How to Keep Potatoes Super-Crispy on Shabbos?

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 6:24 pm

Is there a way? Dh only likes really crispy potatoes. I can't seem to keep them crispy on Shabbos. Anyone have any ideas? Or recipes?

Raisin

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 6:28 pm

peel and cut into quarters. boil for a few minutes till just a little cooked. empty the water from the pot. Then, hold the pot closed and shake it. this will fluff up the edges. heat some olive oil in a roasting dish and put the potatoes in, roast for about 40 mins at 400. baste while cooking.

I leave them in the oven on low set on a timer to go off just before we eat.

(this is from memory...should work)

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 6:32 pm

But how can I rewarm them on Shabbos day without them losing their crispness? We have a plata.

(What does "fluff up" mean?)

Raisin

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 6:54 pm

heres another recipe I googled. same as mine but clearer:

Quote:

First place the roasting tray with the fat in it on the highest shelf of the oven while it pre-heats. Thinly peel the potatoes using a potato peeler, then cut them into fairly even-sized pieces, leaving the small ones whole. Then place them in a saucepan, pour over boiling water from a kettle, just to cover, then add salt and simmer for about 10 minutes. After that lift one out with a skewer and see if the outer edge is fluffy. You can test this by running the point of the skewer along the surface – if it stays smooth, give it a few more minutes.

Then drain off the water, reserving some for the gravy. Place the lid back on the saucepan, and, holding the lid on firmly with your hand protected by a cloth or oven glove, shake the saucepan vigorously up and down. This shaking roughens up the cooked edges of the potato and makes them floury and fluffy – this is the secret of the crunchy edges.

Now, still using the oven glove to protect your hands, remove the hot roasting tray containing its sizzling fat and transfer to the direct heat (medium) on the hob. Then use a long-handled spoon and quickly lower the potatoes into the hot fat. When they are all in, tilt the tray and baste each one so it's completely coated with fat. Now place them back on the highest shelf of the oven and leave them unattended for 40-50 minutes or until they are golden brown. There's no need to turn them over at half-time – they will brown evenly by themselves. Sprinkle them with a little crushed salt before serving straight away; they lose their crunch if you keep them waiting. If they're ready before you are, turn the oven off and leave them inside.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection. It has also appeared in Sainsbury's Magazine (Oct 1993).

mali

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 6:59 pm

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

But how can I rewarm them on Shabbos day without them losing their crispness? We have a plata.

(What does "fluff up" mean?)

you may not reheat food on a plata. you can only leave it there or return it when it's still boiling hot, if you had the intention of doing so when you removed it.

Raisin

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 7:02 pm

mali wrote:

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

But how can I rewarm them on Shabbos day without them losing their crispness? We have a plata.

(What does "fluff up" mean?)

you may not reheat food on a plata. you can only leave it there or return it when it's still boiling hot, if you had the intention of doing so when you removed it.

I don't do it myself, but apparantly some people reheat dry food on shabbos.

Chocoholic

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 8:29 pm

Raisin wrote:

mali wrote:

AlwaysGrateful wrote:

But how can I rewarm them on Shabbos day without them losing their crispness? We have a plata.

(What does "fluff up" mean?)

you may not reheat food on a plata. you can only leave it there or return it when it's still boiling hot, if you had the intention of doing so when you removed it.

I don't do it myself, but apparantly some people reheat dry food on shabbos.

We do.

AlwaysGrateful

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 8:32 pm

That's funny. Our rav holds that it's fine (we went to shiurim on hilchos Shabbos that he gave), and that's what I learned in both seminary and high school. We learned that a "davar lach" has all of those issues, as does a noncooked (or not enough cooked) item. Never knew that some people didn't?

So I guess, for people who do use a plata to warm up food - what do you do with the potatoes?

TheBeinoni

Wed, Jan 07 2009, 8:52 pm

If you deep fry the potatoes they come out VERY crispy...so maybe if you do that they will remain crispy...?? Other than that, not sure what to tell you!

mamacita

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 12:44 am

I make sure mine aren't completely covered when they are on the blech, this way they don't get soggy.

RachelEve14

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 1:23 am

I don't cover mine at all when I put them on the plata. They are relitivly crispy on Shabbos afternoon.

chanchy123

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 2:39 am

I make crispy potatoes only for the evening meal. I put them in the oven 45 min. before candle lighting and keep the oven door shut until it is time for serving. They remain warm and crisp this way.
For the day meal I just use other side dishes or serve not so crisp potatos hoping people will still eat them (they usually do, it's me who doesn't is crazy this way everyone else doesn't care). BTW same goes for chicken. I'll put it in (sometimes with potatoes) about an hour and a half before candle lighting it always comes out the best that way.

Mrs.K

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 2:44 am

RachelEve14 wrote:

I don't cover mine at all when I put them on the plata. They are relitivly crispy on Shabbos afternoon.

I agree. Things tend to get "wimpy" when they're on the plata covered.

chanchy123

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 2:53 am

[quote="mali"][quote="AlwaysGrateful"]But how can I rewarm them on Shabbos day without them losing their crispness? We have a plata.
[quote]
Umm Mali you seem to have some lack of knowledge on hilchot shabbat, as I've studied these halachot intensively and have a DH who has spent many years in yeshiva, I know this very well.
There is a halachic rule that אין בישול אחר בישול ביבש meaning solids are permitted to be reheated on shabbat becasue the issur is to cook, and the question is if this is considered cooking - the answer in halacha is that reheating solids that are fully cooked is not considered cooking, and therefore permitted.
Although you cannot do this on an open flame because it looks like you are cooking and you may adjust the flame. It is however, permitted to reheat solids (completely cold even frozen) on a covered flame, most Ashkenazi poskim say you should reheat solids over a כלי of some sort (such as a pan, a pot, a jar cap), while others say it is unnecessary.
There is a machloket regarding reheating liquid, most poskim say you cannot unless it is yad soledet (I.e. too hot to tuch) and the Rambam says it is fine (אין בישול אחר בישול בלח) so Yemenite Jews who follow the Rambam's psika DO reheat soup, etc. Other poskim (Rav Ovadia for instance) say it is ok to place liquids on a cold plata and have the plata turn on using a timer (because this is grama, making it drabanan of a derabanan - grama, then a covered flame) others say this is not permitted (mostly Ashkenazi poskim I'd assume).
The other issue is what if I have chicken with a little bit of souce - can I reheat the chicken or does it need to be completely dry. Most poskim say that if the עיקר main dish is יבש or solid it is permitted to heat it up with its few liquids, others say it is not. Follow what every your LOR says.
I do know that my BIL who is a rosh kolel and is machmir on about anything that could be machmired (even when there is no need, it's just the way he is) doesn't reheat solids unless it is over a pot that has something in it (like cholent or boiling water). My BIL is a great tsadik and although he is extermely machmir, he would not necessarily poskin this for anyone asking him a shaila. There is a path for only the extreme rightious and a general path. His wife who is also very very well versed in halach complys with his chomrot, but we've discussed that this is NOT halacha and only applies to the very few who live a very holy life.
I hope I gave you some information, please consult your LOR again or the books (shmirat shabbat kehilchata is the most common) to figure out what you want to do.

**editted because I had one extra derabanon **

stem

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 10:34 am

Thank you chanchy that was a very good summary!

But I've heard of many Rabbonim who hold that you must use a pot that has food in it (cholent, hot water) to heat up the (dry) food on Shabbos. Your BIL is not the only one who holds this way.
There is a special platta that comes with water inside that helps in keeping this chumra.

DefyGravity

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 11:18 am

There's no way to keep potatoes crispy on shabbos day with the options that are available for reheating food on shabbos. The only way to make potatoes crispy is to reheat in the oven, which isn't an option.

ABC

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 12:47 pm

I can't get them to stay crunchy either Rolling Eyes

Last edited by ABC on Thu, Sep 13 2012, 4:11 am; edited 1 time in total

mali

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 9:41 pm

davar lach means anything that has any moisture in it. even a challah you pull out of a freezer that has frost (a not-no-frost freezer) is a davar lach!

you may heat food on the perimeter of a blech if that food will never reach the temperature of yad soledet bo, not even if you leave it there for a day. yad soledet bo is lukewarm, by the way. 42 degrees celcius, a little warmer than your body temperature. who likes lukewarm potatoes?

mali

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 9:54 pm

and if those potatoes are indeed moisture-free, they still have the geder of a baked food, and the halacha goes, yesh bishul achar afiya. please consult with your LOR before doing this!

Last edited by mali on Thu, Jan 08 2009, 9:59 pm; edited 1 time in total

mali

Thu, Jan 08 2009, 9:56 pm

yet another possible issur - if the fat or oil in the pan hardened, there's an issur of nolad if you put it on the plata because you turn it into a liquid.