To Joker | Imamother

amother

OP ↓

Thu, Sep 26 2024, 3:30 pm

Freeze the potato kugel batter raw in a baking pan. Cover it tightly before putting in freezer.
When you want to bake it, preheat oven to 500. Spray the top of the kugel well, and bake immediately, uncovered, until the top forms a nice crust. You can lower to 400 after that. It should taste fresh.
(Do not add water before baking. Adding water is only if you want an overnight pk taste, and you do that after it was baked fully. You add the water and cover tightly with aluminum foil, and continue baking on low for a few hours. )

I gave my mother-in-law this hack a few years ago and she has been doing it ever since.
Hatzlacha
PKL

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Sep 26 2024, 4:57 pm

Here is my no-fail recipe:

5 lbs of potatoes
8 eggs (pref extra large)
3/4 cup oil
1/2 onion (optional)
1 T salt
A little bit of black pepper
1 cup seltzer

It's a standard Hungarian potato kugel.
I use the "kugel" blade on the Braun food processor, so it has a mushy texture.

Preheat oven to 500.
Using the S blade, process the onion, then add the eggs, spices and oil and mix but not too long. (Don't let it get frothy.) Pour into a large bowl.

Switch to kugel blade.
Process potatoes and onion, if using.
The trick is to work quickly.

Mix batter into the egg mixture and add the seltzer at the end. Mix very well and bake uncovered until it looks done.
I sometimes lower the oven to 350 after an hour but not always.

If you like stringy potato kugel you can use the same recipe with the larger holed disc.

(I tried this recipe with Yukon gold and somehow it didn't come out good. The texture was off. I have a diff recipe I use when I have Yukon gold potatoes. )

If you want to make this overnight, leave the kugel in the oven on 500 until it's dark, take it out and add about 1 cup of water on top. Then cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake on 250 for 6 hours or overnight.

This is the recipe I use for the kugels I sell.
For my own family, I will often add a zuchinni. I find it gives it a creamy texture and yummy flavor.
(But don't tell my kids- they never noticed the difference. If you add zuchinni, just make sure there are no telltale green peels left, or the game is up. )

Enjoy!

amother

↑ OP ↓

Thu, Sep 26 2024, 6:05 pm

:)iknowit wrote:

Thanks for sharing this tip. Have you ever tried it with chunks of meat inside? I’m worried about how the frozen beef will cook.

I have.
I happen not to be a fan of yapchik and no no one in my family likes it either. But most people love it, so go ahead and try it.
I do it on Pesach for the cholent, and we love it then. But it's somehow different in a slow cooker.

I do like it with chicken bottoms. Put chicken bottoms in a pan, pour the kugel on top, and bake. It gives it a really good flavor.

Eta. I never tried it frozen with the meat, just fresh.

amother

↑ OP

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 9:57 pm

joker wrote:

no I first did the potatoes and didnt have eggs so I left them overnight in the fridge in water
then I did the rest of the recipe and froze it

Ok, so this is totally not what anyone here was suggesting.

Once you shred the potatoes, you have to work quickly to get them into the oven.

In the future, you can put peeled potatoes into the fridge. I have done that many times. Peel the potatoes, cover with water and refrigerate overnight. They won't turn brown. But I would not do that with shredded potatoes.

Next time, make the potato kugel batter (grate potatoes, add eggs, etc) , pour into the pan, and freeze immediately. Then, the day you want it, take it out and bake it uncovered.

Alternatively, bake it right away, allow to cool, then freeze it. When reheating, spray oil on top and bake uncovered.

amother

Sunflower

Sun, Oct 06 2024, 10:07 pm

joker wrote:

no I first did the potatoes and didnt have eggs so I left them overnight in the fridge in water
then I did the rest of the recipe and froze it

You’re so cute 🥰
This is comical, I thought I’d heard it all but I guess not. 😂

Good job for keeping at it. Let us know when your kugel comes out yummy!!😋