How To Shred Potatoes [3 Easy Methods]

There are times when you have to make food into smaller pieces. The reason for this is because the recipe calls for it, or you just like to eat smaller portions.

Whatever you’re doing it for doesn’t matter. Our point is you can do this by cutting, slicing, or shredding. Shredding, in particular, is one popular way of doing this to food.

People like to shred lots of different food. One food you may do it with is potatoes, and in this article, we will go into what type of potato to use, how to prepare it, and how you can shred it in the first place!

Contents

What Type of Potato Should You Use?
How To Prepare a Potato for Shredding
How Do You Shred a Potato?
Final Thoughts

What Type of Potato Should You Use?

There are different potatoes out there, and not all of them are made equally. Some will have a certain taste, while others may be crispier than others once cooked.

Russet potatoes are starchy and become pretty crispy when fried up. If you like your potatoes crunchy, then go with the russet potatoes.
Red potatoes or Yukon gold can be crispy when cooked but also have a certain amount of creaminess in them. Combined, it makes for a great meal.
Sweet potatoes can also be an option if you only have a food processor or are dead set on using one. They shred well in food processors.

Also, make sure to look over the potato and see if it’s still good. The last thing you want to do is shred a potato that has gone bad!

How To Prepare a Potato for Shredding

So, you know what potato you want to use, but before you can get to the shredding, you need to prepare it for the process.

After you figure out if your potatoes are safe to use, then you can start getting them ready. Wash them in cold water, and then make sure you dry them.

Once they are clean, you have a choice to make. Either you can leave the skin on, or you can take it off. It can be easier to shred potatoes with the skin off, but there is nothing wrong with leaving them on.

Keeping the skin on does help it crisp if you decide to try them.

How Do You Shred a Potato?

When it comes to shredding a potato, there are three different surefire ways to do this. Some of them will appeal to one person, while others won’t appeal to another person at all.

In this section, we’ll go into detail on how you can use all these methods to shred potatoes.

Grater Method

Take your peeled or unpeeled potatoes and get ready to start shredding them. What you need for this method is to have a greater.

They are cheap to get, so if you don’t have one, you can easily go out to the store and buy one. To shred cheese using a grater, you must:

Put out a bowl or cutting board. Then grab the potato and the grater, holding one of them in each hand.
A grater usually has one side that makes thin shreds and another that makes thick shreds. After you decide, start sliding the potato up and down the grater.
If any potato pieces get stuck inside the greater, you will need to remove them manually.

Make sure to practice safety measures when using something as sharp as a grater. You want to avoid cutting yourself on one because the result is not going to be pretty. We can promise you that much.

Food Processor Method

To use the food processor method, you need a food processor. Once you’ve gotten your hands on a food processor, do the following:

Set the food processor up according to the direction. The general rule is that you put the plastic bowl part on the base and then put the grade in the middle of the bowl.
Cut the potatoes in half and then throw them into the food processor. If it’s a very small food processor, you may need to cut them into smaller pieces.
Put the top on and start shredding! In a matter of minutes, you’ll have shredded potatoes.

All food processors come with directions that are unique to them, so when in doubt, refer to the booklet that came with your food processor.

Most of all, never put together the food processor if it’s plugged in. It needs to be unplugged so you don’t accidentally cut yourself.

Mandolin Method

The final way to shred your potatoes is by using a mandolin. This isn’t something everyone has, but a mandolin is a type of tool you use to cut food. To start, do the following:

Put the blade in the base of the mandoline. Always make sure to take care when doing this because you are dealing with a tool that has sharp blades attached to it.
Sprinkle some water onto the blade and then put the potato on the mandoline.
Start shredding according to the directions that come with your tool.

This method isn’t the most common one because, again, not everyone has a mandoline on hand. However, if you do want to consider getting one, go ahead and do so! And if you already have one, then you are all set, and all you have to do is start using it.

Also, remember to safely handle the tool because it is sharp, and accidents can easily happen when sharp tools are involved.

Final Thoughts

And there you go, all you potato lovers out there! Potatoes are one of those foods that is a staple of the American household, so it’s helpful if you know different ways to prepare them.

We went into everything you need to know before shredding the potato and, of course, the different methods that are involved in shredding it in the first place.

It might take you a while to figure out what method you like to use to shred your potato. If you feel up to it, then you can always try them all and see which one you like best!

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William Thomas

I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.