primitives discuss making eight pounds of mashed potatoes

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/115734975

Oh my.

I'm here for just a minute--a really busy week--but needed to remind the cooking and baking primitives that franksolich is always on the job, monitoring them for seditious comments or suggestions of surreptitious seditious activities.

<<<never sleeps, when it comes to keeping an eye on the cooking and baking primitives.

alfredo (48,113 posts)   Mon Nov 25, 2013, 12:54 PM   

I am to make eight pounds of mashed potatoes Thursday. Give me an estimated time, and other tips. I am figuring I should use at least a half stick of butter, but how much salt should I use? I tend to under salt.
 
I bought ten pounds of potatoes.

canoeist52 (1,684 posts)    Mon Nov 25, 2013, 12:58 PM

1. I like to add light cream, white pepper and just a little salt as the butter usually has salt in it. Also there's usually salt on the table at dinner.

grasswire (38,497 posts)    Mon Nov 25, 2013, 01:22 PM

3. #1 tip

Simmer the potatoes at barely a boil, don't boil them hard. When you boil them hard, the outsides start to slough away before the inside is done.
 
When they are fork tender, drain off the water and then put the pot back on the stove for a couple of moments to let the heat dry the potatoes thoroughly. THIS will avoid watery potatoes.
 
Half a stick of butter seems scant for eight pounds of potatoes.

A new tip I learned yesterday: warm the milk or cream you are going to put in the potatoes.
 
And don't forget pepper!!

Lilyhoney (1,707 posts)    Mon Nov 25, 2013, 01:40 PM

4. My thoughts...

salt the potatoes in the pot while cooking with about 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon of salt. Cooking time will be roughly 45 minutes. They are done when you poke with a knife and it slides off easily. Be sure to start the potatoes in cold water, peel and cut or don't, they will be fine. What kind of potatoes did you get?
 
Drain the water
Salt and pepper- about 1/2 teaspoon salt
mash up the potatoes
Add the butter up to one full stick
Mash up some more but not too much or you will over work the butter
Add milk and mash some more

If using an electric mixer remember you are whipping the potatoes so be sure to incorporate air into the whipping motion and your potatoes will be light and fluffy. Without incorporating the air in the whipping process the mass of potatoes will become paste like.

A HERETIC I AM (11,267 posts)    Mon Nov 25, 2013, 02:17 PM

6. I agree with the others, but I'll add the following;

Pick the right potatoes. Russets or Yukon Gold works best.

The smaller you cut/slice/dice the potatoes, the faster they will cook. Simple Physics. More surface area exposed to the heat. Cook them in a pot large enough that they can be covered by at least an inch of water.
 
As mentioned above, DEFINITELY start them in cold, salted water, (not too much) and don't let them get to a rapid boil.
 
When I make them, I melt the butter in a small pan and add a few tablespoons (depending on how many potatoes I'm doing) of sour cream. Adds a delicious flavor. I also use heavy whipping cream instead of milk. If you use butter and sour cream, you won't need as much milk or cream. It's a whole lot easier to add liquid than it is to remove it!
 
DON'T OVER WHIP! Beating them too much will make them gluey.

Yahoo has a page up today with a few tips that is pretty well written;

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/7-ways-youre-ruining-mashed-potatoes-191200462.html

Cracklin Charlie (649 posts)    Mon Nov 25, 2013, 02:52 PM

7. I'll agree, except...

When cooking large quantities of Yukon Gold potatoes (best for mashed potatoes, imo), I prefer to boil in salted water in large chunks, or whole, for a longer period of time. My reason is that cutting into smaller chunks can tend to increase the amount of water left after draining. Again, that whole surface area thing. Water is the ENEMY of luscious, creamy mashed potatoes!
 
I always dry the potatoes after draining, and before mashing, by putting them back in their cooking pan, setting them back on a low heat burner, uncovered; this process is to steam off the residual water left on the potatoes after draining. Watch closely during drying. When they're good and dry, mash or whip as usual.

Uh, no fudging way.

I dunno if such a thing is available in blue states, but franksolich buys those $1 packages of Betty Crocker instant mashed potatoes, the version with sour cream, chives, butter, and bacon bits already mixed in.

I'd never paid attention to instant potatoes in my life, until I discovered these.

Cheap, quick, easy, clean.

And they're even better if one dumps in extra bacon chips.

<<<will probably never buy another regular potato in life.

I have a feeling the alfresco primitive is making this for a homeless charity, and so he doesn't really care; as far as the primitives are concerned, poor people should just take slop and be grateful for it.

[obumazombie]

You are very generous to think that a true lib would give of their time or money to charity.

[franksolich]

This is one of my bete noires, primitives who think they're so swell because they're donating junk to charities.

<<<for the record, one of whose various part-time jobs is doing the bookkeeping for a large food pantry.

Four or five years ago, the Treasonous Bastard primitive made a big deal about having to donate a pot of beans to a homeless shelter.  He inquired of the cooking and baking primitives what the cheapest beans were, and got those.  He boiled a potful of them in water--probably didn't even put in a little bit of salt--and took it to the homeless shelter.

Just plain boiled cheap beans, nothing else.

Later, he went back and expressed disappointment to the other cooking and baking primitives that none of the poor had eaten his beans, his plain boiled cheap beans, probably not even salted (salt costs money, after all).

Ungrateful curs, the poor.

Geezuz.

True, there's a lot of freeloaders among the poor, but not all of them are, and if one's going to wear a badge of virtue on his chest, one should give better than just plain boiled cheap beans.  Maybe at least a little bit of pork fat to give them flavor.

I dunno where the primitives get the idea they care, they're charitable.

[jukin]

Is there anything that these worthless POSs are capable of doing?

My mom is gone tomorrow. I'm making a bowl of cereal tomorrow morning, any suggestions on how that is done? I need to know times, amounts, utensils, etc.

[dane]

I nadined 'mashed potato recipe', and the screen said there were more than 10 MILLION results in less than one second.

There are several recipe sites that I use regularly to keep from nadining everything every time.

And yet, a DUtard (of the group that is smarter than everyone) must ask other DUtards.

[Celtic Rose]

Mashed potatoes are so easy that my mom used to put me in charge of them when I was 10    How can grown adults still struggle with something like this? 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Mashed potatoes are so easy that my mom used to put me in charge of them when I was 10    How can grown adults still struggle with something like this? 

Because they are DUMmies.  Must overanalyze absolutely everything.

[Gern]

franksolich



I dunno if such a thing is available in blue states, but franksolich buys those $1 packages of Betty Crocker instant mashed potatoes, the version with sour cream, chives, butter, and bacon bits already mixed in.

Ugh!  Sacrilege!

Instant mashed potatoes should be banned from human consumption.  They are horrid, in any incarnation.  Just my .02

[JohnnyReb]

Mashed potatoes are so easy that my mom used to put me in charge of them when I was 10    How can grown adults still struggle with something like this? 

DUmmie really wants to know how much "pot" to add to get conservative family high....I would guess it's one ounce to the pound DUmmie.

[ChuckJ]

I think the primitives are just pulling frank's leg on this one, and the whole thread is made up. There's no French words in it. There's no completely unacceptable by normal people ingredients called for.

[Dori]

I think the primitives are just pulling frank's leg on this one, and the whole thread is made up. There's no French words in it. There's no completely unacceptable by normal people ingredients called for.

you mean like adding peas?   

[ChuckJ]

you mean like adding peas?   

Yeah, based on their past posts, but something like cinnamon or powdered sugar wouldn't surprise me either.

[BannedFromDU]

     Eight pounds of mash?

     Well, to be fair, that's probably what LynneSin puts between her cheek and gum to hold her over while she sits on the toilet.

[BattleHymn]

Even I know how to make mashed potatoes, and I am an idiot in the kitchen.

I just can't cook up anything without creating a spectacular mess, but hey, mashed potatoes are easy.   


Do you guys leave the skins on, or off? 

I peel about half of them, and leave the rest. 

[Delmar]

I googled this exact phrase:

mashed pots euro style recipes

It produced 1,220,000 perfectly pretentious results.

[Gern]

Even I know how to make mashed potatoes, and I am an idiot in the kitchen.

I just can't cook up anything without creating a spectacular mess, but hey, mashed potatoes are easy.  


Do you guys leave the skins on, or off?  

I peel about half of them, and leave the rest.  

This is kinda funny, because I was just discussing this with my GF when we were at dinner last weekend...She's having everyone over her house for Tgiving, and she admitted she didn't know how to make good mashed potatoes, something I've been told I do very well, so I officially usurped this responsibility from her for this Tgiving.

Skins off--unless you're doing redskin potatoes, for every other kind I peel them.

Boil them until soft.

Add a stick of butter, REAL butter, not f%$@! unsalted, like my GF, the health nut, likes to use. This is assuming you are making 6 or 8 potatoes worth, of course.

Add a little WHOLE milk. Not f%$@!  1%, like my GF, the health nut, likes to use.  Anything other than whole milk makes them not creamy enough.

Mash with a potato masher, not a hand mixer.  Potatoes made with hand mixer are whipped potatoes--not mashed.  Mash them gently and twist the potato masher at the same time a little bit, so you are actually hand mixing them.

Be careful how much you mash them.  Too much mashing breaks down the starches and they become runny.  Too much milk and they are runny.  Runny mashed potatoes suck more than anything in the history of suckdom.  Better to add a little milk at a time until they are the right consistency.  

Add some salt, and some pepper.

They always come out amazing with this simple formula.  

[NHSparky]

Ugh!  Sacrilege!

Instant mashed potatoes should be banned from human consumption.  They are horrid, in any incarnation.  Just my .02

This reminds me of a joke I know which you'll appreciate, Gern...

Four people are riding in a car up I-95...A guy from Maine, one from Vermont, one from Massachusetts, and one from New Hampshire.  They were having a discussion as to who had more of what, when the guy from Maine says,  "Ya know what, ayuh?  We got too many of these here patatahs!  They need to go!" and out he chucks a 10-lb bag of potatoes.

The guy from Vermont goes, "Hey, you got the right idea!" and out he chucks a gallon of maple syrup.

The guy from New Hampshire doesn't say anything, but instead chucks out the guy from Massachusetts....

[Gern]

This reminds me of a joke I know which you'll appreciate, Gern...

Four people are riding in a car up I-95...A guy from Maine, one from Vermont, one from Massachusetts, and one from New Hampshire.  They were having a discussion as to who had more of what, when the guy from Maine says,  "Ya know what, ayuh?  We got too many of these here patatahs!  They need to go!" and out he chucks a 10-lb bag of potatoes.

The guy from Vermont goes, "Hey, you got the right idea!" and out he chucks a gallon of maple syrup.

The guy from New Hampshire doesn't say anything, but instead chucks out the guy from Massachusetts....

ROFLMAO!!!!!  PFHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!  H5

[Gern]

hehe...still laughing on that one, Sparky...

LOLZ...

[NHSparky]

And Gern--the perfect mashed potatoes have just enough potato in them to hold the cream and butter together.

I can't envision making 10 POUNDS of potatoes.  Is this asshole feeding the entire town?  Is he making 4 turkeys at the same time?  WTF?

The most I've ever made was for 12 people, and I used MAYBE 3-4 pounds of potatoes.  But I also needed AT LEAST 12 tbsp. of butter, 1/2 cup of cream, salt, and white pepper.  Then add butter and cream in small amounts until it just held together.

I'll never hear any complaints about my 'taters, cause otherwise you'll be the turkey getting carved, capiche???

[obumazombie]

Because they are DUMmies.  Must overanalyze absolutely everything.

Kibbutzing for talking points. Once the kibbutz produces a talking points, the libs will get into lockstep with it.


edit c

[Ptarmigan]

That is a lot of mash potatoes.

[GOBUCKS]

A year or so ago we discovered Bob Evans refrigerated mashed potatoes at the grocery.

Six minutes in the microwave, and they are perfect.

I cannot imagine going to the trouble to peel, boil and mash potatoes when this terrific no-muss-no-fuss alternative is available.

[Chris_]

A year or so ago we discovered Bob Evans refrigerated mashed potatoes at the grocery.

Six minutes in the microwave, and they are perfect.

I cannot imagine going to the trouble to peel, boil and mash potatoes when this terrific no-muss-no-fuss alternative is available.

I don't know why anyone bothers to peel potatoes that are only going to be boiled and mashed.  It always seemed like a waste of time to me.

[Big Dog]

And Gern--the perfect mashed potatoes have just enough potato in them to hold the cream and butter together.

Mo' butta makes it mo' betta.