Potato Water.
Sounds kind of yucky almost.
You wouldn't think of it but it's actually a pretty awesome thing.
So why on earth would you save potato water? I mean you cooked the potatoes and that's what you used the water for. Don't you just drain it like pasta? Well you could, but you'd be missing out.
Turns out even Ma Ingalls knew about this little kitchen secret:
"While Ma made the gravy Laura mashed the potatoes. There was no milk but Ma said, "Leave a very little of the boiling water in, and after you mash them beat them extra hard with a big spoon." The potatoes turned out white a fluffy...."
Potato starch is very similar to milk or water mixed with flour. It acts as a thickening agent. You can even buy dried potato starch to have on hand if you don't regularly make it. For those allergic to corn or wheat it provides a suitable substitute for a flour or cornstarch thickener.
You can also use it to add to breads or soups in place of regular water. In the case of soups it will thicken the broth and it also adds in vitamins that were in the potatoes when boiled. It's kind of like getting a freebie vegetable supplement in with whatever you are making!
If you don't plan on using it right away you can always freeze it for later use.
Do you save potato water? What do you use it in?
Have a kitchen question you want answered? Contact us here!
Disclaimer: This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Rice water with a little sugar will help a sick child not become dehydrated.
I didn’t know that Carla, very interesting!
The next pot of soup, if I plan on making some within a few days.
What a great idea! I already knew that it was good to save green vegetable water to water plants, but never considered potato water.
I just (not 10 minutes ago) cooked 5 pounds of potatoes and dumped all the water down the drain. I had no idea that it could be useful!
I use the potato water in the gravy that I make to serve on the mashed potatoes.
My mom has used the potato water to make gravy or sauces. I’ve used it to thicken soups. We let the water cool a bit, put it into canning jars and refrigerate it.
How long can you refrigerate it for? Do you know?
It stays good in the fridge for about a week, if you want to store any longer than that I would store it in the freezer.
I was told that during the depression they would drink potato water for the vitamins it had in it (b/c they surely couldn’t afford to buy vitamins) this family was very poor & survived the depression this way. A potato has all the vitamins & nutrients you need.
AWESOME tidbit!! Had NO clue potato water was so useful! LOVE it! Thanks for sharing
Potato water is also great in homemade bread. Great flavor and more moist bread.
Thanks so much for sharing what a great idea.
Huh, the only thing I have ever done with it is let it cool and water some outdoor plants with it.
I have some plants and was wondering if I could use the potato water to water them. Thanks for the tip! The plants will get water and some nutrients- killing two birds with one stone.
I use it for the water in whole wheat bread recipes or for water used to make soup. The yeast feeds off the sugars from the potatoes and you will have a lighter, tender bread
Another great use is to freeze it in 0.5-1c portions and use in bread-making. My go-to site for info, recipes,and ingredients is King Arthur Flour. The additional of instant potato flakes makes the finished product (rolls or bread) far more tender. They suggested using potato water if one doesn’t have instant potato flakes or their own product. I tried it last week, thawing and using the equivalent volume as the water required and omitting the instant potatoes. Worked great, and less water/waste products in the environment.
I’ll add myself to the list of people who didn’t know potato water had uses, interesting!
Rice water helps a child with diarrea . Cook plain rice add a little salt or flavor , drai the water let cool gie to ouur child . Usualy a save the rice to make a chicken soup .
This makes sense because I use the BRAT diet for my kids when they have diarrhea = Bananas, Rice, Apples & Toast. These foods help the digestive track recover, so the Rice water would do the same. Good tip!
B.R.A.T.T … bananas, rice, applesauce, tea (without sugar, honey, any type of sweetner) & toast .. is what my pediatrician told me years ago. He was an extremely intelligent kindly gentleman who also happened to be my Dr as a child. It’s one of the best methods for diarrhea for young and old.
I usuallly drain most, but leave some to use as the liquid(usually people use milk) for mashed potatoes. We are dairy free and gluten free, so instead of using rice milk, I just leave some of the water that I cooked them in and mash. Saves on using rice milk and I like the taste better.
When I peel potatoes, I drop the peelings into water, that I later drain and use to water my house plants. It makes them very beautiful. I have not tried it with cooked potato water.
Thanks! I’m going to use this tip!!!! My Mom was a real estate agent and always fed her plants her left over coffee as she was rushing out the door and the plants thrived better than all the rest.
I use my potato water, but for something else… We rescued an Olde/English Bulldog 2 1/2 years ago. She hardly had any hair, staph infection, plus she is deaf.
We have come to learn thru much trial, error & vet visits… she is allergic to processed dog food. Corn, wheat and so on. We make her food now. Salmon or Mackerel, Potatoes and now green beans. I pressure cook 5lbs of potatoes with the skin, save 1/2 for later. In blender I add 1 can of Salmon or Mackerel, 1 can of no salt green beans drained, potatoes & potato water to thinned consistency. 2 cups am 2 cups pm. From all the constant steroids prior. She had packed the lbs on. 93.5!!! 6 months later, 58 lbs. Everyone thinks she’s a different dog.
Wow, that’s great!
Awesome! How blessed your (furry) baby is to have you for parents!
Someone said you can freeze the potato water.Could you also can it? Just wondering. Thank you!
Yes, you can freeze it. I’m guessing you could can it too but you’d need to pressure can it but I’m not sure if that would destroy the nutrients or not.
My husband’s Ukrainian grandmother taught me to save potato water to use in making pyrohy (pierogies) dough. It makes the dough nice and tender, never rubbery like it used to turn out before I learned that tip!
Awesome idea, i never relized it but, i want waste it anymore. Thanks so much.
i save potato water to drink, to get the most out of the vitamins/minerals but also because i like the taste
My father use to give us a glass of potato water with salt and pepper before he mashed the potatoes. I enjoy it! It has all the vitamins that would normally be thrown down the drain.
My hair has become very thin in the last five or 6 years (getting old sucks) and
my hair falls out a lot. I was told to use the potatoe water on my hair as it stops your hair from falling out and helps it become thicker. You pour it on your hair and then rub it into your scalp leave it on for several hours or over night then wash your hair as usual. I have done it twice now and will continue to use it often, which means I will be eating a lot more potatoes.
I will let you know how it works for me.
Sounds really interesting! Yes, let us know how it works out!
my grandmother taught me to make gravy with potato water instead of using milk- it makes the best gravy!!
This hint would be for peeled potatoes. A use not mentioned, is starching. In the days before my time, when commercial starch was not available, a starch water solution was made. If the water is clear enough, dipping your clothing into the starchy potato water would work. If you make latke’s, you usually grate the potato into cold water. The starch will settle on the bottom of the bowl. In the story of Mrs. Tiggywinkle, by Beatrix Potter, the washerwomen hedgehog character was taken from an old Scottish washerwomen that she knew. The character in the story prided herself in being an excellent clear starcher, so I am assuming that the “real” washer women did as well. Another recipe for starch is to boil one teaspoon of rice in a quart of water and remove the rice.