What causes gooy mashed potatoes?

[Lora]

Hi,
Thought of another question I've always wondered about. I suppose this is so basic you all already know the answer or have talked about it. I couldn't find it when I searched for the topic though.

What causes and how to avoid or prevent your mash potatoes from being gooey? This isn't caused my adding too much liquid. I suppose the variety of the potatoes makes a difference. We have about 5 varieties we grew the year. Thanks for your help.
Lora

[cape chef]

Hi Lora,Welcome to cheftalk.

Yes the variaty of the spud you use does matter, However theres a little step you can take to help your potatoes. When you drain them make sure to drain them well. Wipe out any water in the pot before you return your spuds. Then put the stove on medium heat,or low flame if gas,And let your potatoes dry out in the pan for a couple of minutes. This will help, also I do not melt my butter with the cream to add to my mash, I always add my butter at room tempature to the hot potatoes,This way the butter has a chance to slowly melt and kind of "cream" the spuds. I then add my cream "hot"a little at a time until I get the desired consistency.

Happy Mashing
cc

[mudbug]

Know-How: Matchless Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a much-adored comfort food that show up everywhere from the casual weekday dinner table seasoned with butter and salt, to the finest restaurants in the world, flecked with bits of foie gras and truffles. The power of perfect mashed potatoes is not to be underestimated.

To whip up the world's best mashed potatoes, we must begin at the beginning: with the potatoes themselves. The kind of potatoes you buy will significantly affect the final results. For light, fluffy, slightly mealy mashed potatoes, use a high-starch variety, such as the Russet (i.e., Idaho potatoes). For smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, use a high-moisture variety such as Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold.

Sizing Them Up
When making mashed potatoes, the first thing you should do is put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Then, fill a big bowl partway with cold water and place it on your work surface. As you peel each potato, place it in the bowl of cold water to prevent it from turning brown while you peel the rest. For the best results, cut the potatoes into cubes of about 3/4 inch (2 cm) square. If you cut them much bigger than this, the middle won't cook before the outside is overdone, and if you cut them much smaller than this, they will lose lots of nutrients and flavor in the water. As soon as that pot of water reaches a boil, salt it generously, drain the cold water from your bowl of cubed potatoes, and dump them in the pot.

Watch the Water!
Now keep an eye on those potatoes. Do not allow the water to boil rapidly-it should not be much hotter than 180 degrees F (85 degrees C), which means that the water should be at a heavy simmer, not a rolling boil. You should begin checking them for doneness after about 15 minutes. Don't drain them prematurely, but have the colander ready as soon as they are soft and tender all the way through.

What's Happening in There?
A potato is made up of thousands of tiny cells full of starch granules, held together with additional starch. As the potato simmers, the cells absorb water and swell. As the potatoes continue to cook, the starch that holds them together begins to break down, allowing the swollen cells to separate. Perfect mashed potatoes are composed of these swollen cells, fully intact but separated from each other. The conditions that can cause starchy, runny, or gluey mashed potatoes are:

The potato is undercooked. The starch holding together the swollen cells has not yet broken down. In this case, when you try to mash the potatoes, you will be mixing in the starch holding together the cells in addition to tearing open the swollen cells, causing their starch to be released as well. Undercooked potatoes will not only be pasty, they'll be lumpy, since it's difficult to mash a hard potato.

The potato is overcooked. If a potato is cooked for too long, the swollen cells will begin to break open, releasing their starch.

You have mashed, mixed, or beaten the potatoes too vigorously. Even if you have cooked your potatoes to perfection, too much mashing can still break open the cells. Don't do it!

A Mash Made in Heaven
Now you've cooked your potatoes to perfect tenderness, but you don't get to rest on your laurels yet: you need to mash those taters while they're still hot! The best thing to use is a potato ricer, and the next best thing is a food mill. These two gadgets work so well because the potatoes achieve a uniform texture as they pass through evenly sized holes, and they get smashed only once. With this method, the cell walls are much less likely to break open. A traditional hand-held potato masher is probably what your grandmother used, is probably what your mother used, and is probably what you use too. This longstanding method works passably, as you probably know from experience, but it demands that you to repeatedly mash the same potatoes in order to achieve smoothness. There is a greater risk of smashing open the swollen starch cells by doing this, and therefore, a greater risk of glueyness. And unless you like your potatoes the consistency of wallpaper paste, never, ever try to mash them in a food processor.

Once you rice them, mill them, or mash them, it's time to mix in butter, milk, cream, seasonings, and any other additions that capture your imagination and your taste buds. It's preferable to have all of these ingredients warm or at room temperature before adding them to the potatoes-you want to keep it all as warm as possible, because we all know there are few things less appealing than cold mashed potatoes. At this point, you can make the potatoes smoother and fluffier if you wish, by whipping them briefly with a mixer on its lowest speed. Keep those little starch cells in mind, though, and don't get overzealous, or the potatoes will turn runny on you. Now pile them high in a serving dish and call everyone to the table so they can shower you with compliments for the most perfect potatoes they've ever had!

From: http://allrecipes.com

[mudbug]

Potatoes with a high starch content, like russets, bake well and yield light and fluffy mashed potatoes. Those with a low starch content, like red-skinned potatoes, hold their shape after cooking, and are great for making potato salads and scalloped potatoes. Medium starch potatoes are called all-purpose potatoes, and they'll work in most potato dishes.

Best for mashing: russet potato, Yukon gold potato, Caribe potato, and purple potato

From Foodsubs.com




Mashed Potatoes

The road to light and fluffy mashed potatoes is paved with stiff, lumpy, and pasty failures. Luckily, attention to a few details will ensure delicious results. While it is possible to use any potato, the russet produces the fluffiest mash.

Begin by placing peeled and quartered or cubed potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring them to a boil, and cook until tender. Drain in a metal ovenproof colander then, if possible, place colander in a 300 degree oven for a few minutes. This removes excess moisture and makes the starch granules lighter. The amount of butter, milk, cream, or stock necessary will vary depending on the desired consistency, but it is essential that they are always heated just prior to use. (Two tablespoons of butter and six ounces of liquid are a good start for 1-1/2 lbs. of potatoes). After putting the potatoes through a ricer or food mill (never a food processor), add the butter, half of the liquid, salt, white pepper, a pinch of grated nutmeg and whip. Then slowly add the remaining liquid until you achieve the desired consistency, but be careful, over whipping will make the potatoes pasty. For a delicious change use buttermilk or extra virgin olive oil or add roasted garlic or grated Parmesan prior to whipping. You can also cook other vegetables such as parsnips or carrots with the potatoes for a personalised approach.

From: www.passionateaboutfood.net

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

8 servings
Preparation Time: 20 Minutes
Cooking Time: 20 Minutes

2 2/3 pounds (8 medium) potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 to 1 cup hot milk or cream

1. In large saucepan, combine 5 cups water, potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 12 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

2. Drain potatoes thoroughly in colander. Return to saucepan; heat over medium-low heat 2 to 3 minutes to dry potatoes, stirring occasionally.

3. In saucepan, mash potatoes with potato masher or beat with electric hand mixer. Stir in butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of the hot milk. Add additional milk, a little at a time, if necessary, for desired consistency; beat until light and fluffy. Season to taste with additional salt, if desired. Serve immediately.

Tips: * Amount of milk needed will vary with type of potatoes used and personal preference. * Mashed potatoes are best served right away.

If made ahead, keep potatoes hot in saucepan or heatproof bowl set over pot with barely simmering water. Cover potatoes loosely.

* Recipe can be halved to make 4 servings (about 3 cups), if desired. Cook 1 1/3 pounds peeled, cut potatoes with 5 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Prepare as recipe directs, adding 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4-teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 2/3 cup hot milk

Calories: 180 calories
Carbohydrates: 28 g
Fat: 6 g
Fiber: 2 g
Cholesterol: 18 mg
Protein: 4 g
Sodium: 603 mg

From: www.potatohelp.com

[Isa]

Welcome to Chef Talk Lora!



Nice to meet you.

[Kimmie]

Everything's been said already and I really have nothing to add, except to wish you a warm welcome to Cheftalk, Lora!

[Lora]

Couldn't of asked for a better reply. I'll try to think of something else. Lora

[nancya]

Yup...almost everything has been said. One minor addition, Shirley Corihher advises to precook potatoes for 20 minutes well below a simmer at 140F. Then cool them and when ready to mash, bring to a boil and cook until tender. The Potato Commission apparently claims that this precooking allows the starch to firm which makes less gluey mashed potatoes. After starch has swollen and then cooled, it loses its ability to dissolve in water so that even when you break the cells during mashing, the starch does not give you a gluey mess.

I'm learning to just love food science.

[Marzoli]

Lora-thanks for asking the question!
cchiu-thank for the good info!

I haven't made mashed potatoes in about 15 years, but I'll be mashing away next week when I fix Christmas dinner for my husband. I used to make decent mashed spuds, but I have forgotten how I did it!

Now I know what to do!

[BillyG60]

Hello all.
At the Restaurant I work at I make a Garlic/Dill mashed potato as a side item sometimes.Instead of peeling all of those **** potatos, we bake as we would normally(we do not wrap them in foil by the way) and I let them cool a little.

I then cut them in half and spoon out the flesh.I use a little of the left over skins in them also.

This way you have added no water at all to the potatos and avoid them being too "mushey"

To give you an idea of what is in them (going off the top of my head for 6 servings)

6-8 Large Baking potatos,Baked
3-4 Slices of cooked bacon,coarsely choped
4 oz of softened butter
2 medium gloves of roasted,finley choped garlic
2 tablespoons fresh choped dill weed
2 tablespoons Lawry's seasoning salt
2 tablespoons fresh choped parsley
1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
Milk as needed


Bake potatoes. Cool. Cut in half and spoon out flesh into mixing bowl.Reserve some of the skins if you want to.Cut into strips.
Add the rest of the ing. and whisk with milk untill the desired consistancy is reached.


Like I said, I use this at the restaurant and it is always a big seller.
And yes I am in the South so thats why bacon is in it.

Hope you guys and girls enjoy them.

Billy

[Chef Nosko]

Hi Lora:

There are a lot of good points here from other chefs.

But, there are several ways of doing it.


Russets have a high starch content, and work well for mashed potatoes, but you can make good mashed potatoes out of any type of potato.

Some of the best mashed potatoes I have ever had were from Red Bliss, which do not have near the starch levels of other types.

A few tips that I find helpful.....

Get rid of excessive liquid, but do not cool the potatoes (exception described later)
Mash while they are still real hot.

Do not overmash. The more you play with them the better chance that you will turn them to glue.

Using a hand Potato Masher. Up and Down motions to break them down. Add the hot milk, butter, etc....and fold the ingredients in with a rubber spatula, wooden spoon, etc.....
When the ingredients are folded in........leave them alone.
Eat right away, or tranfer to a holding container, and keep warm.
(If you are fast you can add the milk, or cream, and butter without heating them--only softening the butter)

If you want to make small quantities at a time you can.....

Take Red Bliss, or Yukon Gold type potatoes.....Pre-cook, until cooked but still slightly firm. Cool, hold under refridgeration.

When ready to make the Mashed Potatoes......Place in a saute pan with a small amount of water....cover and heat until all the liquid is dissolved and the potatoes are dry, and hot (be careful not to burn).....Mash, add your other ingredients, and fold.

If you do it right you will not be able to tell the difference between freshly cooked potatoes, and the ones cooled completely.

If you make a mistake by adding too much liquid, and your potatoes become watery......... and you do not have any dried potato starch to add to them.......return to the heat, and fold in some bread crumbs......sounds weird, but you can tighten the potatoes, and make more of a "Country Style" Variety.

Sometimes I will make them this way on purpose because I like the change.

What do you do if your potatoes turn to glue?

Throw them away, and start over....

Chef Nosko
A Fresh Endeavor
Boston, MA

[CalicoSkies]

It helps to not cut your tatoes into pieces that are too small...otherwise they absorb too much water and lose flavor and texture. I just do 4-6 chunks per tato. Also, for my family's tastes, we like the baker potatoes best. Thats what I use to boil/mash.

I dont simmer my tatoes, I really boil them with a lid left askew on pot. Put drained tatoes back on burner for 30sec to dry them out a bit before mashing. I dont use milk anymore, I use sourcream, butter and half n half.

Good luck!

[panini]

dirty mashed are the best, why throw those skins away.
ADVICE: for making any type of potato at home, NEVER throw the skins in the garbage disposal!

[chiffonade]

Boil baking potatoes (these being Idaho or russets), drain them well, then use a ricer to mash them if you want a smooth but not gooey consistency. If you're looking for a more "rustic" appearance, you can use a potato masher utensil. There's no more science to it than that.

Never use a food processor or you will have gray glue.