Hash browns are an American-origin breakfast dish. The dish is made from shredded potatoes as a base, bound together with egg and flour, and flavored with things like shredded onions, cheese, and seasonings.
The mixture is then shaped into flat patties and fried until they are crispy and brown. They are a calorie-dense but delicious breakfast staple and represent the culture of American breakfast as it dates back to the 1900s.
Hash browns are traditionally served with tomato ketchup and eggs, bacon, or sausage. They make a mouth-watering if rather heavy breakfast so those who are watching their weight should beware.
However, they will set you up for the day ahead and you probably won’t be hungry again before dinnertime!
Are Frozen Hash Browns Pre-cooked?
Frozen hash browns provide an easy alternative to all the peeling, shredding, and cooking processes involved with homemade ones. After all, what busy family has time for that on a weekday morning?
However, you may be wondering if the frozen, readymade hash browns found in every supermarket freezer are pre-cooked. Do you still need to fry them? How do you prepare them if you are in a hurry?
Keep reading and we will answer your questions.
How Are Frozen Hash Browns Prepared In The Factory?
First, whole potatoes are steamed to loosen the skin then tumbled to remove it. After that, they are shredded and blanched in boiling water.
They are then cut into even smaller pieces which are blended with seasoning, cornflour to stick them together, and other ingredients. The hash browns are then formed into uniform shapes and par-fried. After that, they are flash-frozen and packaged.
As you can see, commercial frozen hash browns are partly cooked but they do need finishing off at home. The customer still needs to oven-bake them or fry them at home.
We’ll go through the different ways to cook them so you can pick the one that is most convenient for you.
How To Oven-bake Frozen Hash Browns
This is easy but you will need to preheat your oven which can take a while.
- Heat the oven to 400 ˚F or 200˚C.
- Meanwhile, prepare an oven tray by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray or brushing it with oil.
- Put the hash browns on the tray and cook them in the oven for about 15 minutes until they are golden and crispy.
- Halfway through cooking, flip them over to ensure even browning.
- Serve immediately while they are hot.
How To Pan Fry Frozen Hash Browns
Many people find pan-frying their frozen hash browns the quickest and simplest way to a hot breakfast. Use a big, flat cast iron skillet if you have one. Failing that, an ordinary frying pan will do.
- Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Heat the pan on a medium flame. There’s no need to use oil.
- Put the hash browns into the heated pan in a single layer and cook them for 2 -3 minutes on each side.
- They should be golden and crispy. If not, cook for a minute or two longer.
- Serve straight away.
How To Microwave Frozen Hash Browns
We don’t recommend microwaving your frozen hash browns because you won’t get a crisp result. However, they will be cooked and if you have no other way, microwaving will work.
- Put the frozen potato patties onto a flat microwave-safe dish.
- Microwave on High power for one and a half minutes.
- Flip the patties over and microwave again for the same amount of time.
- Repeat until the patties are sizzling.
How To Air Fry Frozen Hash Browns
It seems as if everyone nowadays has an air fryer and it is certainly a quicker and less energy-intensive way of cooking frozen hash browns than oven baking.
- Heat the air fryer to 400˚F or 200˚C.
- Put the frozen hash browns into the basket – layer them singly – and cook them for about 8 minutes.
- Serve them immediately.
How To Cook Hash Browns In Your Toaster
Yes, believe it or not, you can pop frozen hash browns into the toaster. Simply pop them in on a medium setting for a few minutes. Turn them over for even cooking and keep an eye as it is difficult to time them this way.
Our Hacks For Perfect Hash Browns
- As you can see, frozen hash browns are not completely cooked and still need some home preparation before you can serve them.
- You do not need to defrost frozen hash browns before cooking them.
- You do not need to use any oil when cooking them, but you may coat the pan with a small amount if you prefer.
- If you like your hash browns extra golden and crispy, simply increase the cooking time a little.
- Always cook hash browns in a single layer, whichever cooking method you choose.
- It is best to turn them halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.
- Frozen hash browns are pre-seasoned but you may add your own choice of seasoning at the table for extra flavor.
- Serve with ketchup for dipping.
- You can keep any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days.
To Conclude
While frozen hash browns are partially cooked, they still need cooking at home for about ten minutes to finish them off.