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From: halle1@houxz.UUCP (J.HALLE)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Mashed Potatoes
Message-ID: <665@houxz.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 10-Feb-84 16:34:59 EST
Article-I.D.: houxz.665
Posted: Fri Feb 10 16:34:59 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Feb-84 09:38:16 EST
References: <5511@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
Lines: 23

I rarely have lumpy mashies, and I don't do anything special.

Peel the potatoes, slice them up, and boil them until tender.
Fresh potatoes make nicer looking potatoes, but don't seem to affect quality.
Make sure they are not exposed to air very long.  Slicing lessens the
boiling time and assures more uniform softness, but paper thin is not
necessary; .25 inch is fine.  You know they are soft enough when a fork
or dull knife meets no resistance.  Err a little on the too soft side.

Drain well.  I usually just leave them in the pot and dump the water.

Throw in some butter, cheese, or whatever.  Season.

Mash with a hand masher (sometimes improperly called a ricer).  You should
get most of the lumps out now, but it doesn't need to be perfect yet.

Add milk and mash some more until smooth.  Add more if needed.  I never
measure here.  Start with a little and add if too dry.  It's hard to
go the other way.

All it takes is a little practice with a masher.  A mixer is overkill,
and may even overbeat, causing a paste.  With the extra cleaning involved,
it doesn't really save time, either.