this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2026
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You forgot to brown them, those are hashwhites.
Omg 😂 in my defence, they aren't really browned when I find the commercial ones in the freezer aisle. I did try to brown them, but they started to stick to the pan, so the browned bits separated from the cubes. :( I think the McCain ones are flash deep fried so they don't stick to your pan at home. I've only made these a handful of times, so I'm still perfecting it. One day, I will get it right!
The secret to hash browns like that is two step cooking. After cubing, put in a pot of boiling salted water for like 4 minutes. Drain them with a colander and spread out to let some of the excess moisture steam off. After that, fry them as you did and you'll end up with fluffy on the inside, golden brown on the outside bits of deliciousness. Also make sure your pan and oil are really hot when you start cooking to stop them from sticking to the pan. The oil should just be beginning to smoke when you put the potatoes in.
Thank you for the detailed instructions! I'll report back the next time I make these. 🫡
You just need some fat in the pan-butter, olive oil, etc. I recommend a little of both as the butter adds more flavor while the oil keeps the butter from burning. Just don't use extra virgin, it burns easier than plain olive oil.
I did use quite a bit of oil (canola), but I think my fatal mistake was frying onions in the pan first. Should have used a clean pan for the potatoes. :(
Or just add more oil before doing the potatoes. You could also oil the veg before putting it in the pan, then the pan just needs enough oil to coat it. Personally, I would just do the potatoes and onions at the same time, depending on the size of my equipment and how much I need to make.
The other common trap you might be hitting is trying to turn them too early.
Once most foods (but potatoes especially) sear properly, they’ll release their hold on the pan and you won’t lose the skins/outer layer quite as easily.
I tried that, actually.. It was the burning smell that alerted me that something was wrong 😬 So perhaps it is that I fried onions in the pan just prior, or I haven't prepped the potatoes properly. I ended up with a lot of forbidden potato in the sink drain, lol (?).
lmao