Equipment: Mandoline for scalloped potatoes?

Subject: Mandoline for scalloped potatoes?
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: karenmgonzalez at hotmail.com (Karen Gonzalez)
Date: 12 Feb 2004 05:14:52 -0800
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Hi everybody,

I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes (about 1/8" thin). I have a mini food processor, and I need to cut the potatoes before they can fit in the chute and the potatoes don't look as pretty anymore (I don't mind doing this for apple pie, but scalloped potatoes look so nice when cut nicely!). They also come out a bit thinner than they need to. I don't want to spend a fortune and I have very little room left in my kitchen (I live in an apartment). Any suggestions on mandolines or other gadgets? I'll appreciate names of brands and stores :)

Bed Bath and Beyond has 2 types of mandolines in their website: "Zyliss® Safety Rail-Guided Mandoline Vegetable and Fruit Slicer" for $49.99 and "V-Plus Mandoline Slicer" for $29.99. Has anyone use any of these for scalloped potatoes? Are they safe to use? Would potatoes come out to thin? Is the Zyliss worth the extra $20?

Thanks a lot!
Karen
From: MEow (nikittariber at yahoo.se)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:34:02 +0100
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I have a Zyliss mandoline and am very pleased with it. It's not the same kind, it's a gourmet something, but it's safe enough for me despite the mild chronic tremors I'm born with; so if it's safe for me to use, I imagine their mandolines to be safe enough for you to use too, unless you have a bigger disability than me.
From: Frogleg (frogleg at nowhere.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 14:26:26 GMT
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I have what appears to be identical to: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004VVK2/

Having seen 'manuals for use' of $160 mandolines, I think a certain amount of dexterity/practice is necessary for all sorts. Mine has 3 little (1 reversable) triangular inserts for various slicing thicknesses, and does very nice about 1/8" and 3/8" julienne. Use the pusher! All these suckers are *very* sharp and go through fingers just as easily as carrots! I'm also very cautious when (hand) washing.

As for storage, mine lives on a windowsill along with my box grater.
From: blake murphy (blakem at ix.netcom.com)
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 02:56:15 GMT
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Frogleg wrote:
>As for storage, mine lives on a windowsill along with my box grater.

a good place for it. i ignored my grater in favor of the food processor, but i'm coming back to it.
From: Frogleg (frogleg at nowhere.com)
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 12:03:49 GMT
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blake murphy wrote:
>a good place for it. i ignored my grater in favor of the food
>processor, but i'm coming back to it.

I use the box grater all the time, being fond of cheese in everything except fudge. Years ago I had a dime-store one I must have spent (total) *hours* scrubbing and cleaning. In a Flash of Brilliance, I suddenly realized there were stainless models available. Nice to have an 'appliance' that requires no electricity, is easy to clean, has never been sharpened or repaired, and cost (amortized so far) about 10 cents per year of use. However, for large quantities or multiple similar chores, I use the FP. My record utilization was a quiche: I mixed the pastry dough and prepared the shell. Then sliced onions and mushrooms. Grated cheese. Then mixed the egg-milk stuff. All operations without any need for cleaning in between. Well worth getting the critter out of the cupboard, and doing the final washing-up.
From: Mr. Wizard (spacedog at yahoo.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 15:14:26 GMT
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes
> (about 1/8" thin).

> Bed Bath and Beyond has 2 types of mandolines in their website:
> "Zyliss® Safety Rail-Guided Mandoline Vegetable and Fruit Slicer" for
> $49.99 and "V-Plus Mandoline Slicer" for $29.99. Has anyone use any of
> these for scalloped potatoes? Are they safe to use? Would potatoes
> come out to thin? Is the Zyliss worth the extra $20?

The Zyliss is just super. It's so easy to change cutters. Yes it is worth the extra $20.00
From: Boron Elgar (boron_elgarspamola at hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 11:46:54 -0500
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
>I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes
>(about 1/8" thin).

Though I cannot tell you anything about the specific mandolines you mention, I have a plastic one from Italy that cost me under $10. It is all plastic except for the blade & prongs on the food holder. I used it 3 days ago for scalloped potatoes. It took no more than 5 minutes for 5 lbs & that including layering them as I went.

Mine slices thin, but that is the exactly the way I like it. I am not sure how thick or thin you prefer your to be cut.

And it all goes into the dishwasher.
From: Janet Bostwick (nospam at cableone.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 11:18:57 -0700
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes
> (about 1/8" thin).

The V-Slicer that I purchased over 10 years ago has a reversible panel that adjusts all cutting/slicing to either thick or thin.
From: Stark Raven (sraven at att.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:14:31 GMT
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Janet Bostwick wrote:
> The V-Slicer that I purchased over 10 years ago has a reversible panel that
> adjusts all cutting/slicing to either thick or thin.

Mine too, but thick is too thick and thin, too thin. I mean unbelievably thin. So for tweeners I usually resort to knife and the V-Slicer remains in its box.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthblink.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 15:09:30 -0600
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes

I'd carefully use a sharp knife and go out to lunch a couple times on the $50 (or $30). JMO.
From: nancree at aol.com (Nancree)
Date: 12 Feb 2004 22:11:12 GMT
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes

Do you have one of those graters that is box-shaped? You know, there is a different grating size on each of the four sides? Well, one side is for slicing things like, yes, potatoes. Works just fine. Not expensive. Goes in the dishwasher.
From: Brian Macke (macke at strangelove.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 22:45:39 -0600
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I'd carefully use a sharp knife and go out to lunch a couple times on
> the $50 (or $30).

And good money says that those restaurants use mandolines rather than knife skills. As someone that makes scalloped potatoes regularly, I'd rather spend $25 on a decent mandoline that is in the dishwasher every night than to waste an hour slicing seven pounds of potatoes. Sure I might get it done in less time if I didn't care if the slices weren't all exactly the same thickness. But maybe it's my dislike of undercooked potatoes in my food.

Your choice, of course.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthblink.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:27:34 -0600
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Brian Macke wrote:

> And good money says that those restaurants use mandolines rather than
> knife skills. As someone that makes scalloped potatoes regularly, I'd
> rather spend $25 on a decent mandoline that is in the dishwasher every
> night than to waste an hour slicing seven pounds of potatoes.

Sure. If I were making restaurant portions of scalloped potatoes on a regular and frequent basis, I'd have one, too.

An hour to slice 7# of spuds? You need to improve your technique. "-)
I use about 1-1/2 pounds (3 large spuds) for a batch for us (two people). I can slice them with a knife in less than 5 minutes. Add another 3 minutes for peeling them.

> Your choice, of course.

Ain't it always.
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:35:02 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> An hour to slice 7# of spuds? You need to improve your technique. "-)
> I use about 1-1/2 pounds (3 large spuds) for a batch for us (two
> people). I can slice them with a knife in less than 5 minutes. Add
> another 3 minutes for peeling them.

Wow, what's your technique? When I make scallop potatoes, it's always a HUGE undertaking. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to prepare, another 1 1/2 hours to cook and about 15 minutes to consume. How do you slice your potatoes thinly and evenly in such a short time? I only use my Henckle (sp?) knife and my lack-of-skill. LOL.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthblink.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 13:30:11 -0600
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kilikini wrote:
> Wow, what's your technique? When I make scallop potatoes, it's always a
> HUGE undertaking. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to prepare,

HUH?

>another 1 1/2 hours to cook and about 15 minutes to consume. How do
>you slice your potatoes thinly and evenly in such a short time? I
>only use my Henckle (sp?) knife and my lack-of-skill. LOL.

Certainly, a lot depends on the quantity of spuds one's making. We're two at table. Three large spuds (they weighed out to 1# 6 oz)does it with some leftover. My scalloped potatoes consist of sliced (my SIL likes cubed) spuds layered with a bit of sliced onion and white sauce. I make the white sauce while prepping the spuds. While the oven is heating. Spuds, onions, white sauce, spuds, white sauce. Bake for an hour at about 350, covered for 45 minutes, uncovered for the last 15.

I've still got ham leftover -- maybe I'll make some scalloped potatoes to prove I'm kidding myself that I can do it in less than 3 hours start to table.

This is getting curiouser and curiouser. :-)
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 20:20:54 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I've still got ham leftover -- maybe I'll make some scalloped potatoes
> to prove I'm kidding myself that I can do it in less than 3 hours start
> to table.

We're three at the table, but my roommate eats enough for FIVE. I usually slice at least 8 large potatoes, layered with a couple of different kinds of shredded cheese (I'll go through 3 cheese packages), and then I pour the white sauce over. So, spuds, cheese, spuds, cheese, spuds, cheese, spuds, cheese, white sauce over all. Then I bake at 350 for about 1 1/2 hours. I make a full lasagna pan size and we usually don't have any leftovers. Oh, I usually add a little nutmeg in my white sauce. I think it makes the dish *richer* tasting. Has anyone else ever tried that? It's really good!
From: Goomba38 (Goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 22:46:03 -0500
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kilikini wrote:
> Oh, I
> usually add a little nutmeg in my white sauce. I think it makes the dish
> *richer* tasting. Has anyone else ever tried that? It's really good!

Yes, I always add a dash of nutmeg to cream sauces. I rarely want cheese in my scalloped potatoes though. I like the simple richness of a classic scalloped potato and don't need that much more to make me happy.
From: Frogleg (frogleg at nowhere.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 16:49:31 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>I'd carefully use a sharp knife and go out to lunch a couple times on
>the $50 (or $30). JMO.

You're really out of the loop, Barb. A gen-u-wine upscale mandoline is around $160.

However, for uniform slices (and jullienne) a $10 gadget isn't a bad investment.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthblink.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 12:20:56 -0600
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Frogleg wrote:

> You're really out of the loop, Barb. A gen-u-wine upscale mandoline is
> around $160.

Do tell. :-)

> However, for uniform slices (and jullienne) a $10 gadget isn't a bad
> investment.

No doubt. One more gizmo I don't have room for that would wind up on my already cluttered countertop. My daughter rolls hre eyes all the time at the crap that's there. I like ready access. When I can find what I'm looking for.
From: Frogleg (frogleg at nowhere.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:49:50 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>No doubt. One more gizmo I don't have room for that would wind up on my
>already cluttered countertop. My daughter rolls hre eyes all the time
>at the crap that's there. I like ready access. When I can find what
>I'm looking for.

I've made a rule that no more gadgets will come into my kitchen until an un- or underused item of similar size moves out. The 'automatic tortilla masher/cooker' displaced a complicated rice cooker. I'm not sure what fringe benefits I've acquired by trading down (in size and cost) vis-a-vis food processor. The real problems are those things enjoyed from time to time, but which can't be considered as "essential." I *do* enjoy making pasta, but it's not a staple. Still, I'm keepin' my pasta machine. But there's a lot in cupboards and drawers I haven't investigated more than the top layer of in years. Funny what we keep. I have some very nice copper & brass measuring cups hanging in the kitchen, full of spiderwebs and dead moths now, I suppose. I measure with a couple of cheap plastic cups in the cupboard. The mandoline is unobtrusive, and I *do* use it from time to time.
From: Brian Macke (macke at strangelove.net)
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2004 22:42:24 -0600
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes
> (about 1/8" thin).

> [ ... ]

> I don't want to spend a fortune and I have very little room left in my
> kitchen (I live in an apartment). Any suggestions on mandolines or other
> gadgets? I'll appreciate names of brands and stores :)

I use this one, and it fits your requirements nicely:

http://www.kitchenetc.com/Products.cfm?sku=000566239 [archive.org]

Good for scalloped potatoes, potato chips, onions, carrots, and fingers.

I seem to remember some piece of plastic that came with it, but I'm not sure. I figure if I cooked in a place where OSHA cared, I might use it.
From: mpoconnor7 at aol.comnojunk (Michael O'Connor)
Date: 13 Feb 2004 12:03:40 GMT
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
>Any
>suggestions on mandolines or other gadgets? I'll appreciate names of
>brands and stores :)

I went to a gourmet food store a while back and bought a cheap twelve dollar mandolin-type slicer that works well for slicing and shredding potatoes and onions and shaving ham; I don't remember the brand name but it was german and it comes apart easy and is dishwasher safe. A real mandolin can cost over a hundred bucks.
From: remarshall at webtv.net (Randy Marshall)
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 06:47:33 -0600 (CST)
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Go to a second hand store and get a 70's era vegamatic, maybe ebay
From: rmp (xxnospam at xx.com)
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 02:09:50 GMT
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Check out Fri 13 Wall Street Journal, personal section. They had a review. A cheap Berniner or some such japanese made was considered the best.
From: address.in.sig at nyc.rr.com (Curly Sue)
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2004 13:20:33 GMT
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rmp wrote:
>Check out Fri 13 Wall Street Journal, personal section. They had a review. A
>cheap Berniner or some such japanese made was considered the best.

From the cited article:
"So we were grateful for our smallest mandoline of all, a Japanese model from Bridge Kitchenware. As we held this little washboard-shaped gadget on our cutting board (no stand here) we felt more in control. We could adjust the width of our slices by simply turning a knob. It comes with a safety guard, but our hands felt safe without it. But best of all, it was the sharpest. We made consistent, super-thin cuts -- we could practically see through our cucumber salad -- much faster than we would with a knife.

STORE/PRICE/PHONE: Bridge Kitchenware; Benriner mandoline, small; $35; 800-274-3435; Bridgekitchenware.com QUALITY: Best Overall, Best Value. Compact (3 1/2 x 12 inches) and easy to use, with sharpest blade (it's not removable, though, as some others' blades). With one straight edge, three julienne blades."
From: mshaw at bangnetcom.com (Mark Shaw)
Date: 14 Feb 2004 15:34:30 -0500
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Karen Gonzalez wrote:
> I'd like to find an easy way to slice potatoes for scalloped potatoes

I have a cheap V-slicer, quite possibly the same one you mention above. It works just fine for scalloped potatoes.
From: texpat (texpat at cox.net)
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 15:07:42 -0600
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I have the Zyliss Slicer, and I love it. I don't know how it would hold up if you were cooking for a crowd every day, but for occasional use, it's great.
Subject: Potatoes for Scalloped Potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.com)
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 17:50:01 -0600
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It took me 16 minutes and 29 seconds to peel and slice (with a chef's knife, 1/8" thick, give or take 1/16") 3 large potatoes, (total weight 1#6oz) and make the white sauce with which to layer them in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. They're ready to come out of the oven now. Guess I'd better slice the ham and prep the broccoli and get the salads made. Supper's in 50 minutes.
From: Gloria Puester (puester at worldnet.att.net)
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:54:43 GMT
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Those must be some fancy salads (or did you mean 5 minutes?)
;-)
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.com)
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 21:04:08 -0600
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Gloria Puester wrote:
> Those must be some fancy salads (or did you mean 5 minutes?)

:-) Nope, 50 minutes is correct. We watch Wheel of Fortune whilst we eat. It's on at 6:30. (How pathetic is that?) But, the salads had iceberg, romaine, radish, onion, green pepper, carrot, and were dressed with my made-up dressing -- I sprinkle some sugar on the salad in the bowls, spray it with some olive oil, drizzle a leetle bit of soy sauce on it and then drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top. Pretty good.
From: Jill McQuown
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:19:17 -0600
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> It took me 16 minutes and 29 seconds to peel and slice (with a chef's
> knife, 1/8" thick, give or take 1/16") 3 large potatoes, (total weight
> 1#6oz) and make the white sauce with which to layer them in a 1-1/2
> quart casserole dish. They're ready to come out of the oven now.
> Guess I'd better slice the ham and prep the broccoli and get the
> salads made. Supper's in 50 minutes.

HOLD that phone! Wait a sec, I'll be right over!
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbschaller at earthlink.com)
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 21:00:19 -0600
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Jill McQuown wrote:
> HOLD that phone! Wait a sec, I'll be right over!

Too late, Toots! Gotta tell you that supper was pretty darned good. Dang shame you missed it. The scalloped potatoes were very good. Not too salty. Tender. Just wet enough. (After getting them in the dish for the oven, I decided that by the time they baked, they'd be pretty t'ick, so I pour some milk on top -- like to almost the rim of the dish. Good move. BTW, the white sauce was made with skim milk; the milk I poured was also no fat skim milk.

(And I was busy playing Collapse, so I didn't start the broccoli or the salads until about 6:15 p.m.). We sat at 6:35. I'm messy but I'm fast and can do three things in the kitchen at the same time. :-)
From: Sheryl Rosen (catmandy at optonline.net)
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 04:43:35 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> (And I was busy playing Collapse, so I didn't start the broccoli or the
> salads until about 6:15 p.m.). We sat at 6:35. I'm messy but I'm fast
> and can do three things in the kitchen at the same time. :-)

Collapse is addictive, isn't it?? Game House (www.gamehouse.com [archive.org]) has a few games that I have spent far too much time playing.... Candy Cruncher is another one. Highly addictive.

At least you can win at Collapse! Candy Cruncher just keeps on going, until it beats YOU!
From: Brian Macke (macke at strangelove.net)
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 19:16:01 -0600
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> It took me 16 minutes and 29 seconds to peel and slice (with a chef's
> knife, 1/8" thick, give or take 1/16") 3 large potatoes, (total weight
> 1#6oz)

By contrast, I think I peel and slice about 12-15 red potatoes to a total weight of 1750g.. which would be just under four pounds. This would probably explain the difference in prep time. Peeling and slicing those red potatoes takes me about 20 minutes with a mandolin.

(by the way, I use red potatoes because waxy potatoes tend to hold up better than starchy ones.)
From: kilikini (kilikini1 at NOSPAMhotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 15:00:07 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> It took me 16 minutes and 29 seconds to peel and slice (with a chef's
> knife, 1/8" thick, give or take 1/16") 3 large potatoes, (total weight
> 1#6oz) and make the white sauce with which to layer them in a 1-1/2
> quart casserole dish. They're ready to come out of the oven now. Guess
> I'd better slice the ham and prep the broccoli and get the salads made.
> Supper's in 50 minutes.

Okay, it must just take me longer because I use at least 9 potatoes in a regular, lasagna sized pyrex dish. Cooking time is always about 1 1/2 hours (I don't have an oven - it's a toaster oven, renting an apartment is the pitts!). But I do make the white sauce as well. Still, for me, you gotta figure 2 1/2 to 3 hours including cooking time.
From: Wayne Boatwright (WayneBoatWright at SMN.worldnet.att.net)
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 16:32:57 GMT
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kilikini wrote:
> Okay, it must just take me longer because I use at least 9 potatoes in
> a regular, lasagna sized pyrex dish. Cooking time is always about 1
> 1/2 hours (I don't have an oven - it's a toaster oven, renting an
> apartment is the pitts!). But I do make the white sauce as well.
> Still, for me, you gotta figure 2 1/2 to 3 hours including cooking
> time.

And some folks, like me, are just slower at prep (like paring and slicing potatoes). I can even make a "production" out of making mashed potatoes. <G> And, of course, larger quantities take longer to prepare and to bake.