Mashed Potato technique. How do you mash your taters?
Recently my friends and I are battling over something as sacred as mashed potatoes. Some ran out and bought ricers. I dug out my food mill. With Turkey Day coming, how do you mash your taters? I know we here have talked about it. So let us talk about it some more.
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22 Comments:
I'm a lazy dishwasher, so the less left to wash, the better, and a fork isn't asking too much of me, so that's what I use... usually. I typically leave the skin on, so a lumpy country-style mashed (or forked!) potatoes is my preferred end result.
However, when it's a special occasion, I bust out the hand mixer and whip them up smooth with lots of butter.
I think the real question is: Can you go wrong with mashed potatoes?
plasticspoontraveller at 1:30PM on 10/23/07
I like lumps. And I also leave the skin on and use a fork. I do always finish with the mixer as I add butter and milk.
Ann Fisher at 1:50PM on 10/23/07
We recently bought a ricer, so have been using that lately, but before then I was all about smooth whipped potatoes.
Sarahrm at 1:51PM on 10/23/07
I use a ricer but I think a food mill does just as fine a job (the ricer is easier to put in the dishwasher). My mom has, at times, used the paddle attachment on her kitchen aid stand mixer.
ccbweb at 2:02PM on 10/23/07
I'm not a fan of whipped spuds (reminds me too much of the instant stuff I was subjected to as a kid), so I'm all about getting my mash on with a large, long-handled serving fork that I've bent to slightly less than 90 degrees.
Yes, I'm aware that they make utensils just for mashing, but I like my mashing fork.
corycm at 2:35PM on 10/23/07
I'm with the lumpy/skin on brigade. I have a serpentine-y hand held masher, and when I put in lots of butter and some cream I mash it a little bit more and finish with a few stirs with a big fork. I won't be doing turkey, but you can bet there will be mashed taters on T Day!
ride&cook at 2:57PM on 10/23/07
I use the ol sepentine masher and recently mixed some radishes with some buttermilk and marscopone cheese....WOW!!
Markbb at 4:39PM on 10/23/07
I like to rice 'em, although I have to admit that I've never used a food mill... I'm fine with any way, though -- mashed potatoes aren't something I'm snobbish about :-) Even bad 'taters can be fixed with some extra butter at the table!
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 6:31PM on 10/23/07
The whixk attatchment on a stand mixer work well. When I want super rich/fancy mahsers I push the hot potatoes through my mesh sieve/strainer and then whisk in flavorless buerre blanc until they look all weird and curdled. Then just a touch of cold half and half makes them look normal again. Also, I prefer mine seasoned with only salt. I know some like pepper, particularly white, but I kind of dig the bland, buttery, hotness.
coolname at 6:52PM on 10/23/07
I use a potato masher to get the right consistency, few lumps but still smooth. I wouldn't turn down whipped potatoes but I prefer the lumps.
Tara Tot at 11:05AM on 10/24/07
I use a ricer, but that's because I got it for free! Honestly, how can you go wrong as long as there's plenty of butter, sour cream and spice?
deeoh1 at 8:57AM on 10/25/07
I seem to remember seeing Alton Brown explain something about ricers being perfect because the exert even pressure on the cells of the potatoes (meaning, in part, that your potatoes are less likely to go gummy) and that it's the superior tool...but I don't own a ricer, so I use a manual masher and overwork the cells of my potatoes! ;)
mscherryclafouti at 12:08PM on 10/27/07
Rats. A typo. I meant "they exert," rather than "the exert."
mscherryclafouti at 12:11PM on 10/27/07
I have an old masher that belonged to GF's mother. It's a 5" steel disc filled with 1/4" square holes on about a 10" wooded handle.
I cut the spuds into 1-2" cubes to cook, leaving the skin on, and then coarsly mash them with butter, sour cream, salt and whatever other spice/seasoning I think would be good. (a little freshly grated nutmeg always adds to any potato dish)
srhcb at 1:00PM on 10/27/07
Mashers will always be better if you start with the right potato: reds and golds are the best, russets are the worst. And use quality add-ins: half and half, unsalted butter, various cheeses and complimentary flavors: horseradish, mushrooms, turnips and parsnips, etc. Add liquids and other ingredients in small amounts until you reach the right consistancy and flavor. Too much of a good thing can ruin the dish. Lumpy, with or with out skin, riced or whipped smooth, they are all good, and they can all be made plain or fancy. Last time I made mashers, I boiled a few cut but not peeled red potatoes with several chopped garlic cloves. After 20 minutes, I drained the taters and garlic, dumped them in bowl, added a few tbsps of prepared horseradish cream sauce and mashed it all together with a fork. Mmmm.
pattyplus at 1:28PM on 10/27/07
I like the perforated ones with a handle. I've had the one I'm (STILL) using for more than 20 years, and it was already old when I picked it up at a yard sale when I moved into my first apartment. It has a wooden handle with that is currently being held together with a rubberband because one of the rivets is missing. Pathetic.
My idea of a perfect replacement will have a very long handle since I usually mash right in the pot I boiled in... something like this one by Chantal...
POTATO MASHER
I have a ricer but I find it harder to use and clean than my ordinary masher, which is also much more versatile. I can easily control the texture of potatoes from lumpy to extra smooth, and it gets used a lot for other stuff, like mashing carrots for sauces, chopping eggs for egg salad, making guacamole, refried beans, etc.
LoCo at 4:01PM on 10/27/07
Oooops. My url command was bad...
http://www.cooking.com.edgesuite.net/images/products/Enlarge/563047e.jpg
LoCo at 4:03PM on 10/27/07
I use a ricer too.
deborahs at 10:19PM on 10/27/07
I use a hand mixer because carpal tunnel just gets the best of me sometimes. Peeling is even a chore. I am a peel, thick slice, boil in salted water with sometimes a boullion cube added, drain, steam dry and whip with real butter, good salt, hot cream and cracked pepper.
Last thanksgiving I made Alton Brown's garlic mashed that involved something insane like 5 cloves of garlic simmered in heavy cream and allowed to stand. Add that to whipped potatoes and cover and let stand until it was all absorbed then whip again and add a sharp grated hard cheese. Damn they were good....
ChelleyD01 at 2:20PM on 10/28/07
Mmmm... thinking of add-ins... my favorites are
Colcannon -- I like it with kale better than cabbage, but I'll take what's there!
Irish Champ
Celery and parsley sauteed in plenty of butter
Wasabi
LoCo at 3:03PM on 10/28/07
This isn't fancy - but it's a huge crowd pleaser and a life saver/time saver/space saver on holidays. I make a mashed potato casserole - the recipe was given to me in the late seventies when we lived in California. You can make it a day ahead of time and bake at the last minute. You make your mashed potatoes and add a couple of egg yolks and 8 oz of cream cheese and chives. Put in a souffle dish and it puffs up and gets a beautiful burnished color if you brush with melted butter and sprinkle with paprika. It's one of those recipes that if you don't make it, the guests will mutiny.
daintymorsel at 7:15PM on 10/29/07
Another vote for the ricer. It takes a little longer than a masher or mixer, but I think the ricer produces the lightest, airiest mashed potatoes. I'm looking forward to turkey day now.
SundayNiteDinner at 6:20PM on 11/07/07