How to stop cut potatoes from turning brown? (and other early prep ideas?)?

Question

How to stop cut potatoes from turning brown? (and other early prep ideas?)?

Answer 1

I have a large family (8 kids, 11 grand kids, in-laws, etc) and I make all the holiday dinners, so yes, you can make potatoes ahead of time. I cut up 15 pounds of potatoes this past Easter (for mashed potatoes) the day before Easter, placed them in a large pot, covered them with cold tap water, and added a good amount of salt, and placed the lid on top with a heavy item to make sure the lid did not come off. I then kept this pot in the basement to keep it a bit cool. My basement is always cooler than my upstairs. If you slice potatoes for fried potatoes (I use a kitchen mandolin, which makes it go so much faster), then rinse them a couple of times before placing in the water to remove some of the starch. You will also want to pat them dry with paper towels the next day when you drain them as the extra moisture makes steam and keeps them from browning. You can season after they go in skillet.

Another tip: I always fry my potatoes in olive oil, too, and a bit of butter; real butter. This makes them more tasty. To a large skillet I might add 3-4 tablespoons of butter, along with the olive oil. Butter alone will burn as it has a lower heat point, and olive oil alone is heavy, but the combination is great.

The onions and peppers can be cut up ahead of time. Store these in Ziploc baggies or containers. These are easily used in other meals if you end up with extra. Like potato packets on the grill for dinner.

I always cook my bacon in large batches. I may only want a few slices, but then that package might sit in the fridge and go bad because no one else will fry it up, so I just fry up the entire package and save the leftovers in a bread sack (I buy these at store) with a twist tie. The hubby and kids can't resist the convenience of just warming a few seconds in the microwave for a quick BLT. When you reheat (and it literally takes seconds) the smell will waft out.

Pancakes are easily made ahead of time. Allow them to cool completely on wire cookie racks before placing them together. You can place wax paper between layers to keep from sticking together.

Pancakes and waffles can be made ahead of time and frozen or chilled in fridge and reheated in a microwave.

There is no way to make that much toast ahead of time without jeopardizing the quality as toast does not keep. You might try making toast at the camp site and place it in a cooler (cleaned, of course! ) to keep it warm like the hospitals and other food services do (they use insulated trays). This is the only solution I can think of for toast.

Eggs are easily prepared in a skillet so I can't help you there. I like mine fresh and fluffy, but not wet or browned.

Have juice made up in gallon container (you can buy the Iced Tea glass containers that have a pour spout on bottom), make the tea as soon as you get up (tea gets bitter if made too far in advance), and make the coffee fresh to perk while your making breakfast.

Hope you have fun! It sounds like a blast!

Answer 2

You are going to a lot of work! What a sweet person!



Because I am basically lazy, looking for shortcuts all of the time, I have to suggest making Breakfast Burritos which is what we do when we camp.



Partially cook bacon ahead of time, right before it becomes crisp.

Break eggs into container, add seasonings, shake.

At camp, cook defrosted southern style hashbrowns (already has other veggies in it) until brown, add bacon, cook til mixture is crisp, add egg mixture to skillet and stir til eggs are done. Pile into warmed flour tortillas. Have shredded cheese and salsa available.



We also have a big bowl of mixed fruit such as melon, strawberries, oranges, etc., which can be made ahead as well. Have fun!

Answer 3

Yes they are, but you can trim back the faces and remove of more around the curved edges, either that or ditch. In future keep covered either in a bowl, or in a pot that you will cook them in and just drain and replace with clean water.

Answer 4

If you're going to have all that, and access to a microwave on your "camping trip", you're not really camping. Why not just invite your friends over to your house, and eat in the backyard. What you're describing is hardly camping. If it was, you could cook all that on a grill over an open fire or the coals of the fire and not have to worry about the potatoes turning brown because they wouldn't have time to(you could actually put the potatoes in some aluminum foil and place them in the coals while you're cooking everything else), and the toast would also be fresh and hot right off the grill, etc. I'd suggest to learn about camping first, then ask questions that relate to it after that, if you have any. Part of the whole idea and experience of camping is to get away from every day routines and "stuff", not bring it along with you!

Answer 5

I have put the potatos in cold water (add ice cubes) and salt. They will only be slightly brown in the morning, and that will rinse off. Make sure to pat them dry before you cook them.



make waffles instead of pancakes. Then you can just lay them on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven to reheat.



Instead of syrup, you can put out fruit or jelly for the waffles



Bacon can be cooked on a baking sheet as well. That is a huge amount of bacon all done at the same time.

Answer 6

You're on the right track with the potatoes. Rinse them a couple of times in really cold water..let drain and then freeze them on a cookie sheet single layer (if possible) in the freezer. It shouldn't take too long. You can pre chop and do the same with the peppers and onions too and just toss in with the spuds. After they've frozen, put into a lg. zip lock bag or plastic freezer container to take with you, they'll be fine for frying. The toast you could do ahead, just warm it up on a griddle or something..the bacon you can fry ahead and then wrap with paper towel and put into a zip lock bag into the fridge, just warm it up before you serve. With fried eggs, you want a nice clean pan, warm up the pan first and then add your evoo. Only do about 4 or five at a time..let them fry until they're ready to turn and loosen them before you flip them. Have fun!

Answer 7

store the taters in water, this will help to prevent them from turning brown.

No please do not fry the eggs in advance, your friends will not enjoy it.

Pancakes might do okay pre made, put a paper towel in the ziploc bag with the pancakes to help control the moisture.

Cooking the egg and Bacon in the same pan is a real good way of making bacon and eggs. Cook the bacon first, then keep the bacon grease in the pan to cook the eggs. So do not pre prep the eggs and bacon, the other things you are okay to pre prep.

Answer 8

You can chop the peppers an onions and put them into a container. You can put the potatoes into water to keep them form turning brown but only for a few hours and you have to keep them cold. I would make everything else fresh. Frying eggs.. you jsut put a few eggs in the pan and fry them. Make sure the pan is big enough to flip them.

Answer 9

a little bit of water and a smidge of lemon juice or apple juice.

Answer 10

you said "camp" so i don't know what your cooking facility will be like.



1. put the potatoes in a bowl of water after you cut them. they'll stay nice until you're ready to use them. you can store them that way for the shelf life of the potato and they'll stay nice, as long as they are submerged. if you store them for more than 24 hours, change the water at least once. don't bother with lemon, that only sort of works anyway. a 5 gallon pickle bucket is good, if you can get one, it has a lit so it sits in the car well. anything will work as long as the spuds stay under.



2. eggs: not really, you just gotta suck it up. the only thing to do is plan a period for Egg Hell, put on a helmet, and get someone to help you run the food out. one thing that will help is ring molds. get about 4 of them and keep them on a big skillet. break the eggs into them to keep them separate. they'll look nice on the plate, too. sprinkle a little paprika on top! :)



3. there's no trick for toast, other than putting foil over it and hoping people eat it before it gets crappy. so i guess the trick is not to make too much. instead of making toast, consider just keeping sliced bread near the fire or grill and warming it a la minute. the bread will have a warm grilled vibe that is very nice and will fit your motif. just make sure you spend the xtra $ on good bread. you might even consider getting some uncut loaves and slicing it on the go. hint: good bread can make other things seem nicer, crappy bread drags everything down.



4. you can nuke pancakes, but they'll be lame.



5. you can partially cook the bacon ahead of time. you might also consider cooking the bacon with the potatoes and green peppers! it will render down and reduce the need for expensive olive oil, it will taste fantastic, and solve the bacon problem in one swell foop. pwn!



6. Where's the cheese? You might think about eggs benedict. knorr's packaged hollandaise sauce comes out well, is cheap, can be made ahead, and will address the toast issue at the same time. it works well with fried eggs. just add some canadian bacon to the list. then you get some cheese!



that's a little out there, your current plan is good. but: cheeeeeeeeese ...



i would plan everything with the intention of making the eggs and pancakes to order. they can both be done on the skillet, and both only take a minute. make the batter ahead of time, and put the eggs in an easy to grab from bucket. you said "several" people, so it won't be that hard ... i've done it for several hundred people, and it wasn't really that hard.



i would probably get there early, make the potatoes and bacon and put it in chafing pans. I would put some bread under the broiler for a few minutes and set it out with a big knife and some butter for people to help themselves -- and keep some extra to warm up in reserve. then i would just get everything i need to make a bunch of eggs and pancakes ready and waiting. you could even get a little head start, the eggs and pancakes will be fine for a few minutes, and you can be making the next plates while you serve the first few.



another trick is warm up the pancake syrup and butter ... nothing hides a tepid pancake better than hot syrup! and the butter will be more spreadable even if the pancakes aren't that hot. no one will mind.



bottled juice and a coffee/tea spread is good, it will give people something to do while you get started.





edit: ha! i thought of more: cut the potatoes into small dice. they'll cook faster and look nicer. same for the peppers. i don't know what kind of equipment you'll have but you might consider baking the eggs: put some of the cooked potatoes/peppers/bacon thing in a cast iron skillet, clear a place in the middle and put in a ring mold. crack 2 or 3 eggs into the ring mold, and put it in the oven till the eggs are done. you would have to serve this in the skillet, but maybe you can get your hands on a couple of skillets and serve it "family style" (a skillet for every 2 or 3 people). any oven safe plate would work. this would consolidate a LOT of work.



oh yeah, and if you use ring molds, make sure you grease the insides. this is an important detail! sorry i forgot it...

Answer 11

I'd suggest you just boil the potatoes in their skins while you're still at home. Precooked potatoes make wonderful fried potatoes. And use some of that bacon fat to fry them in for wonderful flavor. You can either skin the potatoes when you're ready to use them or keep the skins on.



I don't know any tricks for doing the large quantity of fried eggs, much less some people like them runnier than others. I'd make scrambled eggs!



This is a heck of a camping place you're going to or a big RV if you have a microwave available! Have fun with all the other people!

Answer 12

Okay I think a lot of people missed the Camping part. You will not have a microwave, toaster or oven if you are camping. Let me give you some tips.





1. Potatoes and goodies:



***Frist of all do Not freeze the potatoes, specially if they have not yet been blanched. That will Ruin your potatoes.



You can do the potatoes up to about 3 days in advance, peel and cut them and put in cold water. No need for lemon juice salt etc... But the idea about rinsing them a time or 2 before youstore them is a good idea.



The sugars/starches in potatoes ferment easily, so rinsing as much of them away as possible is a great idea.



Chop the peppers and onions ahead of time and keep them in ziplock baggies or reseable plastic conatiners.



If you have the time and feel up to it blanch the potatoes the morning of, or before you leave, and then they will cook much quicker. If you blanch them before you leave do not soak them in the water, just keep them well sealed.



2. Fried Eggs:



A couple of cast iron skillets or a large cast iron griddle are the best to use. Put them over a medium heat on the fire add in soe bacon grease, and let that warm up.



Crack your eggs into a seperate bowl so you can make sure there is no shell or borken yolks. Pour the eggs into the heated skillet.



Once the egg white has started to set start making sure it slides around the pan. Use a metal spatula to slowly start to move it around.



For flipping I find taht some times if I slide it onto a plate then make sure ther is enough *oil ir what ever in the pan and then gently flip the egg back into the pan. It is just easier to do it that way than fliping it with a spatula sometimes.



As soon as you flip it take it off the heat or move to a cooler part of the fire, let it cook for a fjust a bit longer and put it on a plate.



*****Always make sure youhave enough oil when making and flipping eggs.



3. Bacon:



Pre cook the bacon in the oven at home before you leave.



Put it on a cookie tray with edges and lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. You don't want it to get crispy but just cooked. Bacon is smoked so it is already cooked so you don't have to worry about that. Then all you have to do it crisp it up and you will still get that bacon smell in the morning.



Crisp it up in the skillet/grill just before the eggs and keep on the sides.



5. Pancakes:



You could pre-make the pancakes and then warm them up in a slightly warm skillet or layer in a dutch oven with damp paper towels ad put Near a low heat when you get started. Check often to turn and make sure you haven't burnt them.



Or you could make your own pancake shakers. Is it bisquick that has those plastic jars where you just add the liquid, shake ad pour.



Either put all your dry ingredients from a scratch recipe and then wrtie out what else you need and tape it to the side of an old juice jug (Think the big jugs from simpley Orange, or Tropicana)



Or measure out your bisquick and put it then there and then tape a list of what else needs to go in on the side. Shake and pour.



5. Toast is a little trickeir to do while camping but possible.



Since you are having pancakes And potatoes you could even leave that out. Do Not make that ahead of time.



The last thing is to wipe out your skillets and put them on a low heat, put the bread down on the skillet-no butter or anything and slowly let them brown. You can also buy campfire toasting gadgets but kinds silly.



6: Tea, Coffeeand juice:



Just heat water, for the tea and the juice idea you have is good.



Have you ever made campfire or "cowboy" cofffee.



In your metal campfire coffee pot bring water (do not fill the water all the way tot the top) to a boil.



Add in a small styrofoam coffe cup full of grounds (be careful it will boil up and over most likely). If it has stopped boiling give it a minute to retuen to a boil, take off the fire and add another cup full of ice. This will hep the ground settle to the bottom.



Let the coffee sit a minute, then pour and once again let it set for a bit to settle the grounds.



This is a chunky coffe and it is the way it is supposed to be.

Answer 13

the bacon can be done in the oven ...put foil on cookie sheets and bake at 350 keep an eye on it and turn it when it starts to be crispy ...done in maybe 10 minutes and NO MESS

you can set up the coffee maker the night before and then start it when you ready...if you need alot you can brew it the night before the reheat it in the microwave .

cut the peppers and onions the night before and store in seperate air tight containers.

cut the potatoes and place them in salt water in an air tight container in the fridge

the toast I would do as I was cooking the bacon.. store it in a large pan with a lid and keep it on the back burner of the stove ...you know the one with the heat release hole from the oven

pancakes...2 choices 1 ) reheat in the microwave wraped in a damp towel. 2 ) pop them in the toaster.

the eggs depend on how you plan to cook them scrambled id good you can just put a bunch in the pan and go to town on them ...any other type you'll have to cook individually but you can use two or three pans (remember the toast is on the fourth burner)

good luck!

Answer 14

g`day mate, first the the taters ,peel and cut ,cover with cold water ,dont put anything else with them ,wet a clean cloth,and lay over the top ,they last 3 - 4 days ,and don`t go brown before use drain them thoroughly in a strainer ,other wise as you are pan frying they crackle with the hot oil ,before you do the fry off toss the taters in a small amount of oil with added salt,pepper, pinch of oregano ,then when you cook the smell will get them.. the bacon cut to size ,blanch in a small amount of boiling water ,1 minute, strain ,this way when you are ready flash through the preheated pan or tray ,it halves the cooking time but still retains the flavour.. toast lightly brown ,wrap in foil keep warm ,when ready to dish up take out of the foil to stop it from sweating and heat again... pancakes ,when making your mix fold through a little melted butter ( not hot ) this will allow you to cook a dozen or more ,and place in a warm cloth ,until ready to eat...go to it enjoy

Answer 15

Yes you can put potatoes in water to keep them good.the trick to making alot of fried eggs at the same time is to use a big pan.no you shouldn't half cook bacon it needs to be kept cold.so cook it totally or wait.no middle ground with pork.

Answer 16

you can try lemon juice, that keeps apples from going brown and it should work with potatoes. you can probably prepare the potatoes before and the pancakes can me made then put in the freezer then just put them in the microwave in the morning but be careful not to leave them in long enough to get soggy, just put them in long enough to be hot enough. don't half cook the bacon cuz then it will just be nasty

Answer 17

I STILL NEED THE SOLUTION TO THE POTATO.THAT I EXPERIANCE IS THAT POTATO LAST FOR FEW OURS IN THE WATER,DO YOU NO TFHE OTHER POWDER THAT A PERSON CAN PUT?