To ask the secret to good mash…

[Millionaireinthemaking]

Seriously! How do you all make your mash?! I have been trying for years now and no matter what I do or how I make it, it is always lumpy and bland! Please give me your useful tips so I can master a good bit of mash 😂🤭

Like a lot of people have already said - milk, butter and a firm hand. I then always add a few teaspoons (at the least) of wholegrain mustard. Once I discovered mustard mash, I never looked back.

The six commandments of mash in this house.

1. The right kind of potatoes. People upthread mentioned the right varieties, won't repeat.
2. Boil, but then let to steam-dry for 1-2 mins after draining, so that there's no moisture left.
3. Add boiling whole milk, roughly a tablespoon per medium potato.
4. Use the right type of masher, the one that crushes the potatoes instead of liquifying / blending them. I personally prefer the zig-zag ones.
5. I also suggest trying philadelphia or other soft cheese instead of butter - try, you might like it. But a big lump of either.
6. Seasonings: super finely chopped, practically pulverised, fresh dill, a pinch of nutmeg and a little bit of mustard powder. Also, add salt at this stage, not at the mashing stage - I prefer flakes so that there is some non-uniformity of flavour in the resulting mash, some bits more salty, some less.

I'm particular about potato varieties and always check the variety on a bag of ordinary white potatoes.

I find Marfona are excellent as are most reds and King Edwards.
Saxon potatoes are dreadful to mash and always turn gloopy and claggy.

I never add salt, only because we don't much like salt added to our food ( only during cooking, but still rarely) but add butter and lots of black pepper.
I then use a fork to break down the potatoes to achieve a roughly mashed consistency first ( a tv chef once said to do this as attacking potatoes with a masher or ricer first, destroyed the consistency.)
Then I use an ordinary masher at the end. I might add a bit of milk , if needed.

By the way, if someone feels very adventurous, you can try mashed potatoes with sauerkraut and grated sweet apple (mixed together in the same fashion as colcannon mash). If I had to eat just one dish for the rest of my life, it would be my choice.

Lots of butter is the secret! and a bit of milk. No water! For 6 big potatoes you need at least half a pack of butter.
Ah and mash it not with those mashers that is a flat piece of steel with cut out holes but in stead with a masher that is made of fat wire. Makes a huge difference in making a smooth mash. Bit of salt at the end.

Salt, pepper, milk; butter and either a strong masher or ricer...

Butter

How ever I make my mash, I use this...

www.lakeland.co.uk/18908/Masha-Electric-Potato-Masher?src=gfeed&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI46Tesf-L8wIVjpeyCh057A5MEAQYASABEgLYYfD_BwE

It is probably my most loved kitchen gadget 🥔 It does all the hard work for you.

I usually just use milk and a good knob of butter but occasionally I'll use an egg yoke, double cream and grated cheese mixed into the potatoes and seasoned. Very nice but very unhealthy ☹️

Albert Bartlett red rooster potatoes. Boil with some salt in the water. Mash with a generous amount of proper butter. Add a tiny dash of milk. Always tastes delicious

Don't over boil the potatoes. If you do that they just taste of water. Other than that, the same as everyone else, milk butter salt pepper. A tiny bit of Smith mustard is nice. My sister puts mayonnaise in her but I think that's gross!

*smooth mustard

I add butter, white pepper and a smidge of double cream. I mash it with a masher first then whisk it with an electric whisk / mixer to ensure it is smooth and completely lump free. Depending on what I’m having it with (such as steak and peppercorn sauce), half a teaspoon of horseradish also adds a nice additional bit of flavour.

I cook the potatoes in their skins in the microwave, use a potato ricer, then add some veg stock for saltiness and a goodly amount of butter. Fabulous!

Maris Pipers ,
Salt and Pepper
Butter and a lot of it
Hand masher

We used to use Albert Bartlett but husband found out they support fox hunting so now back to supermarket MP’s

potato ricer

if you use a whisk, the gluten will break down and you get gloop

I microwave baking potatoes, cut them in two and put them in a ricer, cut side down. Perfect mashed potato every time and very quick.

Correct potatoes - Maris piper potatoes for UK

Boil them until they are almost falling apart.

Loads of salted butter, whole milk and a bit of cream if you have it. Once everything is mashed together, get in there with a fork or a whisk and whip a load of air into it.

Boiling the potatoes enough for a start, so no hard bits, then draining well and letting them steam-dry for a minute or two.
Then a really good, sturdy masher. Some (like my dd’s) are just not sturdy enough.
Keep the pan on a very low heat while you add milk, proper butter (no substitutes) and salt to taste.

Proper floury potatoes (Roosters, Golden Wonders, Maris Pipers etc).

Boil until properly soft.

Drain, add milk and butter to the pot and heat until the milk is starting to bubble.

Take off the heat and mash with the normal masher to remove all lumps.

Add pepper (and salt if needed), then stir well with wooden spoon to mix seasoning and make it creamy. (If serving with roast beef, adding a decent heaped teaspoon of wholegrain mustard along with the seasoning is good).

Also, if making mash to go on top of a dish like cottage pie that will be frozen, use powdered milk rather than milk from the fridge, as it will absorb the water that comes from the ice crystals that form in the freezing, meaning mash is not sloppy.

That trick can also be used if you have overcooked the potatoes and they have become slush in the boiling water, so are too "wet" when you drain them - don't add anymore liquid, just powdered milk as you need the richness.

@JayAlfredPrufrock

I once used the hand blender. That was a gloopy mess.

I agree. It changes the structure and nature of the potatoes.

But a ricer is brilliant.

I don't care how many people recommend it, you could not convince me to use a hand whisk! My mum did it once at the potatoes came out like glue, they were disgusting!

Drain your potatoes then put a large spoonful of butter on the middle and cover with a tea towel for two minutes. Once melted hand mash until smooth, then add another generous serving of butter and cover with a tea towel again. Mix together then put it through a ricer, add salt and pepper and combine. Done!

Crack in a raw egg and mix it up. Butter, salt and pepper essential.

Potato ricer is a game changer! That and milk and butter equals beautiful smooth , tasty mash 😋

Salt the water whilst cooking.

Boil them until soft, then mash in the pot with a lot of milk and butter, (I use margarine)then cook it down, over low heat, mashing and mixing it the entire time. I add salt and a lot of black pepper. I only began doing it this way a few months ago, I saw a video and tried m, onion free version. I used to cook, mash, and add a little bit of milk and margarine. It was soupy but after cooking it down that way it was really creamy. This is the video if you want to check it out.

Loads more butter, milk (whole, or cream if you're feeling indulgent), salt and pepper than you think. Cook them longer than is advised. Mash tatos first, add butter, mash again, then beat in the milk/cream and seasoning with a wooden spoon. I want mash potato now!