If you want mashed potatoes that are smooth and creamy this Thanksgiving, think about using a potato ricer to make that dream come true. It will also help you skip the step of peeling raw potatoes with a peeler.
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Why use a potato ricer for mashed potatoes? A ricer will help break the potatoes into small pieces that will prevent the potatoes from becoming gummy, allowing you to whip them smooth and for the milk and butter to incorporate well creating creamy mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes are as much a part of the American Thanksgiving experience as the turkey itself.
Have you come across a mashed potato recipe that calls for a ricer? Did you think that this is some old fashion gadget that you find buried in the bottom of your grandma's utensil drawer? Is it this a tool worthy of being passed down to the next generation?
❓ Why Use a Ricer for Mashed Potatoes
I was given a ricer for Christmas one year, not sure what I was going to do with it. When I saw Alton Brown call for one in a recipe for Whipped Yukon Gold potatoes I was excited to try out.
After I did I found out why this tool is so useful, it helps produce outstanding mashed potatoes. A food as comforting as mashed potatoes, make a ricer not just an ordinary kitchen tool, but dare I say a stress reducer! Forget the therapy sessions, buy a ricer!
❔ What Does a Ricer Do?
If you ever made mashed potatoes that turn out gummy - a ricer is the key tool to prevent this from happening. The reason is happens is that the starch in the potatoes are swollen, ready to burst. If you agitate the potatoes too much they will explode - thus gummy potatoes.
A ricer helps break the potatoes into small bites by pushing the potatoes through small holes. The starch in the potatoes will not swell up into huge chunks if you break them down into tiny piece. Then all you need is to get the potatoes a quick wipe with a hand mixer to smooth them out and you will have light and fluffy potatoes that are anything but gummy.
You could break the potatoes apart using a food processor instead, but you can easily overdo in a food processor and still end up with gummy potatoes. A ricer will be more gentle.
When usig a ricer you also can keep the skins on your potatoes when cooking them because they will be remove when you use the ricer. This is great if you just can't stand having to peel raw potatoes.
Learn two more methods to avoid peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes.
🥔 Types of Ricers
In some ways, you could call a ricer a giant garlic press as that it what it looks like. If you are in the market for a ricer, there are a few things to look for:
Stainless Steel
By far the most common style of ricer and the best potato ricer is going to be made with stainless steel. Choose ones that indicate they won't rust and that don't include plastic parts that could wear down. It's ok if there is some plastic on the handle to help you grip it better like with the Oxo Good Grips model.
Plastic
It's not common to find ones that are all plastic, but many do contain plastic parts. I just don't think those offer long term durability, so I would avoid them.
Interchangeable Discs
You can find some ricers that come with discs you can change. The difference discs will have different sized holes for different jobs. Look up any review to make sure people are saying the discs are hard to change or that they fall out when in use. If you don't expect to use it for anything other than potatoes then I wouldn't spend extra to get one with different discs.
🍠 Other Uses
While mashed potatoes are the best reason to get a ricer there are others. You can use them for
- Sweet potatoes
- Squash
- Cauliflower rice
- Making baby food
- Making spaetzle
- Preparing potatoes to make gnocchi
- I heard one person uses them to dry out their cooked spinach by removing excess water.
- Spaghetti ice cream
You could use it to make apple or tomato sauce, to remove the skins or seeds, though I find a food mill works better for sauces.
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