Frozen mash, is it really unhealthy?

[WeAreOnTheRoadToNowhere]

I ate at a friend's and she used frozen mash. I was very impressed, lovely and no lumps
It is so convenient. According to the packet it only has potato and butter in it but am I kidding myself?
I guess it is considered UPF but how unhealthy is it?

Do you have any actual evidence of this?

The Morrisons one just has 2 ingredients- potatoes, butter. That's it. And like a pp said it is I tampon shaped pellets

Ingredients lists state if something is reconstituted or modified. Also to a op upthread, these can be cooked on the hob. Just add some milk.

https://www.delish.com/food-news/a49970/facts-about-frozen-mashed-potatoes/

https://www.womanandhome.com/health-wellbeing/the-ultra-processed-foods-to-avoid/

Just found this. It wouldn’t stop me using it as it’s a now and then food.

agree! And my fussy kids love it 👍🏻

Use a hand whisk. Game changer!

I've been using it for years. It's a huge time saver, cheap, and has minimal ingredients and processing. I do add a glug of milk and large knob of butter to it though. I hate scrubbing and peeling potatoes, so it's a no-brainer for us.
I also buy tablets of crushed garlic from the world food frozen section and chopped frozen onions. We use loads of garlic and I hate the fiddle of peeling and crushing, and I CBA dealing with streaming eyes from onions. I cook from scratch each night, so just these two save quite a bit of time over the course of a week or month.
Frozen herbs are also a great addition as it avoids being left with half a packet that inevitably go les bad before you next need it.

If it is just the raw ingredients you'd use at home, minimally processed then frozen, it's fine.

Thst lists instant mash, not frozen.

I’m seriously considering writing a thesis on it. I’m not going to spend my weekend morning providing “evidence”. Look it up for yourselves.

This thread is bonkers. It’s like I’ve just told people that the world is round or something.

Yes because we all know how easy it is to shape “just potato” and “just butter” into handy portion sized tampon shaped pellets for freezing, don’t we?

Clearly those well-informed Guardian Food section reader types aren’t attracted to a chatty thread about frozen mash!

@GrandTheftWalrus

to freeze potatoes yourself make your mash, let it cool a bit (eg whilst you have the meal you were making to eat fresh), put into containers (I use the plastic ones from restaurants) leave lid off whilst it cools to room temperature, put lid on, write with washable marker the date, then freeze at the back of your freezer. Use within 4-6 weeks ideally, this bit might not be adhered to here. You can freeze cottage pie the same way but before the bake, just use oven proof containers.

to cook you mash, defrost overnight in the fridge or on the side for 3-4 hours and microwave until piping hot. The piping hot is key to all reheated food including rice which someone mentioned getting pains from, always very hot then no issues

Completely agree that there’s lots of misleading advertising and labelling. But it just doesn’t seem particularly likely that this is one of those instances.

We grow potatoes and make massive batches of frozen mash. Cant see it's any different to that health wise ? Incredibly convenient

Off to Tesco today. Might buy some. I
live on my own a lot and when it’s just me I just cba to peel spuds and make mash after a long day at work. I do buy the ready made chilled mash which is ok.

@SnivellingEd , you are repeatedly making comments about concealed ingredients and processing of frozen mash but haven’t given a single link for this. I have “looked it up” and can’t find any reference on the internet to your claims, yes it is processed in terms of the potatoes are mechanically processed from raw potatoes into a bag of frozen mash but when we prepare any food at home by peeling , freezing or adding ingredients we are processing that food, perhaps the only way to go is by eating our potatoes raw out of the ground without washing the mud off

What do you want? A definitive peer reviewed journal on this burning issue of our time? Do your own homework. It’s not going to be one thing from a quick search, you can go online and find all sorts of data to suit whatever angle you choose.

May I suggest you read some of Joanna Blythman’s work on food manufacturing, processing and labelling.

Like I said upthread, I’m not trying to put people off buying it. I don’t work for the Campaign for Real Potatoes in Mash or anything.

@SnivellingEd well you have finally come up with a source for your views , I try to eat whole foods and organic as much as possible and carefully read labels on what I eat avoiding additives known to be harmful , I also don’t eat added sugar but I have genuinely struggled to find any reference to the perils of frozen mash apart from the plastic packaging which is far too prevalent everywhere

Ooh, going to try some.

@SnivellingEd
’Yes because we all know how easy it is to shape “just potato” and “just butter” into handy portion sized tampon shaped pellets for freezing, don’t we?’

it is done with factory mechanisation as you stated on an earlier post

It's actually really easy. What would make you think it isn't?

I am, btw, a guardian food reading well informed type.

I'm guessing it would be using 'ice cube' type molds for the mash.

@GrandTheftWalrus I make mine as usual, cool for a bit then put into freezer bags and make them flat. Sometimes I cook from frozen but mostly I defrost, add a bit of extra butter then fluff with a fork.

This is referring to the instant mash that comes in a packet like smash.

Some people genuinely seem to think you can’t buy anything that will make your life easier or it must be riddled with UPF’s. These people must spend so much of their life in the kitchen