Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Tips for the Perfect Mashed Potatotes

From The Joy of Cooking:
A food mill or ricer ensures a smooth puree. You can use an electric mixer as well. A potato masher or a fork takes more elbow grease but can do the job. The food processor is too hard on potatoes, leaving them with an unappetizing gluey texture. Baking potatoes make the best mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are best when served at once, for they lose their fluffiness when held or reheated.


From Scott:

Add and incorporate your butter/fat first, then do the milk or cream. Use butter, cream, salt, pepper and/or whatever you want, to taste!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everyone in my family uses an Irish potato masher- it's tradition. The Vermont Bowl Company sells them:
http://owgd3.onewebgroup.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=Vtbowl&Product_Code=KIT_Potato_Masher
The masher works on any number of hard vegetables- you can whip up some carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, anything at all. It's great if you (like me) like your potatoes fluffy, but with a bit of texture left in them.
MCB

ScottE. said...

That is an interesting tool. I've never seen something like that for potatoes. I use either a masher, sometimes a ricer (which for me, makes the best smooth, creamy potatoes) or the handheld blender for medium batches or the stand mixer for large batches (THANKSGIVING).

DC Food Blog said...

I do it the Ina Garten way, using waxy potatoes and dumping them in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. It doesn't have that fluffiness that a baking potato would have but it does have a pleasing creaminess.