Mashed potatoes are the ultimate side dish, no matter what you are making for dinner, but they can come out bland and watery if you do not make them properly. It might seem obvious that mashed potatoes require milk, but April Boller, cook and founder of Whisk It Real Gud, explains that a common mistake is using cold milk instead of warming it first.
She said, “Warm the milk before adding it to the potatoes. Hot milk helps maintain the creamy texture and is absorbed better than cold milk. Adding cold milk can cool down the potatoes and reduce their creaminess.” Cold liquid causes potato starch to tighten and sit on the surface, so it will require more mixing and tend to become overworked.
This can cause the mash to become a gluey, sludge-like mess that is not appetising to eat, but potatoes are able to absorb warm liquids much more easily.
Taking the time to heat up the milk beforehand means the potatoes will have a silkier and much smoother texture and require less effort to make.
Hot milk also helps the mashed potatoes have a better flavour, as the liquid is better distributed. Thus, every bite will be extremely tasty and buttery.
How to make much creamier mashed potatoes
Ingredients
- 1.35g of potatoes
- 120ml of whole milk
- 115g of unsalted butter (softened)
- 150g of sour cream
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To begin, peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters, making sure each piece is roughly the same size.
Fill a pot with cold water, add one tablespoon of salt, and add the potatoes. Make sure to cook the potatoes in cold water, as using warm water will cause the outer part of the potatoes to cook quickly and leave the middle hard.
Place on medium-high heat and let the potatoes boil for 20 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Then, heat the milk in a smaller pot for two minutes.
Once the milk is hot, add it to the potatoes along with the butter and sour cream. Use a mashed or electric hand mixer to mash the potatoes until they are fluffy.
Season the potatoes with salt and pepper, and your smoother and much creamier mashed potatoes will then be ready to serve.
