Can you healthily prepare hash browns?
Hash browns tend to come in pre-packed or frozen, which usually calls for them to be deep-fried or microwaved. Due to this, it loses its natural potato nutrients, and all left is high fatty components. No one wants that. To make them healthy, you should know the right method to prepare them. Preparing them in the right manner can retain their nutrients without compromising on the taste.
How can hash browns be prepared healthily?
A hash brown is crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. While preparing them in different ways, their flavor profile shouldn’t be compromised.
The healthiest way to prepare them is by baking them in the oven. The oven uses dry heat to cook food, due to this, the hash browns retain their natural oil and nutrients.
If they are too dry for them, you can put a teaspoon of melted butter, but make sure to add it after they are cooked, or else it can contribute to its skin to sag.
The cooking process can be quite long, which is 40 minutes and turn them halfway, to cook completely.
To make the skin extra crispy, you should pan fry them but it calls for extra fats and oils making them unhealthy. However, using a non-stick pan can help to some extent.
If you want to add extra goodness to your morning breakfast. Adding protein and veggies is the best option. Tomatoes, pickles, eggs, arugula or avocado are advised.
Adding some nuts and seeds is also advisable, consuming them separately can be done but adding them on top of your hash browns gives them a crunch and nuttiness. Pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds or almonds go well together.
Should you go for frozen options?
While students and busy buzzing people consider frozen foods their savior, they don’t have the best clean ingredients you would want in your morning breakfast.
To make these hash browns last longer, a lot of sodium and nitrogen are added to them to increase their shelf life. This makes the potatoes excessively salty, making them an enemy for those with high blood pressure and other heart problems.
If you don’t have the time to prepare hash browns from scratch in the morning, you can shred them prior, shape them and keep them in a zip lock bag, this way they don’t undergo chemicals and other substances from the store. This way, you control the additives and preservatives you want to go inside them.
What about the hash browns from restaurants?
Hash browns are not served in a fancy fine dining restaurant unless it has a kid-friendly menu. It is awfully rare for these restaurants to prepare hash browns from scratch since they can be a bit time-consuming and they usually only tend to be a side dish or an accompaniment.
They use frozen food most of the time, coming in the category of QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants). They don’t even have the time to bake them to reduce the oil content in them. They just deep fry or pan fry them whichever may seem quickest.
So, considering these factors, restaurant hash browns are the last for as long as health is concerned.
Which is the best way to consume potatoes?
Potatoes contain natural sugars known as carbohydrates and starch that constitute to keep you full for a long period and also act as a source of energy, due to the natural sugars present in them.
Potatoes have vitamin B6 in them, which makes them a great source of immunity and efficient working of the nervous system. It increases metabolism which helps to fight to burn extra fats and helps with Alzheimer’s in old people.
If you are looking for a different way to consume potatoes, you should try to eat them mashed, and preferably boiled, air-fried or baked. This way they don’t flush out their natural characteristics.
Conclusion
Any food taken in large quantities without supervision can do worse than good. It’s not how you eat your hash browns, it is about how you prepare and consume them. If you are careful about your portion sizes and habits, you can enjoy hash browns in a healthy manner that you enjoy
