Mashed potatoes

[johnstevens77]

Undoubtably, the correct variety of potato is the key to a superb mash. When I made duchesse potatoes recently, I used baked maris pipers as I needed them as dry as possible.

john

[stevensfo]

Looking for advice on the actual mashing not extras such as cream, horseradish, pepper etc. My options are a hand masher or an electric whisk. The hand whisk is uncomfortable and hard work. The electric whisk is a faff. Opinions appreciated . What do you use?

Personally I always use a hand masher - I hide the metal one as the missus likes to use it on non-stick pans and it scratches them to bits, so normally it's a plastic one.

But the key thing with mash is gelatinising and then most importantly, retrograding, the starch granules.

That means cooking your spuds twice, once at 74°C (below a simmer) to gelatinise, then down to cold water temp to crystallise the starch (retrograde it) which leaves it insoluble and largely resistant to going "gluey", then 5-10 minute simmer to separate the cells. Yes it's a bit of a faff but it's easier once you get used to it, you can pause halfway through if need be, and it just makes the best mash.

First put on a kettle of water to boil. Then slice the spuds into as consistent slices as you can, so they cook evenly. Inch thickness needs 30 minutes for the first cook, 1cm needs 20 minutes. Rinse the slices in cold water.

Mix boiling water : cold water about 4:1, then add the potatoes and you should end up at (ideally) about 74°C - obviously it helps if you have a proper kitchen thermometer but you should be fine without, just heat it gently until the first bubbles start to appear and then back off the heat a bit, the critical thing is that it's not simmering on top but the odd bubble from inside the water is OK. Keep at that temperature for 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your slices as above.

Drain and run under the cold tap until they're properly cold. At this stage you can leave them in the fridge until you need them.

Simmer for 5-10 minutes in really salty water until soft to a knife. Don't overcook as they go watery.

Cool them under the cold tap again, then put them back in the pan over gentle heat to dry and warm them a bit whilst you assemble whatever you're adding at the mashing phase.

As I say it's a bit of a faff but once you get used to it and eg can eyeball the initial water mix, it just flows and it's one of those kitchen-faffs that really is worth it.

For those old enough to remember, I'd love to see the Smash Martians reaction to this.

For the life of me, I don't know if Hallucigenia is serious or possesses the same dry sense of humour as myself!

From as soon as I could walk, mashed potato has been just to boil the bleedin' things, add a bit of milk and butter, then mash with a standard metal masher.

The mashing was my duty when I was little and I was rewarded by being allowed to lick the masher. Same with all other mixing/whipping functions, my favourites being cream and cake mix.

Decades later, my wife says that I'm too old to do things like that, especially when guests are watching!

Steve

[Hallucigenia]

For those old enough to remember, I'd love to see the Smash Martians reaction to this.

There's a whole lot more science than this goes into processing spuds at an industrial scale, you literally get people doing industry-funded PhDs on this stuff.

For the life of me, I don't know if Hallucigenia is serious or possesses the same dry sense of humour as myself!

From as soon as I could walk, mashed potato has been just to boil the bleedin' things, add a bit of milk and butter, then mash with a standard metal masher.

I never joke about spuds! Seriously, I know it takes a long spiel to explain it, but twice-cooked mash isn't a lot more work than the "just boil the bleedin' things" and the results are so much better. Gelatinising the starch first is a common way to make all kinds of spuds better - it's the first step in triple-cooked chips for instance, and the purpose of parboiling before roasting, it's just a bit weird that people don't normally do it for mash.

But if you look at anyone serious, like Heston, that's what they will do.

[Mike4]

For the life of me, I don't know if Hallucigenia is serious or possesses the same dry sense of humour as myself!

From as soon as I could walk, mashed potato has been just to boil the bleedin' things, add a bit of milk and butter, then mash with a standard metal masher.

The mashing was my duty when I was little and I was rewarded by being allowed to lick the masher. Same with all other mixing/whipping functions, my favourites being cream and cake mix.

Decades later, my wife says that I'm too old to do things like that, especially when guests are watching!

Steve

My goodness I think you must be me, from a parallel universe.

My own early life experience was absolutely identical, and I too was wondering what on earth Hal was on about when King Edward spuds boiled until soft but not breaking up, then battered furiously for ages with milk and butter by a nine year old until beautifully smooth and creamy are absolutely DIVINE!

P.S. for the last twenty years I don't peel them, just cut them up and boil them. The skin adds texture and flavour to the mash.

[Urbandreamer]

Seriously, I know it takes a long spiel to explain it, but twice-cooked mash isn't a lot more work than the "just boil the bleedin' things" and the results are so much better.

I don't bother, but I am willing to accept what you say.

I've said similar things about cooking onions. Sure just peal the skins, quarter and drop in the soup you are making and it will taste great. The same as chopping fine and frying first, not at all. Is it worth it? Well that's a personal opinion. All I can say is that I regard it worth the effort with onions, twice cooked chips are better, but not worth my effort (no deep fryer). While I put some effort into choosing potatoes types, I can't see putting the effort you describe in.

As I said, I can accept that it does make a difference.

Smash (instant mash potato) is a carefully chosen type of potato. The taste is just an unfortunate choice. Hence frozen mash (never tasted it), which I'm sure is a different type of potato. I have been known to use both waxy and floury potatoes in the same soup/stew for their different characteristics.

[servodude]

P.S. for the last twenty years I don't peel them, just cut them up and boil them. The skin adds texture and flavour to the mash.

^ this with bells on

I'm sure there must be something that i do peel spuds for - because I remember frying up the skins
But I can't for the life of me remember what it was (probably a gratin or something from a "recipe")

[Mike4]

P.S. for the last twenty years I don't peel them, just cut them up and boil them. The skin adds texture and flavour to the mash.

^ this with bells on

I'm sure there must be something that i do peel spuds for - because I remember frying up the skins
But I can't for the life of me remember what it was (probably a gratin or something from a "recipe")

Was it to get the skins for frying up?

Reminds me of that recipe for stuffed marrow.

"Hollow out a marrow, stuff with mince, onion, carrot, herbs, seasoning etc and bake in oven for one hour.

Remove from oven, eat stuffing, discard marrow."