The majority of us adore mashed potatoes, but few of us enjoy making them. This deceptively simple recipe necessitates a significant amount of effort. You must cut up the potatoes, boil them, mash them, then add butter and milk or cream to the mixture.
Not rustic and homey comfort food, but the kind of preparation that goes into a chef-inspired gourmet cuisine. It’s no surprise that so many of us prefer pre-made mashed potatoes. What if you could make mashed potatoes even easier by omitting the mashing? Many people ask whether to use a potato ricer or a food processor in this situation.
Make Mashed Potatoes with Potato Ricer
If you’re wondering how to create mashed potatoes with a potato ricer, you’re on the right track because that’s exactly what a potato ricer is for. A potato ricer has a perforated cut and presser attached to a hinged handle, similar to a large garlic press.
You fill the cup with peeled cooked potatoes, place the presser on top, and squeeze the handle. Squeezed through the little holes, the potato is “riced” or, more accurately, pulverized. You can skip the mashing step if you rice all of your cooked potatoes. All you have to do now is gently fold in the butter, milk or cream, and pepper to avoid overworking the potatoes.
While many people believe that using a potato ricer overworks the potatoes and results in a pasty mash, I haven’t found this to be the case. Once you’ve finished mashing, gently fold in the additional ingredients. Looking for the best potato ricer? we have a recommendation for you.
However, a potato ricer can still be a lot of labor because getting the potato through the perforations requires a lot of squeezing, usually with both hands. If you have weak hands or arthritis, this may not appear to be the greatest option for you. Isn’t a food processor much more convenient?
Food Processor for Mashed Potatoes
Cooked potatoes will surely be rendered into a state appropriate for mashed or whipped potatoes in a food processor. If you want, you may even add the peel. The issue is that the way a food processor works means the potato will be treated by the spinning blades for a long time before all of the potato flesh is “mashed.” It’s simply too strong and energizing. As a result, a food processor will almost certainly overwork the potatoes, resulting in pasty, gummy mashed potatoes.
When you consider that you now have to wash the food processor pieces, including the blade, it’s not much easier than using a potato ricer. So, potato ricer in, food processor out for mashed potatoes. Potato Ricer in Stainless Steel by OXO Good Grips.
Food Mill for Mashed Potatoes
Another approach is to use a food mill. A food mill is a device that is used to strain and purée cooked fruits and vegetables. A food mill is made up of a perforated hopper, a perforated disc, and a propeller-like blade that is operated by a handle. You fill the assembled device with food and turn the crank. The food is forced against and through the holes in the dish by the blades, resulting in a puree whose texture is determined by the size of the holes in the disc, which are commonly fine, medium, or coarse. OXO Good Grips Food Mill.
A food mill, on the other hand, leaves peels and seeds behind. A food mill is the appropriate instrument to use if you want to prepare a delicious tomato puree. You can also make a chunky tomato puree (or creamy tomato soup) without peeling the tomatoes. Cooked fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, are in the same boat. A food mill, for example, will produce wonderfully smooth apple sauce. If you plan on canning at home, you’ll need a food mill. Food mills are also ideal for producing homemade baby food purees (should babies only eat bland foods?).
They can also be made into mashed potatoes. You’d use the coarse disc for this. These holes will be identical to the holes in a potato ricer, and the outcome will be similar, as shown in the image above. Is there a benefit to using a potato ricer over a potato masher? The potatoes do not need to be peeled. They’ll be thrown out of the hopper.
If you want to create a lot of smooth sauces, purees, or baby food, a food mill could be quite useful. It’s a bit much if you’re just searching for a quicker way to create mashed potatoes. A potato ricer is less expensive and takes up less space in the refrigerator.
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