Cooking Hacks for Fluffy Mashed Potatoes #Recipe @PegCochran

Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes, right?  That's what I thought, too.  Although I wasn't getting the consistently fluffy clouds of potatoes that I wanted.  Then I found "Chef John's" technique on AllRecipes.  It's not earth shattering, but a few of the tips have really upped my mashed potato game.

So this isn't a recipe so much as "instructions."  Try some of these tips the next time you make mashed potatoes--I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

First off, you probably cut your potatoes into quarters or even smaller pieces before boiling, right?  Try this instead--cut them in half the long way.  This helps to eliminate the size disparity that results in unevenly cooked potatoes.

Boil your potatoes as usual.  Mine took about ten minutes once the water came to a full rolling boil.  Drain potatoes and return them to the pan.  Put the pan over a low flame for one minute.  This will dry your potatoes and remove any excess moisture.

Now it's time to start mashing.  Do not add any milk or butter yet.  Take your masher and go around the pot in a circle with it two times.  This will start breaking up the potatoes.

Now add your milk and butter and continue mashing until all potatoes are mashed.

Finally, whisk in salt and pepper to taste.

You should have a pot of fluffy mashed potatoes.  Yes, you could use a mixer but that turns the potatoes gluey instead of fluffy.  Try this method instead.

The finished product--topping my Shepherd's Pie.

Final note:  the masher above is the type that Chef John recommends.  He does not recommend the circular kind.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

A Park Avenue princess discovers the dark side of 1930s New York when a debutante ball turns deadly in this gripping historical mystery for readers of Victoria Thompson, Anne Perry, and Rhys Bowen.

Manhattan, 1938. Tired of being trapped in the gilded cage of her family’s expectations, Elizabeth Adams has done what no self-respecting socialite would think to do: She’s gotten herself a job. Although Elizabeth’s dream is to one day see her photographs on the front page of the Daily Trumpet, for now she’s working her way up as the newsroom’s gal Friday.

But fetching coffee isn’t exactly her idea of fun, so when veteran reporter Ralph Kaminsky needs a photographer to fill in for a last-minute assignment, Elizabeth jumps at the chance. At the Waldorf Hotel, Elizabeth is tasked with tracking down the season’s “It girl,” Gloria DeWitt, who will be making her society debut. Working her own connections to New York’s upper crust, Elizabeth manages to land an exclusive interview with Gloria.

Then Gloria’s stepmother is shot dead in a Waldorf bathroom, placing Elizabeth at the scene of a headline-worthy scandal: “Murder of a Society Dame.” Now Elizabeth will have to get the scoop on the killer before her good name gets dragged through the gossip columns—or worse. . . .

From a Goodreads Review:

"What absolute fun! Penned with wit, humor and style, MURDER, SHE REPORTED gets my definite, “Yes!”

Catch up with me on Facebook!
And check out my new website!