Aunt Shirley's Mashed Potatoes Recipe from The Food Charlatan (2024)

FAQs

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

The glue nature of potatoes is due to their altered starch ratios and the lower the gravities of potatoes, the higher chances of being gluey.

Regular flour can also be used to thicken your potatoes as well, but I don't love using it because its raw flavor needs to be cooked out, and it more noticeably dulls the flavor of the potatoes themselves.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

According to The Kitchn, sour cream is much denser than milk and so you'd end up with very stiff potatoes if sour cream replaces the milk in your recipe. Because milk is a liquid, it helps take the potatoes' stiffer mass and soften it, giving them their signature texture.

Restaurants prepare the potatoes ahead by boiling and mashing just the potato, then just before serving, it is mixed into boiling cream (or milk or even broth or a combination thereof) to reheat it and make it nice and creamy.

It may seem like an unnecessary step, but there's a reason most recipes suggest you add hot dairy, not cold, to the taters. Throwing in a cold stick of butter and a splash of milk straight from the refrigerator will immediately cool down some of the spuds, which will prevent a creamy, smooth mash.

1. Add a Thickening Agent. This is the most common, and perhaps the simplest way, to thicken mashed potatoes. You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry.

Just a pinch of baking soda is all you need to create mashed potatoes as soft as clouds. When you add baking soda, it reacts with the heat of the dish and the acid in the milk or cream to create small air pockets throughout the mash. These air bubbles translate to light and airy bites. Yum!

What is the secret to non lumpy mashed potatoes? ›

The lesson here? Don't overmix the potatoes! For mashed potatoes that are smooth without being gummy, a potato ricer is your best bet. It gently presses the potato into fine pieces, so all that's left to do is add your liquid and a pat or two of butter.

Once boiling, reduce heat, adjusting as needed to maintain a simmer. Cook potatoes until they offer no resistance when pierced: 10–12 minutes for baby potatoes, 15–20 minutes for small potatoes, or 30–40 minutes for large cubed potatoes. Drain potatoes in a colander and let cool 10 minutes.

Smaller potatoes (like red gold) will cook faster whole — about 15-20 minutes in boiling water. Larger potatoes (like russet) take a little more time — about 20-30 minutes.

Most restaurants use fresh potatoes for their mashed potatoes. Sure, there are budget buffets and fast food joints that use dehydrated potato flakes but that's why they are the bottom feeders of the culinary world.

Instant mashed potatoes are convenient for busy food establishments like KFC — the only thing employees need to do is add water and mix. The peeling, cooking, and mashing, has already been done. The downside to instant mashed potatoes is that they aren't as fluffy and tend to be bland.

Chefs put salt on the outside of their baked potatoes

The secret to achieving this is a hefty dose of salt. Steakhouse chefs cover their baked potatoes in salt before sticking them in the oven, often helping the crystals adhere with a generous coating of oil.