topic Need Help for Mashed Potatoes in Recipes

Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Twins Mom — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:01:24 GMT

I used Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, as well as whipping cream. They were still a bit pasty. What's the secret to fluffy potatoes?

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Carmie — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:07:31 GMT

A teaspoon of baking powder helps fluff up mashed potatoes.

If potatoes were stored in an area that was too cold like a refrigerator or left in a truck in freezing weather, they will get pasty and mealy. There is nothing you can do about them. They will have the consistency of glue.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Jaspersmom — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:25:20 GMT

Truth be told, I never have any luck making mashed potatoes with Yukon golds. Don't use them anymore.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Gourmet — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:33:54 GMT

I use red potatoes for mashed. The night before I cut the up and put them in the fridge in a pot of water. In the morning I rinse them about 4 times to get rid of the cold water. To cook I use the same pot and cook the potatoes. I have never had pasty of bad mashed potatoes doing it this way. I quarter the potatoes and the cut in pieces. I have never used whipping cream, just milk,salt and pepper and butter. My potatoes turn out perfect every time.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

grandma2pkmh — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:35:30 GMT

@Twins Mom Some chef on tv was asked that question on Wednesday and the answer was to add more and more butter. The fat in the butter is what helps.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

ECBG — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:51:29 GMT

@Gourmet wrote:
I use red potatoes for mashed. The night before I cut the up and put them in the fridge in a pot of water. In the morning I rinse them about 4 times to get rid of the cold water. To cook I use the same pot and cook the potatoes. I have never had pasty of bad mashed potatoes doing it this way. I quarter the potatoes and the cut in pieces. I have never used whipping cream, just milk,salt and pepper and butter. My potatoes turn out perfect every time.

@Gourmet Are you aware that by leaving them in water over night you are leaching out the watersoluable vitamins Vit C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, folic acid, biotin, and pantothenic acid?

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

mizree — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 22:20:31 GMT

overworking the starch may cause this result. i have best results by ensuring potatoes are very dry (remove water and put potatoes back in hot pot) and use a ricer and warm milk and butter. i normally use russet potatoes,

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Silver Fox1 — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 21:36:38 GMT

@Twins Mom ,you can start by not using Yukon Gold potato's, they are way too starchy for mashed potatos. You should be using a white potato or if you want to leave the skins on a red.potato. That init's self should do the trick.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

spent2much — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:00:12 GMT

I find the best potatoes for mashing are russets. Hubby peels and cuts them in bite size pieces, I boil them for about 15-20 min. Drain, use 1 or 2 pats butter and milk. I only mash with a manual potato masher. They are consistently fluffy... excellent!

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

jannabelle1 — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:05:46 GMT

My experience is the yukon gold don't work well for me with mashed potatoes. I always use room temperature russets or red, and peel, quarter and boil them the same day. I only use butter and milk, and a lot of salt....sometimes a little sour cream. If I use my "make-ahead" recipe to heat them in the oven later, then I add a little baking powder (from my grandma's recipe). I think over beating them will also make them pasty....beat them just long enough to get the lumps out and fluff them up a bit, and add extra milk/butter as I go.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Ainhisg — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 12:03:04 GMT

@mizree wrote:
overworking the starch may cause this result. i have best results by ensuring potatoes are very dry (remove water and put potatoes back in hot pot) and use a ricer and warm milk and butter. i normally use russet potatoes,

What @mizree said. If you used a hand or stand mixer, that could be the culprit, too. Mashing them by hand with a potato masher won't overwork the starch if you don't have a ricer.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Chessa35 — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 13:37:11 GMT

I use Yukon gold, and they come out fine . Tip: mash and add the butter first , then the milk , etc .

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

chickenbutt — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 17:40:29 GMT

@Ainhisg wrote:
@mizree wrote:
overworking the starch may cause this result. i have best results by ensuring potatoes are very dry (remove water and put potatoes back in hot pot) and use a ricer and warm milk and butter. i normally use russet potatoes,
What @mizree said. If you used a hand or stand mixer, that could be the culprit, too. Mashing them by hand with a potato masher won't overwork the starch if you don't have a ricer.

This was my exact first thought. I've always thought that mashers made with a mixer end up like baby food or, if mixed too much, gluey baby food.

I use a hand-masher. Yeah, as I age and have trouble with my hands/wrists, it's not as easy as it used to be. But I will go to the effort to make a much better product.

I don't put milk in mine but that probably isn't something that hurt your end product. I just use a fair amount of butter and some hard cheese, like asiago (my fav) or parm. Add s&p, and that's it. I also leave the skins on the potatoes.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Icegoddess — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 17:53:40 GMT

Maybe I don't know what non-fluffy or gluey potatoes are, but I use my stand mixer and they come out great. Even my Grandfather who wouldn't touch potatoes had 2 helpings of mine. I do a quick mash with the potato masher, put them in the bowl with some butter, add buttermilk, and use the stand mixer on low speed, adding more buttermilk as needed. I put salt in the cooking water, never after they're cooked.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

happycat — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 19:27:27 GMT

I usually get the Idaho potatoes and I add a little butter and milk or cream. I think mine are fluffier when I use the mixer to beat. Either handheld or kitchenaid.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

happycat — Sun, 29 Nov 2020 19:28:27 GMT

@Carmie wrote:
A teaspoon of baking powder helps fluff up mashed potatoes.

If potatoes were stored in an area that was too cold like a refrigerator or left in a truck in freezing weather, they will get pasty and mealy. There is nothing you can do about them. They will have the consistency of glue.

I hadn't heard that about the baking powder, thanks for the heads up, @Carmie

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Flatbush — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 02:43:55 GMT

Russets for me. Never had a problem with them. I also hand mash.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

SurferWife — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 02:56:20 GMT

Secret ingredient...8 oz. cream cheese...now it's no longer a secret.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Nonametoday — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:06:09 GMT

Mayo, sweet mayo; sweet cream, real butter, cream cheese.

Re: Need Help for Mashed Potatoes

Harpa — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 13:09:49 GMT

Lots of remedies on line to read about.

I never have this problem, and have not followed any of the sage on-line advice.

In a pot of salted water, the washed, unpeeled potatoes are cubed and cooked until tender. While they cook away, I skim off any starch that floats to the top.

Potatoes are drained, but not overly drained. (The on-line advice says to drain well.) They are put back into the pot, where I add a stick of softened butter, which melts pretty quickly around the hot potatoes.

Into the pot goes the cream....a little at at time, and I begin to mix with the hand mixer, slowly at first. I add cream to the consistency I want, and speed up the mixer to the highest speed. (Sometimes I heat the cream perhaps with a sprig of fresh rosemary...)

As soon as all lumps are gone, I stop the mixing.

I don't know if it's the butter, or the skimming, or just plain luck, but they always come out perfect!