How To Make Mashed Potatoes

posted in Vegetables and Beans, Vegetarian, Soups, Salads, Sides and Sauces by Kathy Maister
Difficulty:

I was surprised to hear one of the trainers at my gym say he prefers instant mashed potatoes from a box to the real thing! I thought to myself: he needs a few tips on how to make perfect mashed potatoes!

You can make mashed potatoes in just a few easy steps.

imgp2837_305

Step 1: Wash the potatoes

imgp2451_305_01

Step 2: Peel the potatoes

imgp2473_305

Step 3: Cut the potatoes into 1 ½ inch chunks

imgp2666_305

Step 4: Put the potatoes in sauce pan and cover with water

(adding 1 teaspoon of salt to the water is optional)

imgp2682_305

Step 5: Bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes

imgp2723_400

Step 6: Drain the potatoes

imgp2741_305

Step 7: Add milk, butter, salt and pepper

imgp2754_305

Step 8: Start mashing!

imgp2822_400

Keep mashing until the potatoes are creamy and lump free.

Aaahhhh! Perfection

Tempted as you might be to try using a blender or a food processor to mash potatoes...DON'T! Believe me, years ago I tried that. You end up with a gluey, uneatable, awful mess. If you are mashing for a crowd, an electric hand mixer will work beautifully!

Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

(4-6 Servings)

2 pounds of potatoes
½ to ¾ cup of milk
Salt and pepper (to your taste)
2-6 tablespoons of butter

The Equipment you'll need:

Sauce pan with a cover
Vegetable peeler
Knife
Potato masher
Timer
Colander (optional)

You can view and print this recipe here.

If you are new to startcooking, or are a regular visitor here, please consider subscribing for free.

16 comments

will | posted on Sep 7, 2006

my grandma used a foodmill, which provides the best texture that I have come across. She also added some milk, and the best part, nutmeg.

nutmeg flavor in mashed potatoes turns it from mashed potatoes into pure unmitigated comfort food.

Jon Sacker | posted on Sep 7, 2006

One tip I got relates to washing up your utensils’ after mashing potatoes.

The ting is that potatoes are very starchy and if you rinse them in hot water, the starch sets like glue. However, if you rinse off the worst of the mash before in old water before you wash your things it all comes of beautifully.

I got this tip from one of my favourite food writers, Jeffrey Steingarten, in his book “the Man who Ate Everything” – a great, fun read for foodie obsessives!!

Kathy Maister | posted on Sep 13, 2006

Will, when I was a child, my mom always mashed potatoes using a food mill. They always came out creamy and smooth and delicious. I was just reading a catalogue that had for sale, the exact same food mill my mom used. The price was $79. Yikes! That’s a lot of money for someone just starting out!

Nutmeg and potatoes….heaven!

Jon, thanks for the tip! I am going to give that a try!

Ken | posted on Nov 9, 2007

To make the mashed potatoes more tastier add a small finely chopped when mashing. I always get comments when I serve this to guests.

julien | posted on Nov 9, 2007

Ken - a small finely chopped WHAT?

Ken | posted on Nov 9, 2007

Oops, I missed out "a small finely chopped onion" to add to mashed potatoes.

Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 11, 2007

Thanks Ken! I'm not a big fan of garlic in mashed potatoes, but a finely chopped onion sounds great!

bella | posted on Dec 9, 2007

i'm just thinking of making mashed potatoes, but don't know how, then i found this site and suddenly it feels very easy! i'll try it, thanks!

Kathy Maister | posted on Dec 10, 2007

Good Luck Bella! I'm sure you will do just fine!

obethx | posted on Jan 10, 2008

'Step 2 Peeling the Potatoes' can be skipped.

But done after 'Step 6 Drain the potatoes'.

The skin can be peeled right off without any tools, just your hands, but becareful of the HOT potatoes.

Ryvenna Lewis | posted on Jan 10, 2008

I LOVE adding a bit of fried, chopped onions to my mashed potatoes.

Kathy Maister | posted on Jan 11, 2008

Obethx I have such difficulty peeling potatoes that way! My fingers always get burnt! I do often leave on the skins and smash the spuds-skin and all...delicious!

Ryvenna, I'm with you, fried onions are great! (Carmelized even better!)

JB | posted on May 29, 2008

My Top Tip:

Mash the potatoes as much as possible BEFORE adding butter and milk. Try it out.

Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 3, 2008

JB, that is a very good tip! Thanks!

Riley | posted on Jun 19, 2008

Frying the onions with a bit of bacon also adds a nice flavor

Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 22, 2008

Bacon makes just about everything better! :)

0 trackbacks

Trackback URL:

http://startcooking.com/trackback.php?id=54

Get startcooking for Free

Are you a busy person who just never got around to learning the basics of cooking? We built startcooking.com just for you. You'll learn how to make quick and tasty meals, plus learn the basic cooking skills you'll need. Get ready to start cooking!