So of late, I’ve tried to make scratch-built mashed potatoes. Well, at least “bachelor cooking” mashed potatoes. And I think I found out what I’ve been doing wrong all this time.
I’ve nuked potatoes in the microwave and then tried to mash them with a fork. Doesn’t work.
I’ve tried roasting tinfoil-wrapped potatoes in the oven, then tried to mash them up. Fail.
A few days ago, I visited the local Williams-Sonoma store in Crossgates Mall, and found a device that may help me achieve my desired results.
It looks like some sort of high-tech Play-Doh Factory extruder device. You put items in the hopper, squeeze down on the levers, and out comes tiny chunks of mashed potato.
Holy Bud the Spud, Batman, this might work.
So I tested it out last Sunday.
Bought a nice New York Strip steak and cooked it up. While the steak was cooking, I peeled up three small Yukon Gold potatoes, halved them, and put them in a pot of boiling water. About ten minutes later, I strained the potatoes out from the water, put the potato halves into the ricer, squeezed down until little tiny chunks of potato landed on the plate, added a few pats of butter, mixed it all up …
And this was the result.
Nice fluffy mashed potatoes with butter, along with New York Strip steak with a nice coating of A1 Chicago Steakhouse marinade.
Yum.
The thing is, with a ricer, you need to keep it clean. That means taking the blades apart and washing everything, because if you don’t, dried potato will get inbetween the blades and that would be completely icky.
But still, this is a nice addition to my bachelor kitchen. And I’m not sitting there bashing the potatoes with a potato masher. Granted, that would give me some nice definition in my deltoids, but this is cooking time, not bodybuilding time.
Just another wonderful tool in the bachelor cooking arsenal.
Chuck The Writer 
To make mashed potatoes you need to peel Russets (the ‘universal’ potato), boil them in a pot on low until they are ‘fork soft’ (about 45 minutes to an hour), then drain them off and mash with a potato masher adding milk/butter/margarine (your choice depending on taste and needs) as well as salt and pepper to taste. If you use a potato ricer instead of a masher you have riced potatoes. Which can also be deep fried, btw.
Yes, I know how to cook.
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That’s a cool tool to add to your bachelor kitchen,( you can search some great recipes for that) but a deep pot and electric hand mixer is much easier to clean. Also, adding a little warm milk will make nice fluffy mashed potatoes. Bon appetit !
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…and serve with a side of peas.
They’re so much easier to eat when you lightly press a forkful of mashed potatoes onto the pile – no dropping, bouncing, checking the floor, …
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