Potato ricers are an alternative to potato mashers.
If you have difficulties in creating the perfect mashed potato dish -- sans lumps, that is -- then you should invest in a kitchen device called a potato ricer. This relatively inexpensive press is designed to force potatoes through small openings to ensure no large lumps remain. A few tips will help you make the perfect smooth and creamy riced potatoes that will have your dinner guests begging for seconds. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Leave the Skin On
When you mash potatoes using a potato masher, you will have to spend a lot of time peeling the potatoes before you boil them. However, when you use a potato ricer, just leave the skins on the potatoes. When you put the potatoes through the ricer, the skin will come off on its own and be trapped in the device. Skipping the peeling process makes ricing potatoes a lot faster, just make sure you take out the peel after ricing each potato.
Cook Thoroughly
How your riced potatoes turn out depends on how well they were cooked in the first place. A potato ricer is meant to get rid of lumps in mashed potatoes, but this will still be an issue if the potatoes are not thoroughly cooked. You can either boil or microwave your potatoes for use with a potato ricer. Whichever method you choose, you can tell that a potato is cooked all the way through by placing the potato on a fork and holding the fork vertically in the air. If the potato doesn't fall off the fork it is not cooked enough.
One at a Time
Potatoes should be placed into a potato ricer one at a time. The cavity of a potato ricer is large enough to hold several potatoes, but the more you insert the harder it will be to force the potatoes through. Although this might seem tedious, it will result in less work in the long run. Also, by ricing the potatoes one at a time, you can remove the skins after each press so the holes are not blocked by debris.
Milk and Butter
Just like mashed potatoes, riced potatoes require milk and butter to make them creamy and delicious. Once the potatoes have all been thoroughly riced into a serving bowl, add the desired amounts of milk and butter and stir them into the potatoes. Without these ingredients your dish could taste bland, or be too heavy for your diners to enjoy. The milk and cream will thin out the heavy potato mixture.
Tags: potato ricer, potatoes through, riced potatoes, force potatoes, force potatoes through, mashed potatoes, milk butter