You can extend the shelf life of many types of vegetables by drying them. You can find out what options there are specifically for potatoes here.
There are many ways to make vegetables last longer. One of them is drying. In principle, almost any type of vegetable is suitable for drying.
The good thing about drying is that the food largely retains its valuable components. To do this, however, they must be blanched beforehand. This is also important to extend shelf life and preserve flavor.
Blanch potatoes
When blanching, the potatoes are only briefly heated in steam. But you can also briefly scald them with boiling water. Then you have to quench them with cold water, because this is the only way to preserve the nutrients and color of the tubers.
Further preparation
After drying, you can use the potatoes later, for example to prepare soups, or you can further process them into fried potatoes.
3 ways to dry
Air/Sun drying
The easiest way to dry your potatoes is to lay them in the sun or in the fresh air. You just have to catch a period with a lot of sun and temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees in summer.
The humidity should also be nice and low. Theoretically, you can also dry the potatoes in a dry and airy place indoors, it just takes longer.
Instruction
- First wash the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. They must then be blanched in hot steam until they turn clear in colour.
- Then quickly rinse the potato slices under cold water and dry them. Now they are ready to dry.
- Now spread the slices out on a wire rack. Make sure these aren't too close together.
- Then come to the sun. Here, however, they should be stored a little higher so that the air can circulate underneath. To prevent insects from getting to the vegetables, it is best to cover the potato slices with a fly screen.
- During the drying process shouldturn the potato slices more often. If the humidity outside gets too high or there is a risk of rain, simply bring the vegetables inside.
Dry the potatoes in the oven
Drying potatoes in the oven does not depend on the weather, so this is preferable.
Instruction
- The prepared potato slices (see above) are spread out on a wire rack and placed in an oven preheated to 50 to 60 degrees. Of course, you can place several grids in the oven at the same time.
- Also with this variant, make sure that the potatoes are not too close together. The oven should be left slightly open during drying so that the moisture can escape.
- To ensure that the potato slices dry evenly, you should turn them about every two hours. If there are several gratings in the oven, these should also be rearranged on this occasion.
- The potatoes are done when they have a leathery consistency. If you want to store the tubers as long as possible, they must be so dry that they break apart.
Dry the potatoes in the dehydrator
Drying vegetables in the dehydrator is particularly convenient. In addition, it is also much cheaper because the energy consumption is lower than drying in the oven. It is important to have a device that allows you to regulate the heat using a thermostat. In addition, ensure good insulation and easy access to the grating.
Storage of dried potatoes
It is best to store the dried potatoes in an airtight container that you can seal tightly. They should be dried long enough to prevent moisture from condensing into this container.
The dried food should always be stored in a dry, cool and dark place, then it will last up to 12 months.