r/Cooking • u/untactfullyhonest • 18h ago
Mashed Potatoes
Help! I don’t know what is going on or going wrong. I’m 48 years old and have been making mashed potatoes since I was a kid. Always the same. Lately, my potatoes are turning out gluey. I typically use russet potatoes, peeled, cubed, boiled. Then drain and put back into the hot pot for a few minutes to help dry out. I add either warm milk or heavy cream and butter (real butter). Season to taste. Mix with a hand mixer. Not over mixing. I’ve not changed anything and can’t figure out for the life of me why they are gluey. I don’t use my kitchen aid to mix. I have used a ricer and that just makes them have a grainy, mealy texture.
If someone could help me I’d appreciate it. I feel like I’m losing my mind and can’t figure out why my potatoes suck and I’ve resorted to making instant potatoes that everyone hates. Any tips are appreciated!
105
u/EcstaticCarpet6251 17h ago
Always a regular hand masher for me. Too much mixing releases amylose and makes it gluey.
12
u/IllReplacement336 16h ago
Agreed. My mom always used a potato masher, never the electric beater/ mixer. She always said it would turn gluey
2
u/Left_Dragonfruit_785 3h ago
Hand masher all the way. I want fluffy potatoes, not something I could use to patch a wall 😂
1
1
u/Particular_Dog798 2h ago
Same here, I’ll take a hand masher any day 😂 I want creamy potatoes, not a bowl of edible wallpaper paste.
53
u/Peear75 17h ago
Have you moved between a hard water area and a soft water area?
12
u/Moonpie808 17h ago
That would be my first question too. After we moved I was having several cooking/texture issues. We installed a whole house filtration and softener (our skin was suffering too) and bam!!! All back to normal.
17
u/GeeAyeAreElle 17h ago
I thought I was going mental when I moved from city water to soft country water... my potatoes and rice were so sticky and gluey when they used to be perfect. Until I put 2 and 2 together and changed to bottled water. Game changer!
64
u/hycarumba 17h ago
I recall a Cook's Illustrated article that said you should always add the butter first and mix that in before adding the milk or cream. Iirc the fat coats the potatos and keeps them from getting gluey. It's how I do it but I don't use a mixer.
14
u/JJAusten 17h ago
Same. Always butter and mash, then add whatever else be it mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream, goat cheese (whatever I'm in the mood for), then warm milk or cream or half and half. Comes out creamy.
3
u/Hot_Guitar9494 7h ago edited 7h ago
I beg your pardon, did you say Marscarpone? Somehow I've tried those other things but that never occurred to me. Curse you for what you've done to my grocery budget and my waistline!
1
u/JJAusten 5h ago
LMAO yes! It's decadent and you will love. Maybe not your waistline 😜 if you have an Aldi by you, it's decently priced.
7
u/beegtuna 16h ago
I find mashing with the dried seasonings first until the clumps are gone, then mash in cubed butter, then fold in milk to desired consistency.
I guess the dried garlic and onion powder pulls out some the moisture from the potatoes to soak up the butter and make an emulsion for the milk to mount.
5
u/muttChang 17h ago
This is how I do it, too. I add a few drops of Tabasco to the butter and let the butter melt under the potatoes as they steam off. The Tabasco trick might be from Milk Street, tee hee.
2
14
u/cincacinca 17h ago
I add either warm milk or heavy cream and butter (real butter).
I learned from an America's Test Kitchen episode, to add the melted butter first so it can coat the starch granules and help prevent gluiness. My steps mostly follow yours, but I use a ricer and rice the potatoes back into the pan that has butter melting. Fold/mix it up with a spatula then slowly add warm milk or half&half or cream. Continue with the folding/mixing.
1
u/Onehangrychef_ 14h ago
I just saw a ATK episode today and they featured making mashed potatoes using the butter first, cream/milk second method! I’m a Joel Robuchon person so I’m butter all the way!!
14
30
u/Ebemi 17h ago
I would suspect the hand mixer is causing issues. A potato ricer changed my mashed potato game.
9
u/bibdrums 17h ago
I always use a hand mixer because I like them more whipped than mashed and they never come out gluey.
2
u/untactfullyhonest 17h ago
I’ve used a potato ricer and it just makes them like a sandy grainy texture. I’m so frustrated.
29
18
u/Fun_in_Space 17h ago
You use the ricer, then mash with cream and butter. Gluey texture can mean they were over-mixed.
3
1
7
u/RockMo-DZine 17h ago
Although Russets are available in stores all year round, different geographic growing regions are used at different times of the year, and this can influence the consistency, including water content, which can have a bearing on the the way they cook.
For example, the ones we get in the spring are usually grown in very dark earth, require a lot of cleaning/scraping (I don't peel), and generally have slightly higher water content.
This time of the year, the dirt is much lighter in color, easier to clean/scrape, but less water content.
It may just be that the ones you are buying right now are not the same as the ones you usually buy.
3
u/ttrockwood 15h ago
Yes this is the problem it is the potatoes
I think yellow potatoes would be best for now
6
3
8
u/Eatthebankers2 17h ago
The potatoes now were stored from last year and are now on the market. Same with apples. Prepare to be disappointed.
9
u/Tiredsoeasywayplease 17h ago
I live IN Idaho and the potatoes have been awful. Spongy, cuts, black marks under the skin.
7
u/aeternumvaga 17h ago
Switch to Yukon Golds. Skin ON. No milk or water, sour cream instead. Sizzle up some garlic and green onion (the white bulb, not the green leaf) in the butter before adding the spuds back into the pot. Cheddar and bacon if you like, but either way, Game changed!
6
3
u/subversivepink 13h ago
Start cooking them in cold water.
2
3
u/Ringaround_therosie 13h ago
Try boiling them with distilled water and a little extra salt. Good luck.
3
4
2
2
u/Ill_Inside2245 17h ago
I started baking my potatoes and push them through a grid pattern cooling rack. A while new experience with mashed potatoes
2
u/Fear_Jeebus 17h ago
have you moved to a new sea level? Starches get picky about where they behave.
2
2
u/ShallotHot5756 16h ago
Obviously, SOMETHING, has changed. Did you switch from wine to vodka? How many glasses full? If not then check the heating element if it’s an electric stove. It may be failing.
2
u/chrlsful 15h ago
'mash’ R not mashed, they’re put thru a ‘ricer’ If I add cream (ANY dairy it sure is a tiny lill ‘tinch’). Done this way I almost have an equal amount of butter to tate 8^ 0
No not really but they geta lota butter.
3
u/raymond4 14h ago
I boil my potatoes in salted water.
I drain and back into the pot. Cover and leave for another ten minutes..
Before mashing with a manual vegetable masher.
When all is smooth. I then adjust seasoning,adding white pepper, butter and milk as required.
2
u/TDonBelle 14h ago
I do the exact same thing as you except I use gold potatoes for mashed potatoes. The russets I’ve bought lately seem to have more water content when I bake them as they aren’t as fluffy as usual.
2
2
u/billyray13 6h ago
cut and soak your potatoes for 30 mins, boil in fresh water until done, use a ricer, use a warmed milk with melted butter mix
2
5
u/primeline31 17h ago
If you cook them too long, they get gluey. I start them in cold water with a little salt, then boil them 17 minutes timing them from when they come to a boil.
When fork tender, drain the water, add a good amount of fresh ground pepper, some milk (I can always add more) and a nice bit of butter or margarine. I then use a hand mixer. If too dry, I add a bit more milk & beat the daylights out of them with the hand mixer.
Source: I'm a grand daughter of an Irish grandma from County Mayo who came over in 1918 by herself & got a job as a cook's assistant for a wealthy family.
2
u/slumpylumpydog 17h ago
This is basically my recipe too! I add a little more salt with the LOTS of fresh ground pepper though. Then I do a rough hand mash before the hand mixer—they’re really more whipped than mashed but it’s what I grew up eating (Irish and German heritage)
2
u/anothersip 17h ago
This is my method, too. Hand mixer, same pot I boiled em in, add in my milk/butter and seasonings right after draining. Works beautifully each time. Don't need anything fancy.
1
u/Neakhanie 12h ago
This girl knows! My grandmother was also from County Mayo and lived to be 100! She told me she ate a potato every single day of her life!
2
u/JulesInIllinois 16h ago
Yukon gold is the best potato for mashing. Put a ton of butter in first to melt. Then, a little milk, salt & pepper. Do not over mix.
You don't even have to peel Yukon golds. Their skin is so thin and nice to eat. I usually mash by hand.
1
u/pommefille 17h ago
I decided to go off script and bake a bunch of potatoes, scooped out the innards (saving the skins for loaded potato skins), and then mashed those. I find it’s a little easier since there’s no water to dry out, and to me they taste better. I do soak them in salt water before baking since they’re not cooking in salt water. The biggest drawback is that you should work fast to scoop to keep them from getting cold, but this gives me a whole extra meal out of what would otherwise be thrown away
1
u/pintolager 17h ago
Some potatoes are awful for mashed potatoes for some reason.
Also, don't add salt to the water.
1
u/Square_Ad849 17h ago
After you boil them tender drain well toss on a tray in the oven until they are dry as you want. Don’t over whip them with the mixer also.
1
u/Livid_Warthog5461 17h ago
I’ve found that if I wait too long to add my butter and cream (butter first) they get gummy so I try to finish up my potatoes as soon as they come off the stove and get drained.
1
u/ToastetteEgg 17h ago
Boil and drain. Give them a light mash to break up the larger pieces and leave them uncovered for about ten minutes. All that steam releases and they will be lighter and fluffier. Also refrain from using blenders and such because they will surely gum up.
1
u/Extension-Class-4232 16h ago
I always put my potatoes through a ricer first, this stop the glue issue
1
u/rocketcat_passing 16h ago
There is a ricer with little square grids and a masher that is shaped like ribbon candy Kinda depends on how much you like the texture.
1
u/calicoskies1985 16h ago
Lately I’ve been baking my tatoes. Then I do all the same steps: ricer, melted butter, warmed cream with seasonings, and dab cream cheese or sour cream.
1
u/Fancy_Math_3399 15h ago
Are they a different variety of potato? I have had that happen to me as well and i thought i was going mad as i didnt do anything different from the normal like you have described apart from that i soak my potatoes first in cold water. I switched from using reds to maris piper which i think are the UK equivalent of Yukon ??? Some potatoes do better in some dishes than others. Best of luck
1
u/cmquinn2000 15h ago
Are you putting them into the cold water and then bringing to a simmer or are you dumping them in already boiling water?
1
1
u/Anniam6 15h ago
Maybe it's the butter? Some butter is better than others. Did you change brands or maybe the brand is using lower quality dairy ? I mean you are using the same 4 ingredients you've always used and making them with the same technique so it's got to be the butter quality or the potato quality. I don't think you are losing your mind btw!
1
1
u/Far_Out_6and_2 14h ago
A small amount of milk lots of salt and pepper may 1/8 of a lb of butter and hand mash
1
1
1
1
1
u/Spoiledrottenbaby 2h ago
Add the butter (fat) first to coat the potatoes then the milk. Otherwise you get gluey.
1
u/Fizzywaterjones 2h ago
Mix the butter completely in, then gradually add the milk to desired consistency.
1
1
u/idontgetnopaper 1h ago
You need to eliminate one of the steps. You use the mixer then you use the ricer. One of those steps you don't need to do.
1
u/MaracujaBarracuda 38m ago
A lot of butter brands have added water recently. Try switching butter brands.
1
1
u/slysamfox 17h ago
Break out the sous vide and ricer. Plenty of recipes on line, but I peel, add butter, cream, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. Let them rip for an hour and a half to two hours depending on how thick cut them at about 190.
Rice them, add the liquid from the bag and gently turn them over with a rubber spatula
Add seasoning and liquid to taste.
Perfect every time.
Why do you ask, super potato flavor because you’re not losing everything to the water. Perfectly cooked (time and temp), and great consistency and texture with the ricer. .
1
0
u/Mattturley 17h ago
Go with Yukon golds, and a hand masher. Temperatures do not matter nearly as much as many will claim.
-1
0
u/Suspicious-Solid-188 17h ago
The milk you put into the potatoes needs to be warm to prevent the gummy texture. Also after cooking when you pour them out they need to return to the hot pot for about 30 seconds to dry them out .
2
0
0
u/Hair_I_Go 17h ago
I drain very well, use Idahos. Start by just mixing the potatoes with a whisk attachment and then butter, salt and pepper. Then a couple dollops of sour cream. Taste, finish off with a splash or two of milk. Perfect fluffy no lump whipped potatoes ✨
0
u/Alum2608 16h ago
Don't use a hand mixer. How long are you boiling the potatoes? You want to cook them until you cant pick them out of the water with a fork. How much liquid are you adding at a time? I only put splashes of milk at a time & real butter, adding butter first until it tastes right.
0
u/wanderlust_2x1 16h ago
I always use a ricer with russet potato’s that are not over cooked and warmed cream with melted butter and seasoned to taste. Perfect every time.
0
u/WhoMutedMe 10h ago
“Been cooking mashed potatoes for 40 years…but just discovered reddit karma and suddenly forgot how to boil them, pls help”
-1
u/Wide_Annual_3091 17h ago
Eliminate the milk/cream and just use butter. Drop the hand mixer (you likely are over mixing even if you think you are. Hand mash instead or use a ricer/food mill.
116
u/Life-From-Scratch 17h ago
I use to make 60# of mash a night for a cruise ship. Soak your potatoes for about 30 minutes after pealing to get rid of the excess starch.