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How to Mash Potatoes

Posted on August 5th, 2009 by Elaine
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A delicious meal isn’t complete without a tasty side dish. One of the most famous kinds many people love is mashed potatoes. Making it isn’t very complicated and challenging, but you still need to know the proper method so you’ll end up with a creamy and flavorful dish. Here’s how to mash potatoes.

What You’ll Need:

  • Potatoes
  • Water
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • ΒΌ cup of cream (half and half) or milk
  • Two tablespoons of margarine or butter
  • Pepper
  • Pot
  • Potato peeler
  • Knife or fork
  • Strainer
  • Mashing equipment (wire masher, electric mixer or potato ricer)
  • Cheese, bacon bits or garlic
  • Sour cream

Procedure:

  1. Prepare the potatoes. How many you use depends on how many people you’re going to serve. A good estimate is to allot one potato for every person, then add one to that amount. For example, if you’re feeding a family of seven, you’ll need eight potatoes.

    2. mashed potatoes

  2. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, then peel them using a peeler. This makes the task faster and easier. Dice them up afterwards. The smaller the potatoes, the better heat penetrates them, and the quicker they’ll cook.
  3. Get a pot that’s large enough to hold the potatoes. Fill it with cold water. The amount should be enough to completely submerge the potatoes. Sprinkle salt over them. This prevents the water from boiling over later.
  4. Turn the stove on to high heat, then cover the pot with its lid. Leave a small space for the steam to escape, though.
  5. Wait for the water to boil. When it does, lower the heat to medium, then let simmer. Let the potatoes cook for 20 to 30 minutes. To test if they’re done, poke a knife or a fork through them. Don’t undercook the potatoes, or mashing them will be hard.
  6. When the potatoes are done, take the pot off the stove, then drain the water out. Don’t rinse the potatoes, and instead put them back in the pot and on the stove, setting it on low heat. This removes the excess water and leaves you with just the potatoes, resulting in a more flavorful mix.
  7. You now have to mash the potatoes. You can use several tools, to do this, depending on what’s available at home. Some examples of tools you can use are:
    • A wire masher - You manually use it to press down on the potatoes. You can either have smooth or chunky results, depending on how long you work.
    • A potato ricer - This looks like a giant garlic press, that rices and mashes the potatoes effectively.
    • An electric mixer - You often see this used in restaurants, and gives you fluffy and airy mashed potatoes.
  8. Continue mashing the potatoes until they are smooth and fine.
  9. Mix in the cream or milk, then blend them together. Any of these two will result in creamier mashed potatoes, but if you don’t want the extra calories, you can substitute it with plain water, preferably the one you drained from the potatoes. Add the butter or margarine, and a dash of pepper, to taste.
  10. Garnish the potato with cheese, bacon bits or garlic, for extra flavor. Sour cream is also a popular addition. Serve the mashed potatoes while they’re still hot.

Mashing potatoes the right way is important to get the right blend and flavor. Serve this with your steak or ribs and you’ll certainly have a filling and satisfying meal.

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