Mashed: RANT:Mashed potatoes

Subject: RANT:Mashed potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: heather at orpheum.com (Heather)
Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1998 23:31:31 GMT
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Why cant you just get goodplain mashed potatoes and gravy anymore? I work all the time and I usually eat my one meal a day at work. Somedays all I want is comforting mashed potatoes and gravy. So I give some cash to one of my employees and send him off to get me some potatoes and he comes back with garlic, rosemary and chive mashed potatoes with red pepper gravy!!!!! I just want regular plain mashed potatoes with plain old beef or chicken gravy.
From: hbdavies (hbdavies at ican.net)
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1998 21:46:56 -0400
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Hi Heather - I'm with you. We moved away from Toronto 6 years ago because my husband (who is actually very sophisticated) wanted to " go somewhere that they don't know what a shitaki mushroom is." Although I love fine food, when I want comfort - mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie with mashed potato crust, poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds), meat loaf and creamed corn are right up there for me. Cheryl.
From: cornie at mindspring.com (Amy)
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 03:26:45 GMT
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Heather,
I think everybody has this kind of day where you really just need to rant. I agree about mashed potatoes. Plain ol' comfort food for me please! I know varying ingredients can make a big difference, but personally, I never found anything wrong with the old way. I guess you may have to just start making you a batch every now and then. Hope you get some good mashed potatoes soon!!!
Amy/Cornie
From: heather at orpheum.com (Heather)
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 23:39:54 GMT
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I would make them when I am home, but I am often working more than I am home.
A restaraunt right by here sells good plain mashed potatoes, but no gravy or butter.

I am calming a bit, I let my staff know that they could not make me crazy no matter what.
From: bullrock at webtv.net (William & Kathie Doyle)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 09:19:01 -0500
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Sweetie,
you go get yourself a quart of Hagan Daz and a spoon. Shoo the cat/dog/hamster out. Lock the door. Don't answer the phone or computer or anyone banging on the door. sit in a comfy chair or bed with a blankie. Eat the whole qt. Your day will improve within minutes. Guarenteed
From: heather at orpheum.com (Heather)
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 23:42:00 GMT
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I actually have a weekend off next weekend (the one after Easter/Passover) but I have to work 11 days to get there. I will get some ice cream then.
From: valerielkhan at webtv.net (Valerie Khan)
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 20:44:00 -0400
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Good old fashioned mashed potatoes are best when made at home....But when your on the go I've resorted to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), they're not bad, and I like their gravy.
From: cynnamyn at bigfoot.com (Cynnamyn)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 00:26:41 -0400
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Valerie wrote:
> I've resorted to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken),
> they're not bad, and I like their gravy.

KFC's not bad, but if you have a Boston Market (chain), their mp's are lumpier.
From: zmtor at aol.com (Jim)
Date: 10 Apr 1998 01:09:10 GMT
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Heather writes:
>Why cant you just get goodplain mashed potatoes and gravy anymore?

And good "mashed" potatoes gotta have lumps in them, and not so soggy with butter and milk and such that there's no place for the gravy to go with out making potoato soup!
From: heather at orpheum.com (Heather)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 01:57:48 GMT
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Jim wrote:
>And good "mashed" potatoes gotta have lumps in them,
>and not so soggy with butter and milk and such that there's
>no place for the gravy to go with out making potoato soup!

Exactly!

Good thick mashed potatoes, the kind you can make a well in for your gravy.

The gravy should be thick with a certain amount of black pepper, no lumps.

Now, I do have to say that flavored mashed potatoes are good, but not when I am stressed with things. Not when I just want something comforting.
From: Nancy Young (qwerty5 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1998 22:18:06 -0400
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Jim wrote:
> And good "mashed" potatoes gotta have lumps in them,
> and not so soggy with butter and milk and such that there's
> no place for the gravy to go with out making potoato soup!

Precisely! Mashed potatoes need a certain ... lumpiness ... too smooth, and they're gummy and ... suspect ...

nancy (having lumpy mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow! maybe with pork chops ... is it me, or are pork chops way better with the bone on, rather than boneless?)
From: joan3 at ix.netcom.com (Joan Ellis)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 05:56:56 GMT
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The only way to make mashed potatoes:
Peel and boil old potatoes until done. Drain. Throw in a lump of butter and some salt and pepper. Smash well with a hand masher. Small lumps are OK, but no big ones please. Add milk to reach the proper consistency and mash some more. Gravy is essential, plain old milk gravy made from the meat drippings.

I learned to make mashed potatoes before I ever knew there was a recipe. When I read that you should heat the milk with the butter I was dumbfounded. How are you supposed how much milk you need?

>nancy (having lumpy mashed potatoes for dinner tomorrow! maybe with
>pork chops ... is it me, or are pork chops way better with the
>bone on, rather than boneless?)

Bone-in pork chops are definitely better. The boneless seem to be much drier.
From: Nancy Young (qwerty5 at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 12:13:52 -0400
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Joan Ellis wrote:
> Bone-in pork chops are definitely better. The boneless seem to be much
> drier.

I agree. My inlaws make the best roast pork, but they usually have the bone removed. Last time they made it, it still had the bones. It was sooo much better than usual.
From: sally bond (sazzy008 at home.net)
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1998 08:52:22 GMT
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Yes most meats are better with that gol durned bone, but also makes it harder to cook evenly. Had better be realllly good gravy to make me give up my tons of melted butter on my mashed taters, why couldn't Dad remember butter not gravy for me?
From: kwilhite at ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu (kevin john wilhite)
Date: 11 Apr 1998 05:31:04 GMT
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Well Heather, you may not wish to hear this but if it stokes the ovens of your rant gland, read on!
My broth-in-law was driving me back from Springfield and we were east of Urbana. The radio was on and there was an ad for some restaurant. They were gloating that they had over 37 different kinds of mashed potatoes! Lord knows how they came up with some but it wouldn't surprise me inf a few followed the old Monty Python skit -- spam
spam and eggs
spam, eggs and spam
spam, spam, spam, and eggs
etc...

Personally a bit of buttermilk on occasion along with the butter does wonders but normally, plain old mashed spuds.
From: spionyu at aol.com (Suzanne)
Date: 11 Apr 1998 17:18:44 GMT
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Why honey, the Colonel always has glutinous mashed potatoes and brown gravey with his chicken!