I think I’ve solved my texture issue with hash browns. While watching an America’s Test Kitchen episode on mashed potatoes, the cooking technique called for rinsing the sliced potato pieces in water before boiling. Washing the slices removed the surface starch which would cause gumminess in the mashed potatoes. WHAM! Gumminess is exactly what I was trying to remove from the texture of my hash browns.
This weekend I decided to give it a try. I grated the potato on a box grater per normal, but before pressing the water out with a towel, I loaded the shredded potato pieces into a small strainer and rinsed them under cold water. After draining and pressing the excess water out using a towel, I ended up with the driest potato shreds I’ve ever had – amazing! Some oil, pepper and garlic salt coupled with 8-9 minures of heat and I had the texture I was after.
I had been working under the assumption that the gumminess was being caused by excess water instead of the surface starch. In hindsight I should have realized it was the starch since changing potatoes to Yukon’s and Red’s dropped the gumminess vs. russet. Russet’s have the least water while reds have the most and russets have the fluffy texture I was after - think french fries – and reds don’t.
Now that I have the texture I’m going to try to get more middle fluffiness. I’ve observed that the mound of shreds shrinks as cooking progresses. Some of that undoubtedly is the downward pressure, but I’m sure that the water loss from the cell destruction also contributes. I’ll try some higher mounds.