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I have a question: I see some of your recipes have potatoes in them. I’ve heard that they can turn black when you cook them after being frozen. Is this true? Have you had this happen? Any tips?

How to Freeze Fresh Potatoes

Certain questions come up over and over again in my blog comments and emails so I’m going to attempt to answer all of them in detail on my blog.

How to freeze fresh potatoes in slow cooker freezer meals is one of them.

I had an experience years ago where the potatoes in my freezer bag of beef stew turned black while cooking and ruined the entire dish.  After that, I avoided freezing fresh potatoes, but then I tried this Potato Chowder from the freezer cooking authority Once a Month Meals and had a change of heart.

Make Ahead Crockpot Meals (only $4.40 per meal!)

Here’s how I freeze fresh potatoes without turning them black:

  1. I always use fresh potatoes.
  2. I add everything else to my freezer bags FIRST, and then chop and add the potatoes so they aren’t exposed to air for very long.
  3. I thaw my freezer bags with fresh potatoes in water in the morning (instead of in the refrigerator overnight).  I’m not sure why this helps, but I think it makes a difference. 

7 Meat Free Slow Cooker Freezer Meals

Sometimes the potatoes in my freezer meals get a little bit darker while cooking, but it doesn’t bother us and they still taste good.

Here are some other tips for freezing raw potatoes that I found online:

  • Rinse them in a combo of water and a little bit of white vinegar.
  • Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes before freezing (source). <- This takes more time, but seems to be the best way to prevent your potatoes from turning black.

How to Freeze Fresh Potatoes

Oh, and here are some awesome slow cooker freezer recipes with potatoes:

Freezer eCookbooks

Other frequently asked questions about freezer cooking:

Thoughts or questions?  Please leave a comment below and I’ll respond as soon as I can.  I’d love to hear from you. 

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[…] New Leaf Wellness: How to freeze raw […]

Delara
Delara
8 years ago

Hi Kelly, I’ve found your recipes recently and they are like a treasure for me! I was planning to use my over-30-years old slow cooker (belonged to my grandmother!) and I was wondering what to cook! I’m living in Iran and I’m not familiar with the names of all the ingredient of the recipes, beside I don’t have access to many of cans or jars or prepared sauces which you can buy from the stores. It takes me a long time to understand the recipe and find things I can replace instead. I’m sorry beforehand for my upcoming simple (and… Read more »

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[…] I’ve run into are fresh potatoes and broccoli.  Potatoes can turn brown in the freezer (these tips can help prevent that) and broccoli oxidizes and tastes gross (so I use frozen broccoli florets from the grocery store in […]

Judith
Judith
7 years ago

I realize that this post of low carb soups is dated but I’d like to comment on of right ways to freeze your fresh veggies. Just blanching a little does not secure you maintain the vitamins that can be lost thru direct freezing. First you must clean and cut veggies to the size preferred then you put them a pot bring to a low boil for about 2-3 min. and quickly run very cold water preferably with ice over the veggies then dry them as best you can with paper towel or cloth and put directly into the freezer. If… Read more »

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[…] • How to Freeze Raw Potatoes […]

Tina Hacker
Tina Hacker
6 years ago

How do i freeze potatoes that will last a yr.

Linda Jensen
Linda Jensen
6 years ago
Reply to  Tina Hacker

I froze potatoes whole and peeled. They did not turn black but they taste worse than vinegar. What happened? They did stay white.