The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Storing Potato Water

Smo's picture
Smo

Storing Potato Water

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but I just came up with a great storage method for potato water and wanted to share.   When you boil potatoes, save the water and put it in the fridge.  Once it's cool, I pour it into ice cube trays!  Then it's divided into nice 3/4-1 oz. pieces that'll keep for pretty much forever in a freezer bag.  I was inspired by Alton Brown's similar method of storing egg whites.

DerekL's picture
DerekL

It seems to me that if its cool, all the starch has settled towards the bottom...

Mini Oven's picture
Mini Oven

If I don't use it within 6 hours, it gets refrigerated.  If I don't use it within 24 hours it gets pitched.  I would never freeze it unless I would use the icecubes soon after to cool down the dough, say in summer.   It looses it quality quickly so best used quickly.    

Smo's picture
Smo

An update on this: I used the potato water for the first time yesterday, and it worked out!  The bread tasted normal and the crumb was very tender.

Also, I was reading Peter Reinhart's WGB and noticed that he suggests refrigerating potato water for up to 5 days, or freezing it for months.

ejm's picture
ejm

Is the potato water salted? And if so, how do you know how much to adjust the salt content of the dough?

-Elizabeth