Instant mashed potato test

Just saw on the telly that the Stiftung Warentest did a survey of instant mashed potato (flaky stuff in packets, just add water) and with some disturbing results. It seems that quite a few samples have additives (surprise, surprise) and Maggi was declared "Mangelhaft"(inadequate/deficient) due to the excessive lead (Blei) content!!



Stiftung Warentest

Maggi PR department has refuted the claims on its website, and states that there is no danger to health when consuming this product, and that they have strengthened their own testing.

Maggi response

The only product that could be considered to be "like" real mashed potato is Mifloc Kartoffelstock, produced by a Swiss firm. The best German products came from Aldi, Kaufland und Pfanni.

Mashed potatos are so easy to make from real potatos. I never could understand why people buy these wretched mixes.

because to make mashed potatoes from proper spuds you have to:
1) buy them and schlepp them home
2) peel them
3) put them in water
4) bring to boil
5) cook for a bit
6) test them periodically to see if they are done
7) take them off the heat
8) drain them
9) get yer masher out
10) mash em, pausing every now and again to wipe sweat from brow
11) add bits and bobs of water/milk/butter/whatever to get them to taste owt like
12) eat

vs. "wretched mixes"
1) put kettle on to boil
2) go and have a fag
3) measure out 350ml
4) pour in bowl
5) add "wretched mix"
6) leave to stand for a bit
7) eat

Because making them is fast. Thirty seconds (I have a nuclear water boiler/french press). Some people don't have or can't take the time to peel potatoes, boil them, then mash them.

Because they take up very little room and you don't have to go buy and store potatoes.

Because some of the flavoured ones are also pretty tasty and would take even longer to make yourself (ad require moer ingredients -- you ever try to ind fresh chives around here?)

woof.

In terms of taste and texture are they an adequate substitute for the real thing?

they are if you put enough HP sauce on them

I would make the real thing if I was having guests over, though, admittedly

Definitely no substitute for the real thing, but handy for those days when you can't be stuffed to get to the shops or come back from working trips and there's nothing fresh in the cupboards.

Having said that, I always swear after eating the fake stuff that it tastes so s**t that I won't buy it again.

Besides, I have yet to work out how to get the lumpy bits out of the real thing...there's always 2-3 that escape the masher and after completing Topsy's list above that is just downright annoying.

I wonder when they will do a test for the instant potato dumplings...

Forget the masher. This is my baby for mashing...

ER: Yes, and I bet you'd never notice if I made them for you. Add a bit of butter, maybe a few drops of milk. If they're being served with gravy the only way you could tell is the lack of lumps.

DE: I like lumps. I'm trying to figure out how to get them in the instant stuff.

Warning: When mashing potatoes, do NOT put them in a Cuisinart or try and speed things up with a Stab-mixer.
EDIT: PES posted that pic while I was still writing; I only saw it afterwards.

woof.

or Bisto Chicken gravy (reminds me of KFC mash and gravy)

If you buy certain brands the fake stuff can be delicious with butter salt and pepper. I haven't found that brand here yet, but in France they were really good. I prefer them to the real stuff to be honest.

By all means eat this add boiling water to mix, but I would propose you add dried eggs, tinned ravioli and processed cheese to liven it up. Me, I'll stick to real food.

The lumps are the best part of mashed potatoes. I always ask my oma to keep the lumps in cause she likes to mash them to smithereens.

Then some people should just eat bread instead. Instant mashed potatoes should be fed only to convicts.

why single out Australians?

The fake stuff kinda reminds me of congee, cept its made of potates not rice. I would try it with a bit of of pickeld duck egg and some coriander and some other herbs and spices. Make a mean breakfast.

Because they are so good at it!

That's like adding caviar to a big Mac. Why not start with something decent?

Wierdly, its almost always in Tenglemann in Garching. They might run out of parsley, but never chives. Tenglemann stock never ceases to baffle me. Different from one place to the next it sometimes seems.

I used to sometimes eat the instant mash stuff at work, but don't at home 'cos I do like mashed spuds man. I sometimes use a mouli-legume to do french style mashed potatoes, because they like it to look as much like instant mash as possible as far as I can tell.

My Tengelmann has truckloads of parsley and occasionally they'll get two bunches of chives. Never mint.

My Belgian likes making Stoemp so I get more than enough mash, though she usually does it just with spud whereas I learned the "proper" way is with carrot added, along with the slightest hint of nutmeg.

woof.

On a bit of a tangent, but can anybody explain to me how it is logical for someone to eat chips with gusto, but to then claim that they can't/don't eat roast or mashed potato?
It's beyond my comprehension, I'm hoping maybe someone can help.

Taste comes with it's own idiosyncracies, you can't question them. I like tomato sauce, ketchup and bruschetta but don't like tomatoes. I won't eat yoghurt unless it's pink. I like ham and sausages but won't eat cold meat . . . I could go on and on.

Bubble Gum, if you see Mr Mash here, that's French mash.

The Pfanni Stampfkartoffeln were the highest-ranker (in the easy to find products) for Stiftung Warentest and are also the best in my book.
Still not as good as Mr Mash or the real thing, but in a pinch they can work.

Thanks .

I used the Pfanni stuff the other day but found that it went like glue with all the milk and beating...now I normally don't mind powdered mash (it saves you buying potatoes and throwing them away) but I like it plain and watery. Like smash. Is the French stuff more like one or the other?

mash is the only thing you can make with most taters from the notsosupermarket here.

it's just me but i will always make real mash.