! I’ll have to try this next time.
Nancy M. says
What a great idea!
Cherish says
Great idea! Frozen mashed potatoes always need extra help.
Reba says
Hi! Thanks for the ideas with frozen mashed potatoes. We had a dinner for our customers & had quite a bit of mashed potatoes left-over.
I use the instant potatoe flakes for a lot of things other than instant mashed potatoes. I use them to thicken gravy, sauces, soup & etc. Really works great!
I am trying a new potato salad recipe using the left-over frozen mashed potatoes. I will let you know how it works!
GRAHAM says
BRILLIANT – BUT HERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER TIPS TO HELP STOP THE REHEATED MASH GOING TOO WET. DON’T ADD ANY LIQUID (MILK, CREAM, DOUBLE CREAM) ONLY BUTTER, WHEN YOU MASH THEM. LESS LIQUID IN MEANS DRIER MASH OUT. MAKE A VERY DRY MASH FIRST AND FREEZE THAT FOR FUTURE USE. JUST MAKE THE MASH FOR TODAY AS YOU WANT IT. THE PERFECT MASH WILL NOT BE PERFECT TOMORROW – WITHOUT THE FLAKES!
Marty G says
The easiest way I’ve found is to just put them in a Pyrex baking pan of the appropriate size about an inch or so deep. Do not drain excess liquid. Preheat the oven to 325 and bake for 10-15 minutes. Check at 10 minutes and make sure they don’t dry out. They won’t be as good as new but certainly palatable especially with gravy.