Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Why This Creamy Mashed Potatoes Works

Starting the potatoes in cold water lets them heat up slowly, so the outsides do not fall apart before the centers soften. As the water comes to a boil and then simmers, the potato cubes cook evenly all the way through. By the time they are tender, they are soft enough to mash smoothly but not so broken down that they turn gluey.

After draining, the hot potatoes go back into the warm pot, so extra steam can escape. That little bit of drying keeps the mash from being watery. In another pan, the milk, butter, salt, and pepper warm up together. Warm liquid soaks into the potatoes more easily, so the mash becomes smooth instead of chunky. Butter and heavy cream coat the tiny bits of potato, so they slide against each other instead of clumping. With the starch from the potatoes soaking up the milk and cream, the mash ends up thick, fluffy, and very creamy instead of pasty.

Mistakes To Avoid

Boiling the potatoes in hot or already boiling water instead of starting them in cold water makes the outside cook much faster than the center. The edges turn mushy while the middle stays a bit firm, so when mashed, the potatoes end up lumpy with pasty bits around them.

Letting the potatoes boil hard for too long can cause them to break apart and take on too much water. Once mashed, they turn gluey and loose instead of fluffy, and they won’t hold soft peaks on the spoon.

Pouring in cold milk and butter straight from the fridge onto the hot potatoes cools everything down too fast. The fat doesn’t blend in smoothly, so the mash can look greasy in spots and thicker in others, instead of turning evenly creamy.

Stirring and mashing the potatoes for a long time, especially with a mixer on high speed, overworks the starch. The mixture tightens up and becomes sticky and elastic instead of light and smooth.