Food - News
Mistakes Everyone Makes When Making Mashed Potatoes
By ELIZABETH LAVIS
Using non-starchy potatoes
Red Bliss potatoes might be delicious diced up into a hash, but they don't play well in mashed potatoes because of their waxy texture. Thus your best option is to choose Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, and for best results, use a combination of the two.
Potatoes in Boiling Water
Popping the potatoes into boiling water can cause them to cook unevenly, with the outsides heating up far more rapidly than the interiors. Instead, when you heat the water while your potatoes are in the pot, you promote even cooking and get evenly cooked potatoes.
Too-small or irregular dicing
Irregularly diced spuds can soak up lots of extra water, making them overly saturated and runny when mashed while petite potatoes lose a lot of their starch and flavor. Instead, cut your potatoes into about one-inch pieces to cook relatively faster and not soak excess water.
Not salting the water
Give your potato chunks a flavorful leg up by sprinkling in a pinch or two of salt before dicing. Salting your potato water can transform your spuds from bland to briny and beautiful. You can also add other herbs and spices, like bay leaves, or freshly ground pepper, to the pot.
Not rinsing your potatoes
Washing off your spuds is a crucial way to get that excellent potato flavor without unwanted add-ons like dirt and sand. It's a good idea to wash your potatoes while peeling them, but more so if you're whipping the skins into your mashed.