Can You Fry Raw Potatoes?

Last updated on September 30th, 2022 at 12:13 am

Potatoes are one of those comfort foods you can’t seem to get enough of. They are so versatile and can be used in all kinds of recipes. You could eat potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

If you like to fry them, you may have heard of pre-cooking potatoes. But, can you fry raw potatoes?

You can fry raw potatoes. You don’t have to boil the potatoes before you fry them. Just slice and add the potatoes to a pan of preheated oil. Then high temperature will cook them just fine without you needing to pre-cook them.

Potatoes, we mash them, fry them, and of course, we love to eat them. They make the perfect side to many meals. Some of these are home cooked while others are fast food. 

Here are 10 interesting potato facts you may or may not have known:

1. Did you know that potatoes are mostly made up of water? These vegetables are only 20 percent solid and a whole 80 percent water! 

2. Americens eat around 140 pounds of potatoes every year. These include fresh and processed potatoes. 

3. Every day at least one potato is eaten by over one billion people. This is because of all the food that potatoes are made into (chips, french fries, or just roasted for dinner). 

4. Potatoes were once considered to be invaluable and only a military and navy ration. You can survive on a diet of potatoes and milk. 

5. Potatoes have more vitamin C than an orange, more potassium than a banana and more fiber than an apple. You need the milk because potatoes lack large amounts of Vitamin A and D.

6. Potatoes are grown in all 50 states of the U.S. but the largest producers are Idaho and Washington.

7. There is a toy named after a potato. This was the first children’s toy to be advertised on TV and its name was “Mr. Potato Head”.

8. Potatoes contain a lot of vitamins and minerals but also a lot of carbs. Eating too much isn’t all that healthy for you.

9. Once a war was fought over potatoes. It was brief and came about because Prussia and Australia were wanting to steal each other’s food. 

10. Second to milk, potatoes are the most consumed food in the U.S.

Back to our original question, can you fry raw potatoes? Well, yes, you can! By raw potatoes we mean potatoes that haven’t been boiled or precooked in any way. And by precooking we mean boiling the potatoes to soften them before frying them up. But, yes, you can fry raw potatoes!

Do You Have To Boil Potatoes Before Frying Them?

Potatoes are enjoyed by many all over the world. We eat them as breakfast, snacks, and meals. Potatoes can be baked, boiled, roasted and fried. 

Sometimes you have to boil them before cooking to soften the potatoes. If you are frying some potatoes, do you have to boil them first?

You do not need to boil potatoes before you fry them. When you’re frying potatoes you want them to be crispy and boiling them beforehand will make them soft. The only reason why you would want to boil potatoes before frying them is to remove the starch.

Before you make mashed potatoes, you should boil them. This makes them soft and easier to mash. But before you fry slices of potatoes, you do not need to boil them. You don’t want to soften the potato but instead want them to be crispy.

If you are making french fries, then you will need to soak the potatoes. But, this is done with cold water not hot water. 

Now, if you are having trouble with burning your pan-fried potatoes, then you may need to get rid of some starch. To do this, you will need to slice and then soak or boil the potatoes before adding them to the frying pan. This will remove some of the starch on the potatoes preventing the sugars on them from browning before the potatoes are cooked. 

But, if you aren’t having any problems with the potatoes burning in the frying pan, then you do not have to boil them before you fry them. Just rinse, slice and throw into a pan of heated oil.

How Do You Soften Potatoes Before Frying Them?

Some people may want to soften potatoes before attempting to fry them. As we mentioned before you may also want to remove the starch that could possibly burn when they are frying. So, how do you soften potatoes before frying them?

While you don’t have to boil potatoes before frying them, this can help soften them and also prevent any burning. To soften potatoes before frying them, boil the potatoes. You only have to boil them for about 5 minutes in a pot of salted water.

You don’t have to soften the potatoes by boiling them before frying, but you can if you want to.  This can help to remove any starch on the potato so it cooks more evenly.

To soften potatoes before frying them, boil them in a pot of salted water for about 5 minutes, this will get them just soft enough to be more tender when fried. The potatoes will be almost translucent after boiling them. Remove them from the hot water and let them air dry on a paper towel. Then you can proceed with frying up your potatoes to be crispy and crunchy.

Final Thoughts

Yes, you can fry raw potatoes. Potatoes don’t have to be boiled or precooked before frying them. Boiling potatoes can help you make the potatoes soft and mushy and would be perfect for whatever you are making mashed potatoes. But, when frying potatoes you want them to be nice and crispy so you don’t have to boil them first. 

Now, if you keep ending up with burnt potatoes after frying them raw, then you may want to either soak or boil them before frying them to remove some of the scratch which can burn the outside of the potato before cooking the inside. But, generally you can fry raw photos and they will taste delicious and make a crunchy side to any meal.