Mashed potatoes are an essential side dish. They’re creamy starchy and loaded with butter. It’s hard to think of a better addition to any dish. And luckily the best mashed potatoes only require a few affordable ingredients so they’re easy to make at home. But like most dishes that doesn’t mean you can’t make mistakes — and there’s a technique for getting that perfectly creamy texture without turning them into gummy mush.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Food Network | 2017-11-08 02:00:03 |  69,361 Views |
Failed Mashed Potatoes and How to Fix Them | Food Network
Potatoes are loaded with starch that is released when they are mashed and processed. Starch is great for texture but a little goes a long way. The more you mash your potatoes the more starch they release and too much starch will change the texture from soft to gummy. That’s why there’s one shortcut you should never take when it comes to processing those potatoes: don’t use a blender or electric mixer or you’ll end up over-mashing your potatoes in no time. Do it by hand instead.
It may seem like the easiest option but the truth is that perfect potatoes require a little elbow grease. Blending or electric mixing those potatoes means releasing all that starch which will turn into a potato disaster.
To get the best texture from your mashed potatoes start by breaking up the cooked potatoes with a potato masher. Once you’ve added the other dairy ingredients that will bring the dish together you can continue using the potato masher but if you have a rubber spatula handy you can switch from the masher to the spatula. Then fold the ingredients together until they’re thoroughly combined and creamy. The warmth of the potatoes will help everything combine but the folding technique will help keep you from overmixing. The spatula will also help if you choose to add thicker ingredients like sour cream to the dish.
