How to mash potatoes without lumps

Preparing puree without lumps

First, let's set the potatoes to boil and then act according to the circumstances. There is nothing special about the preparation itself. Boil potatoes in salted water.

Next, we begin to look for an object that will help us make puree without lumps.

At the same time, add milk and butter. I won’t write the proportions, because everyone has their own taste, and plus there are a lot of varieties of potatoes, well, you know what we’re talking about. I love a lot of milk!

How to get rid of lumps...

A mixer or blender is very likely to turn your puree into gluten. So these two guys drop out right away. If you take a masher, it will take about two weeks to get rid of the lumps, so it also goes through the forest.

I’ll tell you with complete confidence that in restaurants to prepare perfect mashed potatoes they use either my method, which is described below, or this kind of mashing machine, for some reason we always called it “Mother-in-law”. But I never liked it (the machine, not my mother-in-law) - it’s not very convenient (for me personally).

Of course, I don’t have such a thing at home. Therefore, we will act in a different way.

We will need a simple fine sieve, a Drito.

It would be ideal if there was a drum sieve at home (I’ll show you what it is in the photo below). But I have a regular flat sieve that was originally sold as an anti-oil splatter when frying. Everything is done simply. We put the boiled potatoes on top of the sieve, and put the container underneath - in my case it’s an ordinary plate. Now take a spatula and simply rub the potatoes into the sieve. The resulting potatoes are the perfect consistency. And then we add milk and butter as much as we need.

And another important detail!

We first create the desired consistency, and then we bring it to taste. It is important. I hope you understand why in this order.

When to add milk and butter?

It is important to heat the milk and melt the butter until liquid.
It is necessary to add these ingredients to the mashed tubers in small portions, while simultaneously mixing them with the potato mixture. First, the tubers are mixed with butter, then with milk.
After this, it is recommended to beat the puree to achieve a fluffy and delicate structure. A whisk or mixer set at minimum speed will help you cope with this task.

Advice! If necessary, you can replace milk with sour cream or cream.

COOKING PUREEE WITHOUT LUMPS

First, let's set the potatoes to boil and then act according to the circumstances. There is nothing special about the preparation itself. Boil potatoes in salted water.

Next, we begin to look for an object that will help us make puree without lumps.

How to get rid of lumps...

A mixer or blender is very likely to turn your puree into gluten. So these two guys drop out right away. If you take a masher, it will take about two weeks to get rid of the lumps, so it also goes through the forest.

Of course, I don’t have such a thing at home. Therefore, we will act in a different way.

WE WILL NEED A SIMPLE FINE SIEVE DRITO.

And another important detail!

We first create the desired consistency, and then we bring it to taste. It is important. I hope you understand why in this order.

Source

Secret #4: Knead by hand.

Use a hand masher (Photo: ura-povara.ru)
Modern kitchen appliances speed up many processes, and even puree can be quickly prepared using a blender. But after grinding with a blender, the mass rather resembles baby food or purchased powdered puree from a jar, filled with boiling water.

Truly thick mashed potatoes that perfectly hold their shape are obtained only if you work with them with your hands. Take a masher, wooden or metal, and go through the contents of the pan. Mash the tubers evenly, getting rid of any noticeable lumps.

How to Make Perfect Lump-Free Mashed Potatoes

It would seem, what could be simpler? Potatoes, butter and milk - no secret ingredients. But there are still several important rules, the observance of which will allow you to prepare tender mashed potatoes of the desired color and consistency. Faktrum publishes an article revealing all the secrets of puree.

Which potatoes to choose

For perfect mashed potatoes, it is better not to use young and crumbly potatoes; we recommend simply boiling them and serving with dill and butter. But airy puree is obtained from older, but in no case sprouted potatoes. Choose elastic tubers with smooth and dense skin.

How to cook it correctly

There is nothing complicated about boiling potatoes, but to make excellent mashed potatoes, you must peel them and cut them into equal parts. Be careful not to cut the potatoes too small. This way, of course, it will cook faster, but it will also lose more starch. It is important to put the potatoes not in cold water, but in already boiling and lightly salted water. After the potatoes are cooked, they need to be drained and lightly dried on a warm stove.

The best way to mash potatoes

Many people, of course, want to save time and use a food processor, blender or mixer to mash the potatoes. We still recommend spending a little effort and doing it manually using a masher. Choose a simple wooden one or a special perforated stainless steel one and start kneading while the potatoes are still very hot.

How to add milk and butter correctly

The main problem that awaits many housewives at this stage is the darkening of the potatoes. If you add milk incorrectly, the puree will take on a grayish tint. To avoid this, preheat the milk by melting the butter in it, and add the mixture to the already mashed and hot potatoes in several additions, whisking lightly. This will give the puree a soft, creamy color. At this stage, the puree needs to be salted.

Basic principles of creating a dish

Regardless of the recipe and ingredients used, the preparation of mashed potatoes is carried out according to a certain step-by-step technology:

Before removing the skins, potatoes must first be washed and dried - this will prevent dirt from getting into the final dish, and also eliminates the unpleasant smell of earth.
After peeling, the potatoes should be placed in clean, cold water for 2-3 minutes, and then rinsed well under running water. This technique will help remove released starch and further cleanse the food of contamination.
After washing, you need to carefully inspect the potatoes so that there are no parts of the peel or green areas left on them.
Prepared potatoes should be cut into equal large pieces - this will help the vegetable cook evenly and quickly.
The chopped potatoes should be placed in a suitable pan and filled with cold water (it should cover the potato pieces by 1 cm, or 1.5 liters of water should be taken for 1 kg of vegetables). Some recipes call for adding potatoes to boiling water, which allows it to cook more evenly and retain more of its beneficial properties. When choosing the second cooking option, the water should also cover the potatoes no more than 1-2 cm.
After the water boils, you need to salt the potatoes - this will help preserve the aromatic substances in it. Some chefs recommend adding salt at the very beginning of cooking, others - at the end of cooking. Therefore, everyone can choose the most suitable option for themselves or try to prepare dishes using different technologies and choose the method they like.
The potatoes should be thoroughly boiled - this will take 15-30 minutes, depending on the variety chosen. You can check the readiness of the vegetable using a knife - if, when pierced, the piece is easily pierced, then the potato is ready.
After cooking, drain the remaining water from the potatoes.
The next step is to directly mash the potato chunks and add additional ingredients based on the recipe.

Choose the right potatoes

For mashed potatoes, you need to take potatoes with a lot of starch. These can be varieties "Riviera", "Charoit" or "Tiras". If you can’t find out what type of potato you have at home, give it a simple test: cut the potato into two halves, rub them together, and then put the parts together. If they start to stick together, then there is enough starch. Also remember that new potatoes of any kind are not suitable for mashed potatoes. It’s better to cut it into slices and bake in the oven. In this form it will be much tastier than pureed.

Rules for choosing a vegetable

What the final dish will be depends on the variety and type of potatoes. For mashed potatoes, it is recommended to give preference to those varieties of potatoes that contain about 15% starch. It is also better to use old potatoes for cooking, since they contain more starch, which makes the mashed potatoes crumbly and soft. A dish of young potatoes turns out sticky and with lumps.

It is better to take large potatoes - they also contain more starch compared to small ones. The high starch content is also indicated by the appearance of the pulp - it should be yellow. Starchy varieties have a light (sandy, yellow, light brown) peel color.

You can also check the starch content by eye - cut the potatoes in half and rub the halves on the cut points. If after 3-5 seconds. they stick together, which means the potatoes contain a sufficient amount of starch.

When choosing potatoes, you should pay attention to their appearance:

The potatoes should be firm and firm on top.
The peel of a quality vegetable is smooth, without dark spots. If small holes or grooves are visible on it, this may indicate pest damage to the vegetable.
When cutting, the potatoes should not split into pieces or make a cracking sound.
The “eyes” of the vegetable should be shallow.
It is better to give preference to medium-sized potatoes, since large tubers accumulate more fertilizer (if the vegetable has been fertilized).

Grind thoroughly

It is better not to use a blender for this; it can make the puree a little rubbery and stretchy. You can grind boiled potatoes in three ways: with the usual masher, with a special mashing machine (not expensive, sold in online stores) and with the help of a sieve. The first method leaves the most lumps, but it is much faster and easier than the others. You will have to tinker a little with a grinding machine and a sieve, but the puree will turn out tender and perfectly smooth.

Cooking rules

The puree will turn out tasty, airy and without lumps, if you follow the basic rules for cooking potatoes when preparing:

Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium heat. After boiling, the heat should be reduced.
The lid on the pan should be left slightly ajar to allow excess steam to escape. If the lid has special holes for steam evaporation, then the pan can simply be closed tightly.
During the cooking process, it is necessary to remove the white foam cut off on the surface.
It is important to check the readiness of the potatoes during the cooking process so that they do not overcook. The cooking of the vegetable is indicated by the subsidence of the noise of the water during cooking.
At the end of cooking, you need to immediately drain the water from the potatoes - if you leave the vegetable in the water, it may harden.
After draining the water, the pan with potatoes should be put back on the fire, turning on the minimum power of the stove. This will help excess moisture evaporate and make the final dish richer. During this process, you need to make sure that the potatoes do not burn.

Secret #7: Add Ingredients for Flavor

Add greens or pickled onions (Photo: ura-povara.ru)
Puree is usually served with meat and fish dishes as a side dish, often topped with sauces and gravies. But as an independent dish, it will turn out very tasty if you add healthy and aromatic ingredients to it.

For example, finely chopped fresh herbs: dill, parsley or cilantro. Or pickled purple onion rings with sun-dried tomatoes. Or black pepper, which will only enrich the taste of potatoes. The dish will become more attractive in appearance and even tastier.

Secret No. 6. Let it gain thickness.

Leave the finished puree covered for half an hour (Photo: ura-povara.ru)
Mashed potatoes are a dish that should not be served immediately after preparation. It needs to be allowed to stand and gain consistency: due to the abundance of starch in the composition, the mass thickens gradually.

Cover the pan with a towel and leave for 30-40 minutes. During this time, the puree will not cool down: the thick mass retains heat well.