FAKE mashed potatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Luckily for me, I can't remember the last time that I order an entree that included "mashed" potatoes. (I would never elect "mashed potatoes" for a side of my choice). Therefore, I have been able to avoid that catastrophe.

You got to be kidding me, no mashed potatoes! I only use real mashed potatoes and defy any science to duplicate the taste and creamy texture of correctly mashed potatoes. There is no excuse for cutting corners on traditional cooking. DO IT RIGHT or don't try. Or don't call it home cooking. So many people have forgotten what real food tastes like, they actually think that short cuts, instant, and packaged food products can duplicate the old school ways. I'll take mashed potatoes and gravy as a side over just about anything. Then again I love country fried steak and milk gravy, I love country cooking. Learn to do that and you will have them eating out of your hand. Like so much art in modern culture, we think we can skip the basics and move on to the sublime without paying dues. Make me a chocolate pie with a sky high merange before you tackle the souffle. Make some real mashed potatoes before you roll me some sushi. Learn from those few souls that are left who can whip up some cast iron skillet bread before you go study baking at sullivan. You get the picture. Our own heritage has a world to teach our taste buds.. one step at time.

Speaking of mashed potatoes, why do some people (places) insist on using a ricer or mixer to make mashed potatoes? Just use a good old fashioned masher and leave a few chunks in there! Us what makes them good and identifies them as real instead of instant!

Gotta chime in. I LOVE mashed potatoes. Nothing like them.

I consider them a true "comfort food." And so simple to make. There is truly no excuse to resort to instant, unless you're truly lazy and/or don't feel like cooking. The instant ones are too close to grits for me. Just a different animal. But the real thing is so good. And I usually have them in the vegan version: Earth balance buttery sticks, and soy milk. Tasty! (with a pinch of salt and pepper of course). Nutritional yeast is another tasty addition.

Cheers!

[Robin Garr]

A lot of you would be amazed at the amount of restaurants using instant mashed potatoes and you wouldn't even know the difference.....science is amazing.

Even if the products were indistinguishable - an assertion that I would challenge - I'd argue that when restaurant management makes the decision to start cutting corners like this, it will inevitably show up in overall quality. Instant potatoes won't be the only money-saving compromise they make. Garbage in, garbage out.

You got to be kidding me, no mashed potatoes! I only use real mashed potatoes and defy any science to duplicate the taste and creamy texture of correctly mashed potatoes. There is no excuse for cutting corners on traditional cooking. DO IT RIGHT or don't try. Or don't call it home cooking. So many people have forgotten what real food tastes like, they actually think that short cuts, instant, and packaged food products can duplicate the old school ways. I'll take mashed potatoes and gravy as a side over just about anything. Then again I love country fried steak and milk gravy, I love country cooking. Learn to do that and you will have them eating out of your hand. Like so much art in modern culture, we think we can skip the basics and move on to the sublime without paying dues. Make me a chocolate pie with a sky high merange before you tackle the souffle. Make some real mashed potatoes before you roll me some sushi. Learn from those few souls that are left who can whip up some cast iron skillet bread before you go study baking at sullivan. You get the picture. Our own heritage has a world to teach our taste buds.. one step at time.

While I do agree with you on the "real" food issue, I will question the statement you made about our "own heritage". There is no part of my heritage that has anything to do with fried steak and gravy or iron skillet bread. I think its a bit out of line to say "Make some real mashed potatoes before you roll me some sushi". What if that is your "heritage" to make sushi or souffle. I may have misinterpreted your post,but it came across as though country cooking was a taking off point or some sort of a culinary foundation. For you it may have been,but certainly not so for everyone.

Speaking of mashed potatoes, why do some people (places) insist on using a ricer or mixer to make mashed potatoes? Just use a good old fashioned masher and leave a few chunks in there! Us what makes them good and identifies them as real instead of instant!

It's called "refinement". You'd be hard pressed to find a truly upscale restaurant anywhere in the world who is serving "mashed potatoes", "potato puree" or "pommes puree" that doesn't do the same.

I guarantee that places producing such product also know how to make it in a manner that is also closer to 50/50 potatoes to fat (cream/butter), without breaking... which is why it tastes better.

Don't get me wrong, I love potatoes with chunks in it as much as i do perfectly silken potato puree... but there is a place for everything. And chunks would kill it from a professional standpoint at a high-end place.

For the record, I'm not trying to be a snobbish haute cuisine asshole, but just trying to clarify that there is indeed a place for every type of food. Those restaurants using ricers for their potatoes do so for a very deliberate reason. I love and welcome both styles, but each one has their place. And most of the time, it depends on how much I'm paying per plate and level of expectation.

... but there is a place for everything. And chunks would kill it from a professional standpoint at a high-end place.

why would chunks kill it at a high-end restaurant? i am not trying to argue or disagree with you......i am just not in the know when it comes to high-end restaurants..... i dont know if it would actually cost more to produce the mashed potatoes with a ricer, i would think it is the same amount of work that goes into mashing them with a masher.....

i guess what you said made my mind think........chunky mashed potatoes = low end, silky ricer mashed potatoes = high end......

Those restaurants using ricers for their potatoes do so for a very deliberate reason.

what is the deliberate reason?..... i am really interested in your professional viewpoint on this....

I am NOT in any way being confrontational, or negating what you posted.... like i said i have no point of reference with a high-end restaurant and am interested in your opinion...

Those restaurants using ricers for their potatoes do so for a very deliberate reason.

I, like Becky while not trying to be argumentative question the reason for this. I would personally think it would have more to do with the dish than the restaurant. I would think chunkier potatoes would be better suited with steaks, pork chops and other heavy your dishes while the smoother ones would be better with more delicate foods. Of course as you said, high end restaurants have a higher percentage of fat in their dishes and the are better suited for doing this.

My bad on the issue of tradition and culinary roots. Of course southern, or country cooking doesnt apply to everyone or even close to it... It was late and my point was, to learn the basics and then move on to more refined dishes. I just don't think you can do one without the other. Plus I love Mashed Potatoes. Did not mean to offend anyone or question ones taste.
Peace, Bill

My comment regarding usage of a river alludes to the notion that by using it, you tend to have an end product that is noticable smoother, creamier and more refined than "mom's" mashed potatoes.
This is generally thought of as a more luxurious product than how most make it at home, and therefore the general expected practice for high end establishments.

And again, nothing against chunky mash (I love it that way), just an observation on perceived expectations of the diner for specific establishments.

There is no higher end than home cooking in my opinion, with respect to quality. However I have been using and experimenting with instant potatoes as of late I would bet that with with a lil tweaking and a lot of love by that I mean butter you would be hard pressed to distinguish the difference between potatoes from a ricer and instant. Purely from a taste texture point.

Nimbus - stir in some vegan pesto to your vegan mashed potatoes. mmmmmm

However I have been using and experimenting with instant potatoes as of late I would bet that with with a lil tweaking and a lot of love by that I mean butter you would be hard pressed to distinguish the difference between potatoes from a ricer and instant. Purely from a taste texture point.

If that's a gauntlet being thrown, I'm catching. I never buy instant mashed potatoes, and I don't have a problem with anyone using them who wants to - but I have eaten enough of them growing up and in various restaurants, I can say almost unequivocally (oxymoron, maybe) that I could tell the difference no matter what you do to them. Oh, and by the way, I can think of one fantastic application for instant potato flakes - they make a GREAT crust on fish. For instance, grind them with some pistachios in a food processor and press them onto a piece of sea bass before pan-frying. That is one great technique that I learned from a local chef who shall remain nameless

i dont know if it would actually cost more to produce the mashed potatoes with a ricer, i would think it is the same amount of work that goes into mashing them with a masher.....

Becky, I'm not picking on you, but I doubt you've ever had the fun of slaving over a tub of hot steamy potatoes with a ricer. It takes about four times longer than using any other method, and unless you want to reheat them you have to work about twice as fast to get the additional ingredients in before they cool. Also, importantly, if you're going to pipe them through a star tip or form them into a sort of fancy duchesse preparation, well - you're going to want to make damn sure there aren't any lumps to clog your progress.