Mashed: mashed potatoes in a food mill?
Subject: mashed potatoes in a food mill?
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: tqq (tqq3000 at yahoo.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 00:56:13 GMT
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my local PBS affiliate aired an America's Test Kitchen episode last weekend which covered mashed potatoes. i was surprised to see them do it in a food mill rather than a mixer. i don't think they mentioned mixers at all. is there much (or any) difference between using a food mill and a mixer for mashed potatoes?
the potato skins were removed, by the way.
From: stan at temple.edu
Date: 25 Jan 2002 01:04:45 GMT
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tqq wrote:
> is there much (or any) difference between using a food
> mill and a mixer for mashed potatoes?
This topic comes up fairly often here. The concensus is that using a food mill to mash potatoes avoids breaking the starch molecules in the potatoes, while still giving them that fluffy consistency that mixing them in a food processor or electric mixer yields. Its a bit more work to use a food mill, but I can attest from personal experience that the results are well worth the effort. Another way to mash potatoes that works very well is to put them through a ricer. Any decent cookwares store will have one or two different food mills and ricers available for a reasonable price.
From: Pat Meadows (pat at meadows.pair.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 19:40:59 GMT
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stan at temple wrote:
> The concensus is that using a food
>mill to mash potatoes avoids breaking the starch molecules in the
>potatoes, while still giving them that fluffy consistency that mixing them
>in a food processor or electric mixer yields.
We use a potato masher: a hand-held thingie. Do you know where that fits in on the continuum?
From: Peter Aitken (paitken at CRAPnc.rr.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 01:06:52 GMT
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tqq wrote:
> is there much (or any) difference between using a food
> mill and a mixer for mashed potatoes?
In my experience a food mill is much superior. It gets all the lumps out while not over-beating the potatoes which can make them gummy. A food mill has other uses too, such as making tomato puree, and I consider it an important kitchen tool.
From: Vox Humana (vhumana at hotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 01:17:28 GMT
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tqq wrote:
> is there much (or any) difference between using a food
> mill and a mixer for mashed potatoes?
Potatoes contain a lot of starch that gets pasty when it is over manipulated. I think it has something to do with starch retrogradation, but what ever the cause, it is better avoided. The food processor is the best example of how to turn potatoes into glue. Mixers come in second. While have used a mixer many times, the result is not as good as it could be. The traditional potato masher is ok except it leaves lumps. By far, the best way to "mash" potatoes is with a ricer or a food mill. I like the food mill better because it will quickly process large batches of food and it has multiple uses. You have to keep reloading the ricer and unless you have some super fancy model it only has one size opening through which to extrude the food. I finally broke down and got a food mill last year and I have never had better potatoes. I use it for soup, puréed vegetables, and applesauce. I got the Martha Stewart food mill at K-Mart for $14.00 It was a good investment and far less expensive than the identical model sold under other names.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 25 Jan 2002 02:00:40 GMT
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tqq wrote:
> is there much (or any) difference between using a food
> mill and a mixer for mashed potatoes?
A mixer produces whipped potatoes, a food mill produces something akin to a combination of whipped and riced potatoes... neither method results in mashed potatoes... to mash means to crush each potato once and no more... not to force it through anything or to continue mixing onced crushed. If there are no lumps it's not mashed potatoes.
From: ABC (ad.cobley at btinternet.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 18:15:26 +0000 (UTC)
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What on earth is wrong with a potato masher for coarsely mashed potatoes or using a wooden spoon to cream them! That takes all the guesswork out of the mashing potatoes since you can 'feel' the texture of the potato. It seems to me that people never do things the simple way these days but always look to using a machine, apart from the simplicity of it look at the washing up you save yourself.
From: Miche (micheinnz at yahoo.com)
Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2002 08:16:57 +1300
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ABC wrote:
> What on earth is wrong with a potato masher for coarsely mashed potatoes or
> using a wooden spoon to cream them!
The fact that I can never make them lump-free enough for my preferences that way.
> That takes all the guesswork out of the
> mashing potatoes since you can 'feel' the texture of the potato.
When it "feels" lump-free to me, it actually isn't.
> It seems
> to me that people never do things the simple way these days but always look
> to using a machine, apart from the simplicity of it look at the washing up
> you save yourself.
Nope, I tried it the simple way and it doesn't work for me. Sometimes a machine is the appropriate tool.
From: Vox Humana (vhumana at hotmail.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 20:02:02 GMT
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ABC wrote:
> What on earth is wrong with a potato masher for coarsely mashed potatoes or
> using a wooden spoon to cream them! That takes all the guesswork out of the
> mashing potatoes since you can 'feel' the texture of the potato. It seems
> to me that people never do things the simple way these days but always look
> to using a machine, apart from the simplicity of it look at the washing up
> you save yourself.
You make it sound as if a food mill is some nuclear powered hi-tech device. Your grandmother probably had one.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 25 Jan 2002 21:02:36 GMT
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ABC writes:
>What on earth is wrong with a potato masher for coarsely mashed potatoes or
>using a wooden spoon to cream them! That takes all the guesswork out of the
>mashing potatoes since you can 'feel' the texture of the potato. It seems
>to me that people never do things the simple way these days but always look
>to using a machine, apart from the simplicity of it look at the washing up
>you save yourself.
If only you could read.. oh, well, ABC... you have 23 more letters to learn.
From: Miche (micheinnz at yahoo.com)
Date: Fri, 25 Jan 2002 21:35:01 +1300
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tqq wrote:
> the potato skins were removed, by the way.
A mill will remove them for you.
From: jamie (fatherJ at sordide.com)
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 06:14:27 GMT
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Go with a potato ricer .. it is heaven incarnate (and fun as hell to make mashed buddadas with)!! (looks like a giant garlic press)
Parfait!!
James
From: hahabogus (not at applicable.com.invalid)
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 12:05:51 GMT
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With a mixer you can run into the problem of over mixing and that can make for a snot like end product. The releasing of the starch when using power tools with cooked potatoes is a possible outcome. This released starch makes the spud sticky and gum like. A food mill or a potato rice will give you nice mashed spuds. The use of a mixer on low for a short period will give you nice whipped spuds.
From: Peter Aitken (paitken at CRAPnc.rr.com)
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 13:57:29 GMT
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jamie wrote:
> Go with a potato ricer .. it is heaven incarnate (and fun as hell to make
> mashed buddadas with)!!
A food mill does exactly the same thing as a ricer but is more flexible and can be used for other tasks such as making tomato sauce.
From: limey (limey at toad.net)
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 11:01:38 -0500
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Peter Aitken wrote:
> A food mill does exactly the same thing as a ricer but is more flexible and
> can be used for other tasks such as making tomato sauce.
Peter - I followed your advice some months back and bought a Mouli food mill (instead of a ricer). It makes great apple sauce (and I don't need to peel or core!). I haven't tried tomatoes yet - I'm waiting until the summer, when tomatoes are really tomatoes - and if the squirrels don't get there first :-(
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 04 Feb 2002 16:03:16 GMT
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Peter Aitken writes:
>A food mill does exactly the same thing as a ricer but is more flexible and
>can be used for other tasks such as making tomato sauce.
But neither produces mashed potatoes. Pushing potatoes through small perforations takes mashing a step further, producing extruded potatoes, two entirely different textures.
From: rmi1013934 at aol.com (Rosie Miller)
Date: 04 Feb 2002 23:11:39 GMT
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Peter Aitken writes:
>A food mill does exactly the same thing as a ricer but is more flexible and
>can be used for other tasks such as making tomato sauce.
My experience with the food mill was the potatoes came out gummy,not unlike the food processor results. My first choice is the ricer, second , the Kitchen Aid.
From: david wright (dtwright at earthlink.net)
Date: Mon, 04 Feb 2002 23:35:17 GMT
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Rosie Miller wrote:
>My experience with the food mill was the potatoes came out gummy,not unlike
>the food processor results. My first choice is the ricer, second , the Kitchen
>Aid.
Are you sure you have a food mill in mind? A hand-crank mill that you put over a bowl? I can't distinguish between the results of putting potatoes through my food mill and what I used to get using a ricer.
From: Peter Aitken (paitken at CRAPnc.rr.com)
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2002 17:28:07 GMT
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Rosie Miller wrote:
> My experience with the food mill was the potatoes came out gummy,not unlike
> the food processor results. My first choice is the ricer, second , the Kitchen
> Aid.
Are you sure you're not doing something odd? A food mill does exactly the same thing as a ricer - forces the potatoes through small holes - so it's hard to imagine the results being any different.
From: penmart01 at aol.como (Sheldon)
Date: 05 Feb 2002 22:17:31 GMT
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Peter Aitken writes:
>Are you sure you're not doing something odd? A food mill does exactly the
>same thing as a ricer - forces the potatoes through small holes - so it's
>hard to imagine the results being any different.
Ricers mash and extrude, whereas food mills mix, masticate and extrude... neither produces mashed potatoes but a ricer comes much closer. It's called a mill for a reason.. to mill, to grind, to chew.