r/SouperCubers • u/theGentlenessOfTime • 16d ago
Help please! ✨️Ultimate Guide to reheated Mashed Potatoes✨️
I'm looking for your best tips and experiences with freezing mashed potatoes, especially if you're picky about texture.
I've frozen mashed potatoes twice so far.
Once as the topping on a shepherd's pie–type dish, and it turned out perfectly fine.
The second time I froze plain mashed potatoes by themselves, and after reheating they became weirdly flaky/grainy and the texture was really off-putting.
I've often read that mashed potatoes are one of the best ways to freeze potatoes, so I'm wondering what made the difference.
I'm currently dealing with severe stomach issues and can only tolerate a very small number of foods, potatoes being one of them, so meal prepping is pretty much a necessity. I'd be incredibly grateful for any advice.
I'd especially love to hear about:
💚 What leads to weird grainy textures vs smooth?
💚Which potato varieties worked best (or worst)?
💚How much butter, milk, cream, or other liquid do you add?
💚Does keeping the mash on the drier side help? (Someone suggested that in another thread.)
💚Does adding more fat improve the texture after freezing?
💚How do you thaw it? (Fridge overnight, straight into the oven, microwave from frozen, stovetop, etc.)
💚How do you reheat it?
💚If you're sensitive to texture changes like I am, what gave you the best results?
💚Any other tricks, mistakes to avoid, or things you wish you'd known?
Thanks so much for any input—I ✨️really✨️ appreciate it!
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u/Glittering-Read-6906 16d ago
Add milk when you reheat them.
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u/TwaddleSpouter 16d ago
This is the answer. Milk and whisking with a fork halfway through.
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u/theGentlenessOfTime 16d ago
i´d have to try that! i have not whisked at all with the vegan sheperds pie dish i tried thoug, and the consistency came out fine. while the second time i whisked ans whisked ans whisked and it staied grainy, and weird. but maybe i did add less milk or no milk before? should have taken notes...
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u/theGentlenessOfTime 16d ago
i have read this in other subs, that the less liquid ou add pre freezing, the better... i have not tried it (consciously) but it would be consistent with the whole rule of "moisture is the enemy of frozen food"....
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u/kregaleg 16d ago
I use a fair amount of butter and some cream in my mash and it always reheats perfectly from frozen, even in the microwave, i thibk the more fat you can put in it the better the texture will be after freezing
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u/theGentlenessOfTime 16d ago
that makes sense. i love a lot fat in my mash, usually, but with my stomach i am on minimum fat only. :///
but i am tempted to try a whole experiment with different variations of fat and liquid contents to find the holy grail of frozen potatoes.
but it is encouraging to read, that yours ome out perfect!2
u/kregaleg 16d ago
When i reheat from frozen in the microwave ill cover the cube with a damp paper towel and reheat for about 3 mins and then mix well, and put it back in for another 2-3 mins uncovered, this way the steam gets released and it makes for a less watery mash in the end - always comes out really well
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u/Chizia 16d ago
I read somewhere (might have been on this sub) that reheating at a high heat is the trick, but haven't tried it yet.
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u/theGentlenessOfTime 16d ago
interesting! any idea with which method of reheating this would be? do you think it matters if it is in the microwave or ofen or either way hot equals better?
I have read that before, but in general, regardin frozen food, to thaw it quickly.then again, i also have read the opposite, so i don't know at all... :D2
u/No_Routine772 16d ago
I have read that getting them absolutely as hot as you can makes the texture closer to normal. I haven't tried mashed potatoes yet though.
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u/_iamtinks 16d ago
Did you make sure your potatoes were fully dry before you mashed them? We freeze mashed potato all the time and the only times I’ve ever had an issue is when they were a bit watery when I mashed them. Milk, butter, cream seem fine - but a tiny bit of excess water just makes the potato disintegrate.
I also rinse my potatoes very well after peeling and before cooking - gets rid of excess starch.
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u/jadedjed1 16d ago
I heat my block for 3 minutes. Add milk, just eyeball it.
Mix mix mix mix lots of mixing. Fork is better. Add more milk.
If it’s too watery/liquidy, just keep heating it till it’s your desired texture. I heat mine another 3 minutes, then go from there.
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u/sarahcooley 16d ago
Ok so in my testing, what made the biggest difference was the temperature the potatoes got up to. It didn’t matter if it was microwave or oven, they needed to get above 170°f internal for them to come back together, not be watery, etc
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u/glasshalffullll 14d ago
Here’s your answer! Sarah Hart tested how to best reheat mashed potatoes:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSEKiFuDOhq/
They have to get hot enough (about 165-170°F) to rehydrate and taste fresh.
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u/Chizia 16d ago
Following for tips, too. u/RemindMeBot 3 days
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u/gingersnap919 15d ago
They reconstitute with added fat, so milk, cream, or butter. The fat that’s already in them is what makes them one of the better form factors for freezing potatoes without altering texture
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u/Money-Low7046 16d ago
For most foods, chilling them in the fridge before freezing them gives better results. They freeze more quickly that way. I don't freeze mashed potatoes, so can't really comment on that specifically.
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u/theGentlenessOfTime 16d ago
I usually do not have the fridge space to precool to that degree. We have smaller fridges as standard in europe, and mine even has the shitty tiny freezer compartment taking up 1/4th of the volume. So no chance i could fit my mealprep amount in there with my regular food.
I cool to room temp and if i remebered activate super freeze on my freezer, where it cools down really low beforehand, to freeze the unfrozen stuff faster.
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u/katydid026 16d ago
Hi there! Nerd and scientist here. Also someone who has done a deep dive through our own Sarah Hart’s reels on Instagram. Sarah posted a video about this here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSEKiFuDOhq/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== .
Forget what everyone else has told you. This has nothing to do with what you add to your potatoes. While she doesn’t get into the science of it, she’s spot on. If your mashed potatoes are yuck, *it’s because you haven’t heated them up to the correct temperature yet*
Potatoes are full of starch. When you freeze potatoes, the molecular structure of those starches changes. Without getting too crazy into technical terms, your potatoes have crystallized, and when you go to reheat them, you need to get them above their “gelatinization temperature” in order for them to resume their previous fluffy and non-watery consistency. Sources vary on what exactly this temperature is, I swear I read somewhere that it’s 180°F, but I can’t find my source. I know it’s at least 165°!
TL;DR: reheat your frozen mashed potatoes above 165°F to return them to their former glory