How to Keep Latkes Crispy, Even When You Make Them Ahead

Wring out the potatoes

Shredded potato is full of water, and water turns to steam in the pan instead of browning. America's Test Kitchen (ATK) piles the shreds in a clean dish towel and twists the ends hard to drain as much liquid as possible, working in two batches. It then lets that liquid stand at least 5 minutes, pours off the water and stirs the white potato starch left in the cup back into the latkes as a binder.

ATK also microwaves the wrung shreds until just warm, which makes some of their starch form a gel so they release less water while frying. Even ATK's kids' cookbook, which bakes its latkes on a sheet pan, says squeezing out as much liquid as possible is key to crispy latkes. Our classic potato latkes follow ATK's method.

Hot oil, and room in the pan

ATK heats 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F, shimmering but not smoking, and fries each latke about 3 minutes per side until golden. A clip-on or instant-read thermometer takes the guessing out.

Our recipe fries five at a time and adds oil as needed, bringing it back to 350°F between batches. Too many latkes at once cool the oil, and they soak it up instead of crisping.

Holding them warm

ATK drains each batch briefly on paper towels, then moves the latkes to a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while the rest fry. My Jewish Learning's Nosher goes a step further when reheating: a wire rack set over a baking sheet, so air circulates all around and the bottoms stay crisp, then a 225°F oven to keep them warm.

What ruins them is a stack or a cover. Both trap the steam the latkes are still giving off, and the crust goes soft. Keep them in a single layer and uncovered until you serve them. More holiday frying is on our Hanukkah recipes page.

Make ahead, freeze and re-crisp

ATK lets cooled latkes sit at room temperature up to 4 hours. USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says perishable cooked food shouldn't sit out more than 2 hours, so we go with 2, then refrigerate them. Refrigerated, they keep 3 to 4 days, and FSIS wants leftovers reheated to 165°F.

To freeze, The Nosher cools latkes on a wire rack, freezes them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, then stacks them between sheets of parchment in a bag or container. ATK keeps them frozen up to 1 month. The Nosher fries make-ahead latkes a little lighter than usual so they don't over-brown later. Don't thaw them: ATK reheats frozen latkes at 375°F for about 6 minutes per side, and The Nosher bakes them on a rack at 400°F for about 10 minutes. And if you wonder why Hanukkah fries potatoes at all, potatoes were a late arrival.

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