“Salting the water not only seasons the potato, but it also allows it to boil to a hotter temperature. This in turn cooks the potatoes' starch more thoroughly, resulting in a more creamy texture [for mashed potatoes],” says Sieger Bayer, Chef and Partner at The Heritage.
But the most essential suggestion, per Bon Appétit, is always to salt the water you are boiling your mashed potatoes in. It acts as pre-seasoning, and Bon Appétit recommends adding a full cup of kosher salt to the boiling water.
If the salt concentration in the cup is higher than inside the potato cells, water moves out of the potato into the cup. This leads to shrinkage of the potato cells, which explains why the potato strips get smaller in length and diameter.
This in no way means that your water will boil faster, however, which is a common misconception among cooks. On the contrary, this simply means that salted water will become hotter, and your potatoes or pasta will ultimately cook faster will make your food taste better.
Add enough cold water to cover the tops of the potatoes. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon salt to the water. Turn the burner on high and bring water to boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-low or low.
The Mistake: Overworking the Potatoes with a Food Processor, Blender or Mixer. Too much — or too vigorous — mashing will produce gluey potatoes. Your best tool is an old-fashioned masher, fork, ricer or food mill.
Ideally, you should wait until your water is at a rolling boil. The boiling water will agitate and dissolve the salt quickly. You can add salt to your cold water if your prefer, though. You don't want to forget it after all!
It doesn't affect the cooking speed or the final texture of the product. If you don't want to salt boiling water, it's fine.
Adding salt to water is going to do two things to water's physical properties: it will either increase the boiling point that is making it boil slower (take a long time for the water to boil) or it will lower the boiling point that is making it boil faster.
MYTH: Salted water boils faster. TRUTH: Adding salt raises the boiling point of water (slightly), so it does make your water hotter, but it's not going to boil any faster. The amount of salt added is much too low to make a noticeable difference in your cooking time.
The yolk emulsifies water and fat to create a cohesive, velvety bite, while providing a little fat and body of its own. What is this? You can add an egg yolk to nearly any existing mashed potato recipe.
If kept warm, gently mash in heavy cream until smooth and loose again, adding more if you'd like. If cold, heat the cream in a large pot until steaming, then add the potatoes. Gently mash and whip, adding more cream as needed, until heated through and fluffy.
Only use egg yolks when mixing the potatoes.
They add so much creaminess and will give the potatoes an irresistible flavor. Not to mention that the yolks will give the mashed potatoes a vibrant yellow color and make them richer too.
Follow this tip: Begin the process of seasoning your mashed potatoes by adding salt to the water when cooking the potatoes. You won't have to add as much salt later and, most importantly, you won't find yourself with bland potatoes.
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.
You shouldn't let butter be the only dairy you use, however. Consider adding half-and-half or heavy cream and a bit of sour cream (even goat cheese) to get the best flavor and creamiest texture every time, like in these Best Mashed Potatoes.
CREAMED MASHED POTATOES Add 85g/3oz butter and 150ml/5-6fl oz double cream to the mashed potato. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add nutmeg to taste and mix until smooth and creamy.
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.
Pricking the egg provides a quick escape route for the air, which gives you an egg with a smoothly rounded end. If you prick an egg, watch for a jet of air shooting from the hole as the egg cooks.
A: It's important to poke the hole into the fat end of the egg. This is because each egg has an air pocket at this end. And set the egg into the tray with the hole up so that this sulphury air can properly escape.
The trick to the most fluffy mashed potatoes is to add a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. Just a pinch of baking powder added to the drained, cooked potatoes can help make them so fluffy.
There are two basic methods for breaking the bonds in saltwater: thermal distillation and membrane separation. Thermal distillation involves heat: Boiling water turns it into vapor—leaving the salt behind—that is collected and condensed back into water by cooling it down.
Olive oil is said to prevent the pot from boiling over and prevent the pasta from sticking together.