When making mashed potatoes what do you use and why?

[Quizzie]

I am accustomed to the old way's, I use the original potato masher. This to me... gives it a firmer texture and allows you to have hands on the dish.

"Don't get me wrong," the new ways have spoiled me to many other modern technilogical gadgets.

 

[buckytom]

has no one else made lobster mashed pota-yuh-toes?

if you haven't, and you usually just chuck out the little leggies on a lobster, give it a try. use the water from boiling the lobsters to boil the spuds, then mash them with butter and a little of the water (and the tomalley if you dare). roll the meat out of the legs with a rolling pin, and fold meat into the mash.

 

[ironchef]

has no one else made lobster mashed pota-yuh-toes?

I've made something like that, but different than the the recipe you posted. I made the mash out of yukon golds and then incorporated the lobster coral into it.

 

[Quizzie]

Hi bucky, I saw this recipe on the Food network this past week. I was curious to the taste. Since you are familiar with this dish, How is the taste? Is it rich? It looked delicious.

 

[corazon]

We had mashed potatoes last night. We added butter, bacon bits, sour cream, cheddar & dh put scallions in his. They were sooo good! We used a masher for this. I wish we had leftovers!

 

[mish]

Please explain.

Personally, I prefer mixer, I'll use potato masher if need to be, but I would never use potato ricer, and in my opinion, you do not get the right Consistency if you do. It doesn't taste like mashed potato, it doesn't feel like mash potato, it is just not right.
What do you think?

For mashed potatoes (if I want them smooth), I use a potato masher, never a mixer. A mixer will make them gummy. A ricer, if you want a grainy texture for certain recipes, potato waffles and such. One of my favorite comfort foods - potatoes peeled, cut in chunks, boiled, drained, and lightly mixed with a fork adding mayo, salt and pepper -- very chunky & tasty luke warm.

Mashed - almost anything goes. I like mashed carrots combined in the mashed taters, a little s & P, and butter. A tasty twist - adding artichokes, butter, s&p. Have you tried mixing in those french fried onions that come in a can? Not gourmet, but pretty good. Cream cheese with chives and onions is another good combo.

 

[buckytom]

quizzie, do you remember what show was it on?

i've had them in restaurants, and made it at home. can't seem to match the strong lobster flavor that you get in restaurants, but yes, if made well, it's rich and buttery, with delicious pieces of lobster throughout. lobster and butter, and potatoes and butter were made for each other, so it's a perfect match. i've also had it with roasted garlic which was very good too.

it's possible they use a lobster stock to boil and blend the potatoes.

 

[Claire]

I use a masher because that's what I have. I don't mind them made with a mixer if people don't get carried away -- I don't like them to become gummy. I love "riced" potatoes, but, well, as some say, it is a one-trick pony, and I don't make mashed potatoes often enough to own a ricer.

 

[Robt]

I use all three at one time or another. I prefer riced 'cause nothing holds more gravey than riced!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

For mashed potatoes, it is the combination of potato variety, fat, liquid, and seasonings that give them their characteristic texture and flavor. Potatoes boiled with the skin on, then skinned and mashed have an earthier flavor than potatoes that have been peeled before boiling. Also, the more delicate texture of Yukon Gold, Red Rose, White Rose, and other so-called waxy potatoes require less fat than do Russets. If too much butter is added, the waxy potatoes become heavy and gummy. But with Russets, extra butter reduces the grainy texture of the potato.

I like my potatoes silky smooth, and rich in flavor. I use both a ricer and potato masher. Riced potatoes by themselves can be grainy, depending on the potato variety used. But if you use a very fine grained potato like Yukon Gold, the flavor and texture are delicate and sweet, respectively.

For mashed potatoes, I rice the potatoes, then add salt and mash them with a hand masher. I taste to see if the amount of salt is correct. I then add butter and condensed milk. This adds a rich flavor and makes them very smooth and light, but with enough body to satisfy.

I'm sorry that I can't quantify the amounts because I eyeball everything and adjust as I go, testing frequently for flavor and texture. The end result is a stiff mashed potato, but not pasty or gooey. The potatoes when served, should hold their shape on the plate and easily be formed to create a crater in the middle to hold whatever sauce, butter, compound butter, or gravy that is served with the meal.

The ricer insures a lump-free final dish, while the mechanical mashing incorporates the seasonings, liquid, and fat. This takes a bit more work, but I try to give my very best to whomever is going to eat what I prepare. I'm kind of obssesive about that.

The only problem I have with mashed potatoes (in my house we call them smashed spuds) is that I can only eat them rarely, and in small quantities. They just are not good for my blood glucose levels. But they are yummy. And as for seasonings, good butter and salt are all I need. But that's just personal preferrence. Added flavoings like chicken soup base, garlic, onion, etc., add wonderful variety to mashed potatoes.

Recently, and for the first time, I added cooked carrots to the potatoes before ricing them. My wife absolutely loved them. But I'm still a smashed spuds purest. I like mine with just a bit of salt.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[BigJim]

Mashed potatoes

Hello everybody:

this is bigjim, I just love this, we have 50 replies on this one subject.
that shows you the joy of cooking. everybody has their way they enjoy
mashed potatoes. they have different varities of potatoes, different
ways to prepare them just to get the right taste for them. I have been
in the process of moving andpacking to go to a different place and I haven`t
had a good meal since we started this thing. well tomorrow being sunday
I am going to light up the bbq and have some steaks ans mashed potatoes.
with a green salad. I can`t hardly wait. thank to everyone who contributed
to this subject. take care and god bless.....

 

[TATTRAT]

I never new this could spark such an array of anwsers...though i did vote, I will say that the application of the mashers dictates what texture I prefer. Sometimes chunky, lumpy, homestyle is the way to go...sometimes satiny, velvet like is the way to go...or even whiped to the point where the simply melt in the mouth, oh god...oh, yup...........gotta go make some smashed potatoes! THANKS ALOT!<insert sarcasim>

 

[JGDean]

Mashed potatoes

I learned my first year of marriage 2 important things - Do NOT use a food processor to make mashed potatoes unless you want glue and cumin does not work in tuna salad

 

[Barbara L]

That is not necessarily true, ironchef. Unfortunately, not all of us have a stand mixer. Although, I would love to have one, but I just don't have enough counter space. I use a hand mixer or a potato masher to make my mashed potatoes.

I agree SierraCook. When I read the poll choices, a stand mixer never even entered my mind. Even if I had one, I couldn't imagine using it to make mashed potatoes for just the 2 of us--when I think of a stand mixer, I think of it in terms of larger projects.

I use either my hand mixer or a masher, just depending on my mood and which is handier. I don't mind a few small lumps in my mashed potatoes. I do not like sticky, gluey mashed potatoes (we get those at work--school cafeteria). LOL--If I ever feel like my daughter doesn't need me, I just remember last Christmas. She called me (we live almost 3,000 miles from each other) as she was preparing Christmas dinner. She wanted to know how to make mashed potatoes so that they wouldn't turn out gluey. Of course (being the smart-aleck I am), I told her to stop using Elmer's (white glue) instead of milk. It was nice being needed!

Barbara

 

[skilletlicker]

My 2 cents

I like mashed potatoes with whole medium sized skin on russets simmered 'til tender then halved and riced. While the potatoes cook I heat milk and butter and halved garlic cloves. when the potatoes are riced I fish out the garlic and add the liquid to the spuds and gently stir just enough to combine. The less handling the taters get the better.

I also like chunky smashed potatoes but that seemes to me like a different dish. I'll use reds simmered skin on then smash with a masher to the right consistency, adding liquids, seasonings and herbs as I smash.

Before I started using a ricer I would make whipped potatoes with mixer but haven't done it that way in quite a while. Someone mentioned cleaning the ricer. For me it's a lot faster to clean the ricer than peel the potatoes.

 

[Constance]

I like my mashed potatoes smooth and creamy, no lumps, thank you. We alternate between a masher (the old fashioned kind) and a hand mixer.
My Aunt Helen, a farm wife, made mashed potatoes every day, using a wooden mallet. They were light and fluffy, and I wish I had a big bowl of them right now!

 

[abecedarian]

Since I seldom make less than a 10 pound bag of potatoes-worth of smashed taters, I always use a spoon to break up the chunks, then my hand mixer to blend the butter and salt. Sometimes, for special ocassions, I like to add sour cream and cream cheese w/chives...any leftovers make a grand breakfast the next morning.

 

[Corey123]

All three are good, but I think the potato rice works best because there are no lumps.


~Corey123.

 

[erinmself]

I use a masher but my mom always used a hand mixer. I like them both ways.

 

[marmalady]

quizzie, do you remember what show was it on?

i've had them in restaurants, and made it at home. can't seem to match the strong lobster flavor that you get in restaurants, but yes, if made well, it's rich and buttery, with delicious pieces of lobster throughout. lobster and butter, and potatoes and butter were made for each other, so it's a perfect match. i've also had it with roasted garlic which was very good too.

it's possible they use a lobster stock to boil and blend the potatoes.

Bucky, I'm sure they probably use a lobster base or stock if it's a very pronounced lobster flavor.