How To Give Homemade Tater Tots The Perfect Store-Bought Shape

Peruse the chiller cabinets at the grocery store and you'll find an abundance of tater tot brands to choose from. While these puffy little fellas are certainly yummy, they also contain additives and preservatives that you might be looking to avoid. In that case, making a homemade batch of tater tots is the ideal solution. The only problem is how to shape your prepped taters into the perfect-store bought shape; it can be a finicky and time-consuming job to mold your cooked spuds into those stubby-shaped nuggets. Luckily, there's a simple trick to making it a whole lot easier — dampening your hands with a splash of water.

To get started, fill a small bowl with some water and place it beside your tater tot mixture. Then put your fingers in the water before taking a small amount of potato into your hands and shaping it into a dainty cylinder or ball. If your hands dry out, simply dampen them again in the water until all your tater tots are prepped and spread out onto a tray ready for baking or air frying.

This trick, which is also useful for shaping meatballs and kebabs, works so well because it prevents the sticky texture of the spuds from adhering to your fingers. It also makes for tater tots with a smoother, uniform surface that crisp up evenly and look as good as a store-bought batch.

The awesome thing about making your own tater tots is that you can flavor them with anything you like, such as shredded cheese, smoked paprika, or fresh herbs. Having said that, keeping them plain and simple is useful if you want to freeze a bunch to scatter over casseroles or make a tater-topped burger. Other creative ways to use tater tots include smashing them in a waffle maker to make crispy hash browns or wrapping them in bacon to make appetizers.

If you prefer, you could slick your hands with cooking oil, instead of water, before shaping your tater tots. This move will coat the exterior of your tots in extra fat and help them to brown and crisp up better when baked or air fried. However, bear in mind that this will increase their fat content and make your hands greasy. We'd advise giving them a light spritz of cooking spray after you shape them with water to make a lighter bite. If you want to avoid all this hassle, Aldi makes the best store-bought tater tots in our opinion. Marketed as potato puffs, these rotund little guys are crispy on the outside and tender in the middle.