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 😂🤭

Salt, lots of pepper and loads of butter (10g butter per 100g of potato).
And use a potato masher, not a hand mixer.

Pesto mash is also good—use pesto in place of all aforementioned ingredients. It makes the mash a lovely green colour too.

You should make two lots. One you salt the water, and add more salt if needed.
The other do no salt.
You will taste the difference.

Potato choice is important (Vivaldi) and use more milk than you think you'll need

And you can't make mashed potato without salt ffs

A chef showed me this method many years ago. First mash the potatoes when completely dry, then add WARM milk and a bit of salted butter and mash again. Always works well for me,

...oh, and it goes without saying that you need to salt the water before boiling the potatoes. (Maris Pipers are the best for mashed).

When you have finished adding and mashing put the pan of mash back on a medium heat for a minute or two then give a final whizz around with a spoon. Adding butter/milk/cream whatever reduces the temperature. Got to have mash nice n hot !

The thing that transforms ordinary mash into light fluffy sublime clouds is doing a secondary beat/whip of the prepared mash with a metal fork.

So make the mash as everyone has described and then pick up your form and give a good thrashing.

Try it - it's is magic!

That's why you heat the milk

Cream is soooo much nicer !

Steam the potatoes - Maris piper or King Edward best
Put butter, black pepper & salt in mashing bowl
Add potatoes to bowl when ready
Mash with masher/fork
Taste & add more seasoning if necessary
Whisk with hand held whisk
Pass through fine mesh sieve
Reheat in microwave if necessary.

It’s not rocket science OP. A fuck tonne of butter and salt. Job’s a good one.

And because I’m Irish, the flouriest potatoes you can get your hands on, drained really well when cooked so they they’re bone dry. Put them back on the hob when drained to steam off every drop of water.

If you do this, you’ll require even more butter to get them to perfect mash consistency. Whoops 😆

Tesco ready made mash in the veg section. Only the kids eat mash and it’s so infrequent it easier to buy it ready done.

Salted butter and cream rather than milk.
I don't do plain mash though, I'll do potato and carrot or swede or something.

Also I mash it then put it on a baking tray, use a fork to give it peaks, sprinkle some seasoning over the top, squirt with fry light or olive oil and bake it in the oven.

Maris piper potatoes, lots of butter, splash of whole milk, salt and pepper if you want.

This is the height of Western decadence:

The Swedish businessman Jan Stenbeck, who died of gallumping heart disease etc weighing 140 kg, invented his own mashed potatoes, that were frequently served as a sort of midnight snack.

"It consisted of mashed potatoes made from egg yolks, double cream and the odd potato. Into this he stirred enormous quantities of Russian caviar and then ate it with a spoon straight from the pan."

I also use salted butter. I usually preheat the milk so it’s less faff once the potato is boiled. Some don’t drain the potatoes after boiling, but I like to drain in a colander. I find that I don’t need to add a lot of salt. A pinch can suffice, depending how much mashed potato I have to make.

It’s always best to taste as you go along so you can see if you need to tweak anything. Now I really want mashed potatoes

Cream and butter!

Just butter and salt, and definitely no milk and decent potatoes. I use a simple metal masher, never plastic, I bought my metal masher in 1967, as just getting married then, and still looks quite new still..

I've just made some ready for later, MP potatoes cut small and cooked for 10 minutes once boiling, drained and steamed for 5 minutes. I break up with a fork first and then mash with a bog standard masher, loads of salt and pepper, bit of butter and a good squirt of mayo. Once all the biggish lumps are out I then beat with a wooden spoon to get it smooth. Delicious

Right a few of you are saying lots of salt… how much salt are we talking? Am I salting both the water and then when I’m mashing? I just put lots of salt… someone said put more then you think… and all I could taste was salt and butter 🤣 god I’m useless!

I don't salt the water and I salt to taste so add a good couple of grinds, stir, taste, add more if required - just don't add tonnes to start as you can't unsalt it

OP - salt to taste! People have different tastes wrt salt. If you're not used to eating salty things, then you would probably find something too salty when someone else wouldn't find it salty enough. Just add a bit of salt, taste the mash, add a bit more etc until it tastes great!

Yes I don’t know why I didn’t think to add bit by bit until I got the perfect taste! 😂 take 2 tomorrow!