The Step Bobby Flay Takes For Extra Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are one of the ultimate comfort foods, and they're probably going to make their way onto your table at some point. Anyone who has made mashed potatoes knows they can go from a favorite, creamy side dish to a lumpy disaster in a matter of minutes. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay has a surprisingly simple fix to dodge this dreaded texture. In a Food Network reel on Instagram, he explained his method for achieving extra-creamy mashed potatoes every time. "After you boil the potatoes, what I like to do is put them in the oven and dry them out so they're not waterlogged."

So why does Flay's oven-drying trick work? And what does it even mean to have a waterlogged potato? To break down the celebrity chef's mashed potato hack, you first need to understand that a raw potato contains 79% water, and one that has been boiled contains 77%. When you start mashing them while they still contain excess liquid, there's a risk of overworking the starches. The more that waterlogged potatoes are mashed, the starchier they become, leading to a gummy or paste-like consistency. This is exactly why using a food processor to make mashed potatoes is a mistake. Drying the potatoes in a hot oven evaporates surface moisture and firms up the texture, so they're less prone to overmixing and mash up fluffier.

Another benefit: Dry potatoes create a more absorbent base for butter, cream, or milk. When mashing freshly boiled potatoes, the water takes up too much space in the potatoes, preventing them from soaking up the butter and cream. By removing water from the potatoes, the butter and cream can be more readily absorbed.

The best part of Flay's mashed potato hack is that it doesn't involve extra ingredients or fancy tools, just a quick extra step in the oven. After boiling the potatoes at a medium heat until tender, drain them well and lay them out on a sheet tray. Then, place the tray into a hot oven for a few minutes to evaporate any lingering moisture.

There are other ways to dry the potatoes, too. They can be left in the pot and heated on low after boiling and draining. Leaving the potatoes to drain in a colander for a few minutes will still help, but may not be as efficient as drying them in the oven.

After drying, the potatoes can be mashed as normal and mixed with butter, cream, or whatever is a part of the mashed potato recipe you use. The result will be perfectly smooth, velvety potatoes. There are plenty of other tips to make sure you get creamy mashed potatoes, including using the right potatoes (such as Russets) and kitchen tools, like a potato ricer.