This is a bit of a misleading title, I'll admit. You'll probably need to peel a potato again at some point in your life. I'm not sure where or when but it'll happen. You WON'T need to do it for a pot of mashed potatoes though. 'Cause I'm going to show you how to use a potato ricer.
So stop doing it.
I've mentioned the potato ricer before and how it's one of the kitchen tools you should have, but I didn't really explain why.
What's the point?
- Other than pressing them through a fine mesh screen, a potato ricer is the best way to get ultra smooth potatoes. It's simply more effective than mashing them.
- It's also faster because using a potato ricer means you don't have to peel your potatoes. You just boil them with the skin on and then squish them through the ricer.
For smooth mashed potatoes a potato ricer is the only way to go.
At this point you may have noticed there's not a lot of funny in this potato post.
That is because I'm very serious about my potatoes. Deadly serious. They're no joking matter and I intend to use this post to treat them with the reverence they deserve.
But first a potato joke.
Q: Why shouldn't you give a zombie mashed potatoes.
A: Because they're already a little grave-y
My mother used a potato ricer when I was growing up and I thought it made the worst potatoes in the world. Like, they were awful.
Turns out, she wasn't using it properly. This was before you could use the Internet to look up everything from how to rice a potato to how to perform brain surgery on your lunch hour with a stapler.
So she just took the ricer, held it over our plates and squished out some potatoes onto it.
That part she got right. What she got wrong was you're supposed to rice the potatoes back into the pot, add your milk and butter and give 'em a stir.
How does it work?
- A potato ricer pushes the cooked potato through a series of fine holes in a metal disk. The soft potato goes right through the small holes, while the tough skin stays behind and can then easily be picked up out of the ricer and composted.
- You rice the potatoes into a pot and then add your cream, milk, butter, sour cream or whatever else you like to fancify your mashed potatoes with.
Wanna see the magic of a potato ricer? Here we go ...
Let's all just pretend these photos are a lot nicer than they are.
You need a pot with water for boiling the potatoes, a few potatoes and your potato ricer. It's the star of the show.
What you do NOT need is this. A ragged old potato peeler. You don't need a shiny new one either. You don't need ANY potato peeler.
I realize it's a disaster and I've since replaced this junkyard dog of a peeler, but I replaced it with the exact same one. I've gone through a lot of different ones and for me it's the best potato peeler.
Cut your potatoes into equal sized chunks and drop them in cold, salted water. Started them in cold water will make sure they cook more evenly. Equal sized chunks ensures all the pieces cook in the same amount of time. Generally I use baking potatoes for mashed potatoes. Sometimes known as Idaho potatoes. They're not too starchy, not too dry ... they're potato perfect.
Once your potatoes are cooked drain them over the sink. Don't be bothered to dirty a strainer or pot lid, just pour out the majority of the water while holding the potatoes in with a spoon.
Once drained, using a spoon, drop the potato chunks into your potato ricer.
Pull the handle of the potato ricer down and squeeze those babies out.
The ricer I'm using here is plastic with a flat bottom, which I was a bit nervous about but this ricer lasted me years and years before it finally broke in half during a particularly exhaustive Thanksgiving dinner workout.
I replaced it with a more expensive stainless steel version with a different shape. Which I hated. It doesn't squish out enough of the potatoes leaving some of them inside the ricer. Because the metal ricer was bigger it was also harder for me to wrap my short fingered, square hands around the handles to get enough leverage to squeeze it properly..
The metal one got gifted to someone else and I bought another inexpensive plastic Fox Run potato ricer ended up back in my kitchen.
After you've squeezed the potatoes take a look inside the ricer. There they are. The peels. It's a potato miracle.
Add a whack of butter and some milk or cream and stir with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Enjoy.
My next ricer will be the same style as this one but in metal.
That's it. Easy, no peel mashed potatoes that are smooth and delicious. JUST in time for potato pancake season.
Every season is potato pancake season.
I don't eat a lot of potatoes. I love kitchen gadgets. I'm out of room in my small kitchen. Clicked on the link, they were almost sold out. Bought myself a new toy. Thanks.
LOL. Sorry. At least it was a cheap one! ~ karen
Only two thoughts tonight, Karen. You know that post you do a couple of times a year about throwing away 50 things? Well, good news...you're down to 49 'cause that potato peeler you showed is soooooo in the trash!! Please don't do that to me again!! Secondly, is the potato ricer thingy made from a metal, or plastic? Some comments talk about old units that have rusted, and I can't imagine plastic being rigid enough to allow the needed pressure to smoosh the potatoes, so I'm guessing metal. Now, if you'll only do a post about how to get that pot of water good and boiling!! Thanks for the fun.
Linda S - Did you click on the link I gave you of my ricer? The one I link to is my exact ricer. Like I said in the post, it's plastic so I was worried it wouldn't be strong enough but I've had it for years and it's been plenty sturdy. I prefer plastic because it's easy to clean and doesn't rust. Plus it's cheap! ~ karen
Ordered mine this morning!! Can't wait to try it out!! I love, love, love your blog. :)
What I need are those pig salt and pepper shakers. Well, in addition to a potato ricer. Can you please cough up your source for those porcine cuties?
Hi Tigersmom - I got them at my local grocery store actually! I think they were around $5. ~ karen!
Pfffftttttt! Canada! Where the dollar stores are actually good and the grocery store crap is even better.
I found a set of black and white pig S&P shakers via Google but they aren't nearly as cute and wonderful as yours. Should you ever see those again, if you buy them for me, I will pay you double for them plus double what it would take to ship them to Dallas. I think they are totally worth the roughly twenty-five bucks that would work out to be.
My ricer arrived (the exact same one as yours) and even though it is plastic, you can feel it's sturdiness, so Linda, go ahead and order it. What a great buy. Thanks
Tigersmom - I actually went to the grocery store the other day to buy some of the pig salt & peppers to give away but they're not in stock anymore. I'll keep checking! ~ karen
Never used a potato ricer before, but I will now. Good tip. Thanks!
I have a ricer I picked up somewhere years ago...I'm a kitchen gadget whore, but I have never used it. Now I will!
I have a food mill I use for applesauce & other canning but never thought to use it for mashed potatoes.
I need to hear these things...I have no original thoughts of my own!
I love my potato ricer, I bought it when I left home (a long time ago). My mother had a potato ricer, my grand-mother had a potato ricer, you can say it's a family tradition. We don't only use it for mashed potatoes either, we eat the riced potatoes as they come out of the ricer especially with roast beef. Just add salt, pepper and a bit of meat sauce, they're fluffy, light and they taste great!
Gasp! NOOOOO! I'm a lumpy red potato with peel kinda girl. Actually, they're more like kitchen sink potatoes, with all I add - cheeses, butter, greek yogurt, minced onion and garlic. But, different strokes. Either way, I still want a ricer, if for no other reason than to squeeze out my spinach!
Been using my potato ricer for years now (when I make Gnocchi) but I have always pealed my taters first! I will never do this again! ha! Thanks for the tip! See? even old dogs can learn new tricks!
I'm such a dope, I have and use a ricer but I was peeling the dang potatoes first! D'oh! Again, this is the most practical useful blog on the interwebsnets!
Gee, I have one of those ricers, somewhere in the house. But, I still haven't found the pasta maker yet. I'm always way behind. I'd like to try making spatzle though. It's good that you remind us about some of these kitchen implements that we should start using again.If just to add variety. By the way, last night on Kijji, I saw an ad where someone is selling baby "fainting" goats up in Campbellville. Really cute too. But why would anyone want a goat that "faints"? You'd be running outside all the time to pick them up
Ordered it as fast as I could!!!! Thank you Karen for teaching me how to cook! I grew up on a horse farm, and being the oldest, my chores were always in the barn!!! I treasure your recipies, advice and tutorials!!!!!xoxo glad that floor is pulled up, the worst is iover for sure!!!!!!!!!
My ex-MIL used one all of the time for mashed potatoes..I think there is a vintage metal one around here somewhere..which is what she used..most of my stuff is vintage..I don't worry much about doing the potatoes anymore as that is now my Fellas job cause he is so good at it..Idaho..good one..
hahahaha... good one!
The other advantage of a potato ricer is that you can make small amounts of mashed potatoes! Of course, leftover mashed potatoes are good too...
Well at first I wasn't going to reply to this because mom's been doing her potatoes this way for years although I was going to add that she uses a Foley food mill because it holds more potatoes and she could get them done quicker.
But when I read the post about the green potatoes and the spina bifida I had to chuckle. This past Sunday they addressed this very issue on PBS series Call the Midwife. That theory of green potatoes and spina bifida was debunked years ago. If anyone has any doubt I suggest they bring it up with her gynecologist.
omg. I saw the VERY same episode last night, LOL! ~ karen
And I was starting to get worried. I have a tendency to use old potatoes with eyes a d such always wondering if I'm poisoning myself with some strange whatever. Thanks for the debunk! I'll go back to my dusty old potatoes now. (^_^)
Sera - Soft potatoes are fine. Potatoes that are just starting to grow eyes are fine. Potatoes with green skins or are growing green eyes are not fine. The green skin *is* poisonous and contains the toxin solanine. This doesn't cause spina bifida but can make you sick. Throw the green potatoes out. ~ karen!
HEY Cathy, yep the foley food mill works good for this also, i have used when we have had alot of spuds to do..I Have a ricer but it has rust in it and it dosent really clamp down right so I will be checking into a new one..Didn't want to buy another if it was going to rust like the last one i got..Idea may be i'll just plant some chives in it, an viola i can put them into spuds when i smash um ! Have fun with your new kitchen tool girls, Karen has the best stuff on here...cheryl
I was cursing the job of peeling potatoes just last night! I am ordering a ricer right now. And I found it for $14.99 on well.ca. Free shipping in Canada with a minimum $25 order (and I'm sure I can find something else fun to order). Cheers!
You and the other readers have so many great tips. No peels? Spinach? Guacamole? Applesauce? Who knew? I have a gift card from Williams-Sonoma burning a hole in my pocket... Hello Ricer, here I come!
Am I in the minority here to say I like lumpy mashed potatoes?
Funny story - when my mom used to make mashed potatoes out of those boxed flakes back in the 1970s, she had to boil and mash a couple real potatoes up with a fork and stir them in to trick us!
You are not alone. I too love lumpy mashed potatoes. And I even like some bits of skin for texture. And plenty of garlic. TONS of garlic. But I may still have to get a ricer because that looks way easier.
Thanks Karen!
I confess!! I like a few small lumps in my mashed potatoes too. It's like a last, unexpected gift from the sacrificed potato. Yum!
Does anyone else here add roasted garlic to their mashed potatoes as they stir in the other ingredients? If so, would you share the amount you use for x number or pounds of potatoes? My son had some garlic mashed potatoes and loved them but I'd like to start with some general guideline before I (possibly) tweak it.
Not roasted garlic -- that would involve too much planning ahead -- but sometimes I boil one or two cloves of garlic with the potatoes. Make sure they get mashed in. They're not too strong once they're cooked like that.
This is one of those things I didn't kknow I needed, but suddenly life seems incomplete without it.
I may not be able to find the prostitute potatoes, but I WILL obtain a potato ricer, I declare it... even if mine has to get here by a roundabout route from the US of A.