Watching delicious cooking videos is our kind of guilty pleasure. One thing we have learned from Nigella Lawson or Gordon Ramsey’s videos is how to make the perfect mashed potatoes. Well, I am not joking. Imagine a day when you don’t have your hand mixer around, and you cannot find the best hand mixers for mashed potatoes around; what will you do?
People all around the world have accepted potato as not only a staple food item but took it to the next level with numerous different recipes.
Be it Thanksgiving turkey, Valentine’s day lunch, or a sunny day barbeque, no meal is complete without a dash of nicely mashed potatoes.
Potatoes are so delicious that I wonder why people hate the term ‘going potato’ so much!
IWell, here in this article, we’ll talk about how to mash potatoes without a masher so you can be the savior of the party. Let’s get started.
What kind of mashed potato is the best?
Don’t worry! Gordon Ramsey is nowhere near you, but you have to please the room full of people waiting to have their steak with mashed potato, right?
So, what are the signs of a well-mashed potato?
- The secret is not mashing it entirely. The potato loses its texture and taste if you steamroll through the bowl. Instead of going all gaga on it, you should mash it nicely with low pressure. The final result should be light and fluffy.
- Boiled potatoes are already starchy. So, don’t mash them all up to make it messy. Instead, try to keep it a bit lumpy. If you over-mash it, it will lose all its texture and taste.
- If you are not a good cook, it would be best if you used a hand blender. Manual hand mixers for mashed potatoes are the best option because you get the choice to stop anytime, and it doesn’t beat up the potato too much. On the other hand, if you want an over-beaten froth-like texture in your mashed potato, use an electric masher.
- Even before touching the potatoes, decide whether you want lumpy or lump-free potatoes.
- If you are using an electric potato masher, always use the lowest setting possible otherwise, it might ruin the taste of the potato, and sadly, you cannot reverse this process.
- Always boil your potatoes before mashing them. Believe me; it will make your job a lot easier.
- Last but not least, be very careful while picking out the potatoes. The taste of the mashed potato will entirely depend on the quality of the potatoes you use. A rotten one, and your dish will be completely ruined in no time.
How to Mash Potatoes without a Masher
- Fork to your Rescue
You might already doubt my suggestions. Believe me, a simple fork can do wonders when it comes to making mashed potatoes.
This is where the boiling of potatoes will come in handy. It would make your work a lot easier. If you boil the potatoes beforehand, it won’t be of much strain to mash them nicely.
Trust me; you are going to love the end result. This process not only saves you from using a piece of extravagant equipment for such a simple dish, but as you are doing it with your own hand, you will have full control over the texture and taste of the mashed potato.
The fibers remain intact as you don’t beat it up with a blender. The trick is to take a big fork; otherwise, it will take forever to mash just a bowl of potatoes.
First of all, take all the potatoes from the boiling pot and let them cool down for a bit. Make holes with the fork to let the moisture out.
Now start mashing with the fork, and it will be done in a few minutes.
- Bring the Good Old Whisker
If the whisker in your kitchen shelf can beat eggs smoothly, then why not use it on potatoes.
Just like the previous one, a whisker does the same thing as a fork, just with automation. If you use it once, you will know that your whisker’s blunt edges are perfect for mashing potatoes.
Before using the whisker, make sure you have boiled (with a pinch of salt) and peeled all the potatoes. Once you bring the potatoes out of the cooker, run cold water to cool them down. Make holes in the potatoes to let out the remaining moisture before mashing them.
Now, in a deep bowl, keep the potatoes and use the whisker with its lowest speed. If it is not getting mashed in the desired way, slowly turn up the speed.
Don’t over-whisk the potatoes. Otherwise, it will get all dry and end up forming a dough-like texture.
If you do it for long, the hand mixer for mashed potatoes will lose all the fluffiness. Also, this process is a bit tiring as you need to move your hand around the bowl. So, before actually making mashed potatoes with a whisker or fork, give this a thought.
- Cheat with an Electric Masher
All is fair in love, war, and of course, food. So, even if you are not using a potato masher, you can still use an electric masher, and technically, electric mashers are not potato mashers.
The best thing about this method is that you don’t actually have to mash it by yourself—this process is easy and time-saving.
The process of making the mashed potato will remain the same. You will have to boil the potatoes beforehand. Keep them aside from the heat, let them cool down and poke holes into the potatoes to let the moisture out and then use your electric masher.
Always start by using the lowest speed setting available on the masher. Using an electric masher will actually give your dish a cloudy and dense texture.
Another method of making mashed potatoes with an electric masher is that you use pre-soaked non-boiled potatoes.
As the potatoes are pre-soaked, it will not need a long time to do it. Also, do not use a high-speed setting on your electric masher. If you leave the masher for long, it will create a dough-like substance.
So, check every few seconds to make the perfect mashed potatoes.
- Use a Food Processor
If you want to make the mashed potato dish like a thick paste, you should use a food processor for that. It will leave a huge impact on the taste and texture of the food.
If you are not careful enough, a food processor can also ruin the mashed potatoes totally.
Also, this process is not an easy one, like using a fork, electric masher, or a whisker. It will take time to clean the different parts of the device.
Let me break it down for you; if you don’t want the exact gooey texture or a thick, smooth paste of your potatoes, I would suggest you use other methods. However, this machine is good for bulk mashing. So, if you own a restaurant or café, you can use a food processor.
It is also good for people looking for an extremely quick operation or smooth, creamy paste; this machine is perfect for them.
- Use a Food Mill
If you don’t have a proper potato masher around you, you will need to try out different techniques to make the perfect mashed potato without making your hands dirty.
To make mashed potatoes in your home easily, simply soak the peeled potatoes beforehand and, after some time, cut them into pieces. The shape doesn’t matter, so you can cut them as you want.
No, throw the cut pieces of potatoes inside the food mill. Other options in this list follow downward grinding of the potatoes. However, food mills spin so fast that the centripetal force puts immense pressure on the food items.
After a couple of minutes, our mashed potato must be done. It produces a fluffy and creamy mashed texture. If you are not much into cooking, or you don’t feel like fluffing it up with a fork manually, using a food mill is the best option for you to make mashed potatoes.
It is convenient, fast, and very effective. You just need to check from time to time to save the dish from getting over-mashed.
This machine gives the best result among all the other options in this list. Also, it is easy to use and maintain.
Do not ever underestimate the power of potatoes. Just add a dollop of mashed potato with the steak you are serving to your guests. Look how they devour it in seconds. Such a simple recipe if done right can light up the mood of every part or get together.
So, what are you waiting for? Bring on the blender and make the tastiest fluffy and fuzzy mashed potatoes, and don’t forget to serve it without a spoonful of butter. Cheers!
For more information please visit on masstoclass.
