Most instant potato varieties call for you to combine the potatoes with water, but if you want your potatoes to taste a bit more indulgent, use milk instead. Whole milk will yield delightfully rich potatoes, but 2 percent milk works well too.
Milk: Milk adds to the richness of the potatoes. Use at least 2% milk, but preferably whole milk. Chicken broth: This adds a richer flavor than if you would just use water. Butter: Butter is always a good idea.
Can you use water instead of milk in mashed potatoes? Yes, you can use water instead of milk. The best option is to reserve the cooking water from the boiled potatoes and add it in. Start with one-half the amount of water and then add more as desired.
Heavy cream can make instant mashed potatoes taste indulgent. Half and half or even regular milk (whole is better than skim, but 2% will do) adds extra creaminess. To give your mashed potatoes a light tanginess, go with buttermilk or sour cream. If you don't want to go all in, try half water and half dairy.
Skip the whole milk and go for half-and-half or cream.
Liquid dairy is what makes mashed potatoes luscious and creamy. Since it's Thanksgiving, splurge a little and use half-and-half or splurge a lot and use cream. The final dish will thank you.
Adding cold dairy to your mashed potatoes also cools the mash down — and very few people like cold mashed potatoes. Ready to put this tip into action? Bring the milk and butter to at least room temperature or, better yet, gently heat them on the stovetop before adding them to your potatoes.
The flavor and texture of instant mashed potatoes doesn't suit everyone, but they can save the day and can work wonders in this case. Whisk a little cornstarch into the warm potatoes, only a teaspoon at a time, until the potatoes thicken to your liking.
The Mistake: Overworking the Potatoes with a Food Processor, Blender or Mixer. Too much — or too vigorous — mashing will produce gluey potatoes.
For a quick and delicious instant mashed potatoes recipe, all you have to do is simply add your potato flakes to hot water, gently fluff with a fork and serve.
When too much starch gets released, the potatoes become gummy, gluey, and unappetizing. Overworking the potatoes can happen in a couple ways: either by simply handling them too much, or by using a food processor, blender, or similar tool, which mixes the potatoes too aggressively.
If the consistency of your mashed potatoes is turning out stickier than you intended, it's likely because there was too much remaining water. According to TODAY, the best way to avoid this is to thoroughly drain the potatoes after they're done cooking.
Dairy milk can absolutely be a nutritious part of any hydration and healthy diet plan. It's important to note, however, that given its calorie content and high satiety, it should not be used to replace water by any means.
Research shows that milk is one of the best beverages for hydration, even better than water or sports drinks. Researchers credit milk's natural electrolytes, carbohydrates and protein for its effectiveness.
They're surprisingly healthy.
According to Consumer Reports, store-bought mashed scored "good" in the nutrition category based on calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, sugars, iron, calcium, and fiber—with most products prepared with 2 percent milk, unsalted butter, and salt.
To thicken runny mashed potatoes with a thickening agent, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, flour, or powdered milk to the potatoes.
You can also swap milk or half-and-half for the water required. Alternatively, you can dilute evaporated milk with water—one part milk to one part water—and use the milk in place of the water required.
Start cooking the potatoes in cold water: This ensures that the potatoes cook evenly. Otherwise, if you start with hot or boiling water, the outsides of the potatoes cook and soften while the middles are still hard and crunchy.
No. You don't need to soak potatoes before making them into mashed potatoes.
Here's how to do it: For every pound of potatoes in your mash, drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the dish and fold it gently into the potatoes. If the mash is still too gluey for your liking, repeat the process with another tablespoon of butter. It's that easy!
As with pasta water, there's a reason to liberally salt the water in which the potatoes will cook: As the starches in potatoes warm up, they open up and absorb water (and salt if you season the water). When they're finished cooking, the cells close off.
To thicken mashed potatoes, you can add a thickening agent like cornstarch, flour, powdered milk, or tapioca. Add one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You can also add heat, more potatoes, or even strain the mashed potatoes in order to reach your desired consistency.
Add Dehydrated Potatoes – My personal favorite quick and easy method involves stirring one tablespoon of dehydrated potatoes into your mashed potatoes at a time until you've reached your desired consistency.
Use 1 tablespoon of mashed potato flakes per 1 cup of liquid. You can add it directly to your soup or gravy without the need of a slurry (mixing it with water is a necessary step for cornstarch or flour). Stir, let thicken, add more as needed.