When a potato cooks, the starches contained in each cell are released as the cell walls break down. These starches absorb the potato’s internal moisture and swell and soften. These two processes are what transform a raw, hard potato into a cooked, softer potato fit for mashing.

If you cut your potatoes up before boiling them, the starches absorb the internal potato moisture as well as the water in which they’re being boiled. If they boil for too long, they absorb too much water and your mashed potatoes will become gummy. The difference between perfectly cooked potato pieces and soggy pieces can sometimes be as little as a minute or two.

An easy workaround is to boil potatoes whole. They’ll take a bit longer to cook but you can leave them in the hot water after boiling without undesirable effects, keeping them warm until it’s time to mash them. I start my potatoes boiling as soon as I begin cooking and mash them immediately before dinner.

If they need more moisture, you can add a bit of hot potato boiling water or another liquid. This way, you have more control of their moisture content.

  • IMALlama@lemmy.world
    11·
    11 months ago

    It looks like I’m the odd person out: I cut my potatoes before boiling and use a KitchenAid stand mixer for the mashing. My mashed taters are usually soft/fluffy/yummy.

    For mashing, less is more. If you know this going in, there’s no harm to using a stand mixer.

    Put your desire amount of butter in the bottom of the stand mixer. Peel, slice and add to cold water. Salt if desired. Boil until they cleve cleanly with a fork. Drain, dump on butter, let rest a few minutes to soften the butter. Mix and add milk as necessary. A little minced rosemary with the potatoes when they go into the stand mixer is 👌

    • TheaoneAndOnly27@kbin.social
      2·
      11 months ago

      I’m very baked and I want some minor clarification before I attempt to do something stupid at some point. But you say put it all in the stand mixer and then you say boil it. Am I able to put my kitchen aid bowl on the stove? Again, not trying to be an ass. Genuinely baked in the bathtub

      • 0xD@infosec.pub
        1·
        11 months ago

        Probably too late now, but they just wanted to clarify the consistency - no need to boil it again!

        Boil the potatoes and then add the butter to the stand mixer!

      • IMALlama@lemmy.world
        1·
        11 months ago

        Haha, I was trying to post a summary vs rehashing one of the million recipes you can find on the Internet. Let me try restating them a bit more explicitly:

        1. Start softening your desire amount of butter in the bottom of the stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, put the butter in the bottom of a large bowl. Set aside
        2. Optional: add minced rosemary and/or roasted garlic and such to the bowl
        3. Add cold water to the pot you’re going to boil your potatoes in. Large pot = good. Add salt to this water if desired
        4. Get a cutting board, a potato peeler (optional), and a knife. Chef knife = good
        5. Peel potatoes with a knife or a potato peeler. The only exception I make for this is for red potatoes, but even then I peel half
        6. Dice the peeled potatoes using the knife and cutting board. Add to the pot from step #2
        7. Put pot on stove and bring to a boil using high heat
        8. Boil the potatoes until they cleve cleanly with a fork. You’re not going for mush/butter soft, but you also don’t want a crunch as you slice them
        9. Drain the potatoes and dump them in the bowl from step 1. Let rest a few minutes to soften the butter.
        10. Mash some to make sure the butter is melted
        11. Add milk as necessary and mash. Don’t overdo the mashing!