Mashed Potato – a luxury food when made perfectly

Mashed Potato … it brings back memories of school dinners with dollops neatly portioned out using ice cream scoops  for consistently delivered portion sizes.

Sadly, the consistency of the mashed potato portion didn’t extend to a uniformly delicious creamy luxurious mashed potato.

Also sadly, many people simply think of it as a bulker to help fill out the plate and to satisfy the hunger with either lumpy or watery servings.

The potato is a humble vegetable, but is one of the most versatile imaginable being turned into boiled, baked, saute, roast,chipped,crisps, fondant, piped, dauphinoise and our special for today …. the most comforting of all, except maybe the chip .. lovely mashed potato.

To make the perfect mashed potato requires that the potao be boiled until tender enough to break down, but not so far as it disintegrates and absorbs excessive amounts of water that will make for a watery potato. Many people are divided over whether a floury or waxy potato should be used, but in our experience it is less about the variety and more about how you care for it.

Boiling (or baking) in the skin and then scooping out the flesh ensures that the potato cooks but remains dry.

Whilst you can use traditional potato mashers, we have found that potato ricers are the best way to break down the flesh and get a decently smooth consistency, especually if you pass the riced potatoes through a second (or even a third time).

The secret to luxurious mashed potato is that you MUST add copious amounts of butter and cream, remembering to season to taste. Clearly you will need to exercise a litlle caution with the salt if the butter is already salted. White Pepper is by far the better pepper to use when seasoning your mashed potatoes … it blends into the potato and elevates it to a new level when compared to its ‘Ground Black Pepper’ cousin.

For extra twists, add a generous amount of chopped spring onions or chives .. or maybe some grated parmesan

Just don’t treat it any differently when using mash to pipe atop a pie … proper mash deserves respect and with a little more attention to detail and food seasoning, then your mash can become the star.

Stainless Potato Ricer with 3 discs

£9.99

Grunwerg
Deluxe stainless steel potato ricer with three interchangeable discs from Grunwerg. More

Stainless Steel Small Potato Ricer

£9.50

Marks and Spencer
Get perfectly smooth mash every time with this high quality stainless steel ricer More

Potato ricer

£14.00

Kitchen Complete
This potato ricer can be used to mash most vegetables and to press fruit. Ideal for smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, with two interchangeable medium and fine ricer discs. Triple chrome plated. More

OXO Good Grips Potato Ricer

£25.00

OXO
Perfect for making the smoothest mashed potato, baby food or purees; this handy potato ricer from OXO is a kitchen essential. From the Good Grips range, this stylish ricer is made from durable stainless steel and features an easy to use, non-slip handle. A must-have for any kitchen, youll turn to this again and again. More

Oxo Good Grips Potato Ricer

£22.50

Oxo
Oxo Good Grips Potato Ricer. A durable stainless steel construction with comfortable, soft grip handles. The non-slip knob holds the Ricer in place on pots, pans or bowls while squeezing the handles will create smooth mashed fruits or vegetables. More

OXO Good Grips® Potato Ricer

£22.99


Nobody likes lumpy mash, do they? Good Grips, with their customary aplomb, have designed this easy-to-use ricer that pushes out perfectly smooth, lump-free mash with just a gentle squeeze of its soft-grip handles.Made from sturdy stainless steel, it's also brilliant for puréeing fruit and vegetables for baby food. More

Chef'n Potato Ricer

£31.99


Chef'n have made mashing a lump-free zone, thanks to this simple-to-use potato ricer. Using the same technology as their new Citrus Juicer (ref. 14021), all it takes is a squeeze of the non-slip handle and your spuds pass through the basket with ease. In fact, it requires up to 65% less effort than standard ricers to create the creamiest mashed potatoes and root veg you can imagine. Smashing! 33cm (13") L. More

Good Grips Potato Ricer

£20.00

Good Grips
Good Grips Oxo Good Grips Potato Ricer. With durable stainless steel construction and soft handles. Non-slip knob holds ricer in place on bowls creating smooth mashed fruits and vegetables.Stainless steelDishwasher safe More

Masterclass Deluxe potato ricer

£22.00

Masterclass
Masterclass Potato ricer ideal for smooth creamy mashed potato. Suitable for mashing any cooked root vegetables and pressing various fruits. Dishwasher safe Stainless steelNot dishwasher safe1 year guarantee More

Stainless Steel Mash Potato Ricer

£10.99

Betterware
No matter how much you mash your potatoes, lumps can still remain. Now there is an easier way and it's one used by most professional chefs. In a busy kitchen there is no time to spend wasting minutes with a potato masher and that's why top chefs choose a product like our Stainless Steel Potato Ricer instead. A ricer is quick and easy to use and ensures the smoothest creamiest mashed potato possible with absolutely no lumps. Easy to clean. Measures 27cm (10 1/2) long. More

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• Recipe: Cauliflower Potato Mash (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Tagged as: Black pepper, Cook, Cream, Fruit and Vegetable, Luxury, mashed potato, Potato, Ricer, Salt, Water