How in the hell do you make crispy shredded hashbrowns?
I’ve tried par boiling
Super high heat
Coating in flour
Wringing them out
They always come out mushy. Why is this the hardest thing on the planet to make?
Step 1. Get Drunk
Step 2.?!?!
Step 3. End up at Dennies/Ihop and Order Hashbrowns
THREAD JACK
When Cro gets his answer someone give old Man 4 a recipe for corned beef hash. I order it with over easy eggs with Louisiana Hot sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmm whenever Im sick and it makes my Squat go up 10 pounds.
I love it but mine always ends up like potato mash-mush
dont put too much in the skillet at the same time. DO NOT STIR them. let them cook until you can flip them over like a pancake. repeat on opposite side. when you break them up after cooking they will be crispy and golden.
[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
How in the hell do you make crispy shredded hashbrowns?
I’ve tried par boiling
Super high heat
Coating in flour
Wringing them out
They always come out mushy. Why is this the hardest thing on the planet to make?[/quote]
You are putting too many into the skillet.
Also, let them defrost a bit.
[quote]optheta wrote:
Step 1. Get Drunk
Step 2.?!?!
Step 3. End up at Dennies/Ihop and Order Hashbrowns[/quote]
You forgot Waffle House.
[quote]four60 wrote:
THREAD JACK
When Cro gets his answer someone give old Man 4 a recipe for corned beef hash. I order it with over easy eggs with Louisiana Hot sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmm whenever Im sick and it makes my Squat go up 10 pounds.
I love it but mine always ends up like potato mash-mush [/quote]
Yum.
I find it makes my body weight go up by 10 lbs.
Renegade and TTR are right, you’re putting too much in the pan at once and they’re steaming in their own moisture. Use less potato and make sure there’s oil in the pan, even if using non-stick.
[quote]2busy wrote:
[quote]four60 wrote:
THREAD JACK
When Cro gets his answer someone give old Man 4 a recipe for corned beef hash. I order it with over easy eggs with Louisiana Hot sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmm whenever Im sick and it makes my Squat go up 10 pounds.
I love it but mine always ends up like potato mash-mush [/quote]
Yum.
I find it makes my body weight go up by 10 lbs.
[/quote]
Ha! That also 
This is probably the best they’ve been, but still not quite there. The other side is perfect, but when I flip them the second side burns like this and makes a LOT of smoke. I mixed eggs in with these which helped them stay together. I’m thinking a very slight bar boil and then freezing them, then using this method would just just about right.
some bits look burned while other bits look not quite cooked. i think that means you need to turn the heat down a bit?
I would have made maybe six small hashbrowns out of what you posted in that pic, cooked two or three at a time. The egg is a good call, in fact it’s an essential part of the recipe to bind the potatoes together.
Like others have said, play around with the heat to get them just right.
I thought this was another race thread.
More fat and use waxy potatoes. Adding fried onions and/or apple diced small doesn’t hurt
That looks more like a rosti than a hash brown to me, I which case wring in a cloth, put WAY less than you think you need in the pan, use good butter and/or oil and don’t cook so fast 
I buy the bags of already shredded potatoes. I follow the directions on the bag for the most part. Start with canola oil in a big non-stick pan. I add cut up onions and green peppers. I go with a medium heat on my gas stove.
Once you get the 1st side slightly browned, flip it and do the 2nd side the same way. Then they can be separated in the pan. Just keep them moving until you like the color. I add salt and pepper of course and some paprika.
Rob
Like everyone says, take it slow. Adding egg is an awsome idea, also if you are using olive oil, lower heat is best due to the smoke point. I’d suggest just barely medium heat, less potatoes. The hashbrowns will be thinner but deliciously crispy and perfect.
[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
This is probably the best they’ve been, but still not quite there. The other side is perfect, but when I flip them the second side burns like this and makes a LOT of smoke. I mixed eggs in with these which helped them stay together. I’m thinking a very slight bar boil and then freezing them, then using this method would just just about right.[/quote]
You’re half way there. Next time, just before you flip, add more oil - you’ll need it for the other half. Use the spatula to make sure that the hash browns are not stuck to the bottom and to clear away anything stuck to the pan. Then, use the spatula to lift the hash browns, and pour the oil underneath the hash browns.
After you flip, lower the temperature and cover.
This should prevent the smoking effect from the grease getting too hot.
It’s similar to making good fried chicken - get grease hot, add chicken, flip, lower heat, cover.
Good hashbrowns take time. The second part takes longer than the first because of the lower temperature, but it seems to improve the results.
I would also suggest using an oil with a higher smoke point than olive oil - something like canola oil or if you want to be really unhealthy, crisco.
I’ve spent years working on good hashbrowns. Still mess up a lot, but that method seems to yield the best results.
Please keep posting pictures.
[quote]CroatianRage wrote:
How in the hell do you make crispy shredded hashbrowns?
I’ve tried par boiling
Super high heat
Coating in flour
Wringing them out
They always come out mushy. Why is this the hardest thing on the planet to make?[/quote]
Have your mom make them. More basement internet pr0n for you. WIN/WIN
Ok… now I have to make hashbrowns for breakfast.