Pureed potatoes

So...I've been to a few places lately where they have had pureed potatoes as opposed to mash, so smooth and creamy, so of course I thought - easy, will do that next time I'm planning mash too! Well, I managed to cock it up. Chucked all the boiled potatoes in the magimix with a bit cream, bit of butter and a bit of milk (what I usually use for mash) and pressed the ON button and waited. What I got was dough. sticky, horrible and ready for baking. Why?!

And how do I make this pureed stuff?

Use a hand masher not a machine and possibly had more milk?

Well Rilana I guess that you used the wrong type of potatoes. You have to use the ones called mehlig festkochend. I always buy these, peel them, boil them, then mash them. I add salt, a bit of butter and cream and some nutmeg.

I normally use a hand masher and that's never as smooth as the pureed stuff I've had in a few restaurants recently. I added more milk to the blender but the whole consistency was just like dough and wasn't changing for love nor money, not that I offered those.

@alimess - do you do it in the blender?

I do my hand-mashed ones in the same way and they always taste good, but not it's not like the stuff I've had recently.

Oh I never eat in restaurants. They're probably using instant stuff which is mush easier to make fluffy.

Where the ginger supremo of all things culinary Don? He'll know...

I use a hand mixer. Have you used the Mehlig Potatoes ?

it didn't taste instant...def real potatoes me thinks. Perhaps they combine the 2. Ach who knows. Darn, I thought it would be easy - puree and voila. Well no such luck.

edit: @alimess, no I didn't...I only ever seem to get those ones when I'm trying to get firm ones.

edit: Don - where are you??

Mash it like you normally do with the hand mixer (the non-electric ones that you actually have to turn a wheel by hand are best) and try to get out all the lumps and then just whip it up quickly at end to add some air to it. I'd probably add a bit more milk as well.

Rilana, the next time you buy potatoes ask for the mehlig ones, you will see you won't get this dough thing result. I know that coz the same thing happened to me when I made puree for the first time in Germany. I told this to a friend of mine and he told me to take the mehlig ones and they did the trick! Let me know if you suceeded.

Using a food processor or blender is always bad though no matter what kind of potatoes you started with. You can google it. Gluey.

Thanks for the responses (and it's good to know I'm not the first this has happened to - you should have seen my face when I saw my dough creation) - will make a second attempt at making perfect mash and report back...

edit: ah, yes Gen...did some searching and found. "Processing in a blender or a Food Processor acts like a cell homogenizer and releases all that starch into the liquid"

Wish I did that yesterday before making such a huge mess...

You need a potato ricer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_ricer

where can I get one?

It went wrong because you over aerated the starch. Same thing happens when you whip them a little too good. As for the mashed versus pureed phraseology, that is just ridiculous. Smooshed up taters are smooshed up taters.

yep, I shoulda known they were just trying to posh-ify good old mash!

It sounds crazy, but the method you use to destroy the cells of things will play a huge part in how it ultimately turns out. Potatoes are a good example of this, garlic is another. Also herbs torn vs. diced, curries that taste better when the flavors are hand ground in a particular order rather than done in a chopper. Sometimes you crush, sometimes you cut, sometimes you press, mash, etc. and this affects the end result, the potency, the structure, etc.

Beaten to it again. Potato ricers are available everywhere and can be found in Aldi or Lidl every few months for a fiver. They're ideal for smashing up lots of potatoes quickly and efficiently.

Never, EVER use an electric blender, mixer or food processor to mash potatoes. They stretch out the starch molecules and turn everything into glue/wallpaper paste. To get seriously creamy mash you need to rice the potatoes, add fat -- normally butter -- and salt (both in the cooking water and at the time of mixing), and mix everything gently but firmly. The Don will back me up on this.

woof.

Thanks!

Will try and get my hands on one of the ricer things. Haven't seen them in Lidl, but perhaps Karstadt or Kaufhof will have.

Have a great weekend everyone

Look/ask for a ... Kartoffelpresse

I personally don't like overly smooth mashed potatoes. It just seems too artificial and the texture ruins them for me. I use a plain old potato masher and mash away slowly adding in the other ingredients. I finish them off by gently whipping them with the potato masher to make them fluffy.

Well, it seems that this thread has been awarded "unfairly" the dumbest user award.

I use a Kartoffelstampfer

mmm.. homemade mashed 'taters with garlic yummy!

Pfanni makes great mixes, just add water, and they come with flavours too.

I can volunteer to be a taste-tester when you get them perfected . I love potatoes!

You are not alone Carm, I too love certain instant mashed tater mixes. Idahoan Real Premium kicks ass.

we keep the mini ones at the office for when we only have like 10min to eat, and you want something warm.

Oh wow I REALLY want mash tattys now! With cheese! mmmmmmmm cheese tattys *drool*

I'll agree this was unfairly nominated! I'm happy to have learnt what type of potatoes to buy so I too won't make glue

odd question, but can one make mashed potatoes with steamed potatoes?

There is no such thing. Mehlig is mealy, festkochend is firm. Two completely different types of potato. New potatoes tend to be more firm, the more you store them the older and less moist they become, they sort of disintegrate when you cook them.
@ Rilana - get a potato ricer at just about any hardware/cooking store or even REWE, Karstadt or Kaufland.
@ iain - sure you can but you will need more butter and milk to help the starch coagulating.

More than likely the speed was too high.Low speed and keep an eye on it.Put the spuds in with a little fluid and add butter and more fluid a little at a time.

Video Jug how to

BadDoggie is right, blenders fuck up mashed spuds.

Instead of a potato ricer, you could get a vegetable mill, a "mouli legumes" as the posh people call it. Aldi had them recently. They can do more than just mashing potaotes, so are more of a thrifty purchase. That said, a potato ricer is fantastic for squishing liquid out of grated potato when you are making rosti.
If you have not got that sort of gear in the house, whacking spuds through a sieve also works for mash, but is hassle..

Careful on the potato cooking too. Whilst floury potatoes are the type you want, they can also absorb too much water which will make your mash into slop. After cooking your spuds, drain, chuck 'em back in the pan, and whack a tea towel over the top, it will absorb any excess steam whilst still keeping them warm.

come on.. just boil your potatoes until they are extremely soft, remove all the water.

add milk and butter and reheat a little bit.. is it that difficult?

Either MrJohnSoda hasn't read any of the thread, or he isn't willing to believe anything that the previous posters posted.

What is so great about Kartoffel Puree? simplest thing to make! For 2 persons take 2 medium potatoes., peel them, cut them into 4to 6 pieces each, put them in a pot , cover the potatoes with water and cook for 15 minutes or so until they are 'gar' (soft) drain most of the water and empty into a mixing bowl and some salt (depends how much your salt taste buds like) add a cup of warmed up milk and beat wit a cake mixer until foamy (don't worry if appears to runny, potatoes will soak it up), then using a small skill pan melt a spoon of butter, add a few large spoonfull of 'semmelbroesel' (bread krumms), brown them to your liking and cover the potatoes with them. The Semmelbroesel add taste and prevent the potatoes from drying out so they can be prepared ahead of the other items you serve as lang as you can keep them warm. If you have the right size mixing bowl you can serve it right in that bowl. Fits with many dishes, from gulash to Schweinebraten. Mahlzeit!

Just amazing that so many people are into mashed potatoes. I saw another thread where some TT group gets together to prepare and compare them. Wauw. I mean, it's as healthy a hobby as any, but it is a bit different. I guess Germany is a land to love potatoes, but I don't necessarily think of mashed potatoes and Germany. Potato dumplings and other potato dishes, but not mash. Just saying "golly!" Enjoy!

uh wow more belongs to you... the other group comparing them is doing it for fun. there's a chili cook-off etc. that many TTers participate in. If you read the thread with the mashed potato cook off you'll see they are more of a group of people having fun/goofing off. Sure they might compare mashed potatoes, but...

"...many people are into mashed potatoes."

Kartoffel puree is not smashed potatoes, it is the best way to eat potatoes with very little effort required to prepare . How about Potato dumplings? There are 2 kinds of them,a) with cooked cold potatoes,at season filled with plum or apricots and b. what is known as Reiberknoedeln from raw potatoes and which are served with a Schweinsbratn. Unfortunately these require a lot more effort. Then there are Fingernudel (so called as they in the shape of a finger made from cooked potatoes,flower and eggs and are fried, often served with Sauerkraut. Usually served on a meatless day for the peasants. Have you ever tried Dampfnudeln? Another meal for a meatless day, often served on Fridays with fruit compotts or applesauce.
Oh the good old days.

My wife got me one last Christmas. Best present EVAH.. Awesome bit of kit.

Dampfnudeln have nothing to do with potatoes ...

Hahaha, I think he is talking about potato dumplings. When I make mashed potatoes I either like them lumpy (so you know that they are real!!!) and just mash them. If I want the no-lumps kind I use the Flotte Lotte - have totally forgotten the English word for it - 'cause most people have one, methinks. I use half cream half milk in my mash.

Oh, and something I picked up on Das Perfekte Dinner, if you cook celery with the potatoes and then put it all through the "Flotte Lotte" (shouldn't mash it) tastes scrummy.

Bon Appetit.

On September 11th Aldi has a passiermuhle for 9.99 might be worth a try.

I am completely baffled as to why anyone would want to ruin good mashed spuds by turning them in to puree...absolutely fnucking disgusting.

I think the word "puree" could be a misnomer and conjures something different. I think the OP really means - mashed potatoes with lumps or without lumps. Both taste equally scrummy to me.

A short time ago my sister told at the table that I used to have this ritual: Before digging into my mashed potatoes, I would make a volcano and fill the crater with ketchup. Then I would stir it - distributing the ketchup evenly throughout.

My daughter immediately piped in: "Yes, that is exactly how she taught me to eat them!!!" Hahaha, it was funny. I was never really conscious of the "ritual".

Now, if you want to call it:

I will accept your judgement. But, to this day, I still love ketchup with mashed potatoes!!!

Hmm, well I like daddies brown sauce with mine, only when they are accompanied with sausages though. Now I have a horrible craving for sausage and mash...damn you

Uh, it's all good! I am amused at the fancy, that's all! I just never knew what mashed ootatoes meant to people, as a source of fun and inspiration.

"Dampfnudeln have nothing to do with potatoes ..."

A Bavarian would say:" was da Ochs ned kennt, frista ned"

And since Dampfnudeln are virtually unknown outside Bavaria I don't blame you for not appreciating what "good"(& cheap) food is'. See above statement.

As for mashed potaoes and ketchup, I know from which side of the pond you are coming from. grrrrr... no taste for fancy food!

"Dampfnudeln have nothing to do with potatoes .."

You are right, no potato in there, but still a Friday dish im Rottal and a good one at that.