How to Cut Potatoes {Step-by-Step Tutorial}

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Knowing how to cut potatoes quickly and efficiently will be a boon to your kitchen life. Knife skills really are everything. For instance, why buy frozen fries when it is easy and healthier to grab a sharp knife and cut up your own? And, no matter the use, slicing your own potatoes means you can always keep their iron and fiber-rich skin!

Cutting board with large potato being cut

Okay, they are carb-rich and high glycemic food, but if you avoid frying or smothering in high-fat dairy, the naked potato (especially skin included) offers a ton of nutrition. This Live Science article exhaustively outlines the benefits including nice amounts of vitamin C, iron and potassium (more than bananas!).

How to clean a potato

First, all potatoes need to be washed, even if you are peeling and slicing, you don’t want to introduce surface dirt or contaminants with a peeler or knife. This is for russet potatoes or any tuber, even if they’re organic.
Rinse under cold running water. Use a vegetable brush, paper towel, or clean dishcloth to gently scrub away dirt.
Don’t scrub too hard and remove the skin if you want to eat it!

Two image collage to show how to wash and dry a potato

How to cut up a potato

The potato’s ubiquitousness in a variety of recipes means there are different cuts for different uses. Check out these four popular cuts below:

Wedges for oven fries
Slices for potato gratins
Sticks for smaller fries or the first step in cubes
Cubes for everything from soups and stews to potato salads.

Potato wedges

Using a sharp knife, slice the potato in half.
Place the cut side down on the cutting board and slice again in half lengthwise.
Cut each quarter in half again for 8 wedges. If your potato is supersized, you may want to halve these wedges again.

Potato slices

With your sharp knife, start at the root of the potato and carefully slice to your desired thickness.
Continue until you reach the other end of the potato.

2 image collage to show how to slice a potato into rounds

Potato sticks

Again, with a sharp knife, make a thin slice lengthwise so the potato sits flat on the cutting board.
Slice the potato lengthwise to your desired thickness.
Stack the slices together, flip the stack over so the cut side is down, and cut lengthwise to make sticks.

3 image collage to show how to cut potato into sticks

Potato cubes

First, cut potato sticks.
Now make perpendicular cuts all across to create the dices.

2 image collage to show how to cut potato sticks into cubes

How to store cut potatoes

If you’re wondering how to keep cut potatoes from turning brown, here’s the best advice for storing them: place in water! Then store them in the fridge for best freshness.

Recipes with potatoes

Frequently asked questions

Can you freeze cut potatoes?

No. Not without blanching first. If you are up for it, you can blanch, and flash freeze on sheets, then bag. The test kitchens at EatingWell spell out the procedure well.

How long can you keep cut potatoes in water?

Good question! Experts agree that after an hour you should refrigerate those soaking spuds. They can hang out in the fridge for about 24 hours. After that, they will begin to degrade.

How do you soften potatoes for cutting?

If you are using a large potato that’s too tough to cut, you can microwave the potato for 1-2 minutes, depending on its size. That will make it much easier to cut without cooking the potato.

Nothing disappears faster from kids’ plates than food in “fry” form, and cutting your own oven fries means even if you forgo fast food, kids will never feel fry deprived. With a sharp knife and these methods, you can make quick and healthy work of a bag of potatoes for oven fries, potato salad, and more.

For more cutting tutorials:

If you’ve found this cooking resource for How to Cut Potatoes helpful or if you’ve tried any recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience with this technique. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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