how to make potato smash... efficiently?

[zozzen]

I've had a lot of potato smash recently and it's really really tired to prepare them. I've put them into a boiling water, smash it by hands but it's damned difficult to make it perfectly even and smooth.

how do the family in the west make it? is there any special tool?

[eeraser]

My Dad uses an electric mixer to mash the potatoes, but my girlfriend just uses a big, flat, metal spoon in a metal bowl to smash them. she has a couple of lumps, but both are pretty good.

[imron]

is there any special tool?

Yep, a potato masher.

[liuzhou]

The last time I had a visitor from the UK, I requested and was granted delivery of a potato masher. Life is now infinitely better.

[roddy]

Was it educational?

You could get one on Taobao if you want.

[chaxiu]

Ohhhhhhhh! One of my favourite food groups:mrgreen:

The potato masher is the King. But you can use a fork or a whisk. Add some milk and a little butter. Then smash/mash/whisk/kill...beat them to death...until nice and fluffy:tong

Chaxiu

[liuzhou]

Was it educational?

No. I learned nothing.

(It was carried in by my niece. Education is only postal.)

Add some milk and a little butter.

And a sprinkling of melamine?

[zozzen]

thanks a lot. i will go back to hong kong soon and surely i will buy a masher. Now i use my hand, and what i got are a poorly made mash with fresh sweat (perhaps hand scurf too) and a sticky disgusting hand that i dare not show it to my friends.

i'm actually not making potato mash, because my friends don't really enjoy them, but they do love potato balls or potato pie (可乐饼).

like this one:

http://www.miniwiki.org/wiki/index.php?wiki=_content.zh_version.presenting..%25E5%258F%25AF%25E6%25A8%2582%25E9%25A4%2585

[roddy]

If your friends don't like mashed potato, it's time to get new friends. Are you giving them gravy to mix up with it? That might be the problem.

[liuzhou]

Now i use my hand

Before the arrival of my masher (which travelled through most of SE Asia before landing in my kitchen), I used an ordinary fork. You cannot mash with your hand!

[maximinus]

Here's how I make it in the north of China:

Peel the potatoes and cut into similar sized chunks. Simmer in water until soft enough to mash. Drain away the water. Add a good chunk of butter, some egg yolks (not the white though!), some milk and some salt. Mash until smooth. Add a little more milk than you think is needed, as it will help to smooth out the mixture.

Once this is done, place into a baking dish and flatten down with a fork. Put in the fridge for one hour. Take it out, slice some thin butter over the top and grate some pepper over it as well.

Place in an oven at 100C for 30 minutes, and then 200C for 10 minutes. Take out and serve.

Chinese girlfriend loves it!

[skylee]

max's seems very tasty.

[roddy]

If you're putting it in the oven you need to go all the way and make Shepherd's Pie.

Edited October 30, 2008 at 02:42 PM by roddy

[highlander Iain]

http://www.cookware-online.co.uk/shop/kitchen-utensils-tools-and-gadgets/ricers-mashers-mortars-pestles-presses-and-reamers/potato-ricer-339104.html

...a great tool for very smooth, creamy mash. I always put in a small amount of milk (or cream sometimes) plus loads of butter, lots of black pepper and a little dijon mustard. Yum!

[zozzen]

If your friends don't like mashed potato, it's time to get new friends. Are you giving them gravy to mix up with it? That might be the problem.

Because we had a Scottish who can make wonderful mashed potato here before.

He didn't know much about cooking, and when it's his turn to prepare dinner, it's mashed potato, mashed potato and mashed potato..... (looping) And now, he mashed all our desires for any more mashed potato.