How to Shred Potatoes by Hand

by Jenny Harrington

Items you will need

  • Vegetable brush
  • Colander
  • Tea towel
  • Cutting board
  • Box grater

There's no need to resort to frozen shredded potatoes for your favorite potato recipes. You can shred up a batch quickly from whole potatoes by hand using a basic box cheese grater. Fresh potatoes contain a lot of moisture, which prevents them from becoming crisp. Although this doesn't affect some recipes, such as potato pancakes, in can ruin the texture of hash browns and other recipes that depend on the crispness. A simple technique gets rid of the excess moisture so your fresh shredded potatoes taste better than their frozen counterparts.

Step 1

Wash the potatoes under cool running water, scrubbing the dirt from the surface with a vegetable brush. Peel the potatoes or leave the peels on, as desired.

Step 2

Line a large colander with a clean tea towel. Set the lined bowl on your work surface.

Step 3

Set a box grater on top a cutting board. Shred the potato using the medium-size holes on the box, scraping the potato from the top of the grater toward the bottom in one fluid movement. Transfer the shredded potatoes to the lined bowl as you grate.

Step 4

Gather the tea towel edges together, forming a bag with the shredded potatoes inside. Twist the gathered part of the towel tightly, squeezing the ball of potatoes inside. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible before preparing the potatoes as desired.

Tips

  • Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold water as you peel them if you aren't grating immediately. The water prevents the potatoes from turning brown.

Photo Credits

  • Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images

About the Author

Jenny Harrington has been a freelance writer since 2006. Her published articles have appeared in various print and online publications. Previously, she owned her own business, selling handmade items online, wholesale and at crafts fairs. Harrington's specialties include small business information, crafting, decorating and gardening.