Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Oh pshaw, on Sun 11 Nov 2007 09:39:24a, cybercat meant to say...

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

Use cream.

Quoted message said:

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

I don't use a recipe, however, I do "rice" the potatoes instead of mashing.
(I'm not a fan of lumpy mashed potatoes.) Then add desired butter, and add
cream until the right consistency. I often boil the potatoes with a fresh
clove of garlic, and sometimes add a bay leaf to the pot. I'm also not
much of a fan of roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Depends on the meal.

--
Wayne Boatwright

(to e-mail me direct, replace cox dot net with gmail dot com)
______________________________________________________________

OK, I'm weird ! But I'm saving up to be eccentric.

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Oh pshaw, on Sun 11 Nov 2007 09:39:24a, cybercat meant to say...

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

Use cream.

Quoted message said:

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

I don't use a recipe, however, I do "rice" the potatoes instead of mashing.
(I'm not a fan of lumpy mashed potatoes.) Then add desired butter, and add
cream until the right consistency. I often boil the potatoes with a fresh
clove of garlic, and sometimes add a bay leaf to the pot. I'm also not
much of a fan of roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Depends on the meal.

Well, here's the Austrian version :

1 kilo potatos
100 grams butter
1/4 litre milk
salt, nutmeg

Peel potatos, cook them in saltwater (with cumin seeds, optional), until
very soft.
Drain the water, leave potatos in the pot (without lid) for some minutes.
Heat milk (do not bring to boil).
Puree them with a kitchen mixer, stir in the butter, season with salt and
nutmeg. Stir in milk until you have the consistency you like.
I never had lumps in my Erdäpfelpüree.

Cheers,

Michael Kuettner

"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Get a decent masher. Those old wire things always leave lumps. I have a
nylon one I got at Target that has holes and it really mashes them. Butter
and cream make the best mashed potatoes. Another thing I do is let them
drain in the colander until they look dry.

Ms P

"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Got a KitchenAid mixer, by any chance? I use mine to make killer *WHIPPED*
potatoes using butter & cream, a little salt & white pepper. Not a lump in
sight. You can also use sour cream or Half & Half if that's what's in your
fridge.

You could use a hand-held mixer as well - it's just a little more effort, I
guess.

I also don't think ya need A POUND of butter. Maybe 1/4 to 1/3 if you're
doing all 5 pounds of spuds.

BTW, I more often make actual 'mashed' potatoes rather than whipped using my
old-fashioned hand masher. Some folks like the lumps!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Van

Ms P said...

Quoted message said:

"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago,
and they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Get a decent masher. Those old wire things always leave lumps. I have
a nylon one I got at Target that has holes and it really mashes them.
Butter and cream make the best mashed potatoes. Another thing I do is
let them drain in the colander until they look dry.

Ms P

cybercat said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

You can make them for me then. I like them lumpy.

My MIL puts them in her kitchenaid mixer for 10 minutes (it seems like).
They're all pasty and stuff.

Quoted message said:

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Butter, half and half, a pinch of S&P...then I roughly mash.

Quoted message said:

--
-Gina in Italy

http://www.myspace.com/ravenlynne1975
I'm a blogger: http://ravenwolflodge.blogspot.com

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:39:24 -0500, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Sometimes I add a little orange juice.

koko
---
http://www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 9/16

"There is no love more sincere than the love of food"
George Bernard Shaw

<koko> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:39:24 -0500, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Sometimes I add a little orange juice.

hmmm ... how does it turn out?

Ms P said:

Get a decent masher. Those old wire things always leave lumps. I have a
nylon one I got at Target that has holes and it really mashes them.
Butter and cream make the best mashed potatoes. Another thing I do is let
them drain in the colander until they look dry.

My mother always used an electric mixer. Trying that is how I wound up
overbeating them and they turned gray.

Also, the milk or cream (maybe half and half?) should be warm, right?

cybercat said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

I like lumpy. Whipped potatoes are usually space food that you get at
the big box restaurant.

I usually use yukon golds and cut them up with the skins on. Boil until
tender, drain, add butter, milk and a little nutmeg and smash them with
a masher.

"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ms P said:

Get a decent masher. Those old wire things always leave lumps. I have a
nylon one I got at Target that has holes and it really mashes them.
Butter and cream make the best mashed potatoes. Another thing I do is
let them drain in the colander until they look dry.

My mother always used an electric mixer. Trying that is how I wound up
overbeating them and they turned gray.

Also, the milk or cream (maybe half and half?) should be warm, right?

I don't warm the milk or cream. I tried it a few times and couldn't tell
any difference so I don't bother. I've used a mixer a few times to make
mashed when I had a lot to make. Most of the time on holidays I have either
my husband or one of my sons mash for awhile and then I finish them.

Ms P

The message <[email hidden]>
from "cybercat" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

Quoted message said:

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Reminds me of the 60's and a student friend (6 ft 6, bearded, built
like a barn, voice like a grater, mind of a child) saying "Should I mash
the potatoes raw, or cook them first? ".

Quoted message said:

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

Quoted message said:

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Peel , cut the spuds into half (or egg-size lumps) and put them in
cold salted water to cover. bring to the boil and cook for about 10 mins
(test to see if a table knife slides in easily, test it on more than one
spud; you make need another 5 mins or more depending on breed of spud).
Stop before the surfaces start to break up Don't over cook to a mush.

Drain the pan and return it with potatoes briefly to the stove top while
you slosh in some fullcream milk and a big dod of good butter; (the
residual heat heats up the milk and melts the butter as you mash) a
pinch of salt, grind some black pepper. Mash with a hand-potato masher
till smooth and no lumps; do NOT be tempted to use any kind of electric
aid as they will go slimey. If you don't have a masher use a table fork;
good result just takes longer and more wrist action. You may want some
more milk or cream. Taste to check seasoning and adjust. You can make
them half an hour before serving and keep them hot in a covered dish.

Janet.

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:39:24 -0500, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

Well, it's for a crowd so peel them *first*, then quarter. Put the
potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and boil gently until fork
tender.

I dump out the water (reserving a little for making gravy later), put
them back into the hot pot, back on the burner (which is now turned
off) and let them dry out a few minutes.

I use an old fashioned potato ricer to mash
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/31HXA67NP6L._AA280_.jpg, but I
don't do 5 pounds at a time. A potato masher
http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/u-potmash-02.jpg will
probably be a better tool for your amount. After that, throw in your
butter. You can use up to the entire pound (start with 1/2 a pound) -
heck, it's only one day. You can heat the milk or not too. I don't.
Use a very small amount and whip by stirring the potatoes vigorously
with the tool you used to mash them with. Dribble in a little more
liquid if you think they are too dry. Be careful not to add too much
liquid or you'll end up with wallpaper paste. Making fluffy mashed
potatoes is really a quick thing to do, so don't make it into a big
production. That's a surefire recipe for disaster.

After typing all that, I discovered eHow has the method with pictures.
LOL http://www.ehow.com/how_2645_mash-potatoes.html

Oh, since you've never done this before... I suggest that you practice
once or twice (on smaller amounts) before Thanksgiving.

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cybercat said:

My mother always used an electric mixer. Trying that is how I wound up
overbeating them and they turned gray.

Stand and hand mixers are convenient for large quantities but they run
a severe risk of creating a gummy, pasty mess. For light, airy
potatoes without lumps the ricer is the way to go. It's more trouble
but definitely worth the effort. Put the well-drained/dried potatoes
through the ricer, add butter and cream/milk, and finish with just a
few strokes of the wooden spoon. The potatoes will float off the
spoon like a cloud.

Quoted message said:

Also, the milk or cream (maybe half and half?) should be warm, right?

You can easily warm them in the microwave, if it's convenient. By the
time the whole T-Day meal gets to the table, though, it's a lost cause
trying to keep the potatoes hot. Way more important, and easier to
accomplish, is to make sure the gravy is really hot. That's what
matters..... -aem

<sf> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well, it's for a crowd so peel them *first*, then quarter. Put the
potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and boil gently until fork
tender.

[snips]

I appreciate your taking the time to type all of that in! Thanks.
I will do exactly that.

Tell me this, do you use the potato water instead of flour or
in addition to it, for your gravy?

"George" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I usually use yukon golds and cut them up with the skins on. Boil until
tender, drain, add butter, milk and a little nutmeg and smash them with a
masher.

way to go george................leave those VITAMIN PACKED skins on!

Thre is no substitute for elbow grease and finding the masher that suits
you.

Make sure the spuds are cooked but not mushy. Use a hand masher and add
milk, salted butter and/or virgin oil oil.

Use of a mixer/blender makes pureed spuds which is a totally different
dish and is possibly OK under certain, limited circumstances

Steve

cybercat said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:43:09 -0500, "cybercat" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Tell me this, do you use the potato water instead of flour or
in addition to it, for your gravy?

In addition to.... I make the flour/water slurry with potato water and
if I need to thin the gravy later, I use the potato water.

🙂

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"cybercat" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.

I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
they were lumpy.

Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of
butter. I guess I need milk, right?

How do you make your best mashed potatoes?

You need a good masher. If you don't have a good one, you'll have lumps. I
prefer the kind that looks sort of like a waffle as opposed to the kind that
snakes back and forth like an "S".

Also make sure your potatoes are cooked enough. If not, you'll have hard
little lumps. Cook until they are fork tender.

Mash them very well, then add the butter and milk that have been heated
first. Then salt and pepper to taste. You may also want to add chopped
parsley, chives or green onions.