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The best home-cooked hash browns are made with love, of course—but there are a few important techniques to keep in mind for success when making them at home. While nothing quite beats a side of hash browns at your favorite diner, our Allstar home cooks know a thing or two about what makes the best home-cooked hash browns, so we turned to them for their advice—and learned a thing or two in the process.
What Really Makes the Best Hash Browns, According to Home Cooks
The most common misconception about hash browns is that they are easy to whip up just because they consist of one ingredient: potatoes. In reality, as many home cooks know, they require some TLC for that perfectly crispy bite. “I view hash browns much like I view homemade French fries, and they require the same level of preparation,” says Allstar Sarah E.
So what really makes the best hash browns? Starting with the right state of mind. From there, our Allstar home cooks agree on one common tip for crispy hash browns every time: rinsing them, and rinsing them well.
The Top Secret for the Crispiest Hash Browns
It may seem counterintuitive to introduce your shredded potatoes to more water to make them crispy, but rinsing your shredded potatoes is a crucial step in the process. “Give them a spa dip,’ says Sarah E. “Immediately soak the cut spuds for five minutes then rinse until the water runs clear.” Rinsing them well sloughs off naturally occurring starches on the surface that cause the potatoes to stick together. It’s the tendency of starchy potatoes to clump that keeps them from truly crisping up, and it’s rinsing that fixes the problem that most home cooks face.
Allstars Rosanne Castronovo Robinson, Kim Shupe, and Beckie Green Bergeron always rinse their potatoes before frying them, too, noting the same stopping point: “until the water runs clear.” But each of our Allstars was insistent about one thing: the drying step is all the more important after a spa treatment.
“Key is they have to be SUPER dry before you put them in the pan so they will crisp up,” says Bergeron. As for how to dry them? Clean dish towels or paper towels alike will do the trick, but Sarah E. even recommends a salad spinner to help the process along!
5 More Tips From Home Cooks To Level up Your Hash Browns
- Use russet potatoes. Not only are these potatoes typically a bargain, but they’re also best for crispy hash browns because they have a lower inherent moisture content in relation to their starch level (which is high). The result, once properly rinsed, dried, and fried, is a perfectly crispy hash brown.
- Use a grater attachment to a food processor rather than a box grater. This results in a julienned cut rather than a thin shredded cut—keeping the starch and structure within each “shred” of the potato in tact but also ensuring a smooth, definitive edge for rinsing, drying, and frying.
- Use a salad spinner to help you dry the potatoes. Allstar Sarah E.’s tip is pretty genius—a salad spinner is a great tool for removing excess water all at once, and the same goes for shredded potatoes that have been properly rinsed. Just note that you may still need to blot and press your prepared potatoes with paper towels, also.
- Don’t crowd the pan, and wait. “The biggest thing I had to learn was to WAIT,” says Allstar Paula Roten. “Don’t stir, don’t flip…until I’ve waited. Give them time to brown and crisp up on the bottom before I flip them.
- Use a high-heat oil like canola oil, bacon grease, or lard. These oils and fats can handle the time and temperature at a high heat while maintaining a fresh, clean taste that lets the potato shine.
