The head chef explained why we are cooking mashed potatoes incorrectly

Do you enjoy mashed potatoes and think you know how to make them? We risk disappointing you, but according to professionals, real mashed potatoes are not easy to make, and most amateurs make a number of classic mistakes when cooking them.

To address this issue, The Mirror published an article on how to cook mashed potatoes correctly. Mary Frances Heck from the Bon Appetit test kitchen shared her insights with the journalists.

Here are some tips from the expert on how to improve the quality of the dish and avoid the most common mistakes.

9 tips from a professional: how to cook mashed potatoes correctly

The first tip from Mary Frances is to wash the potatoes thoroughly. It may seem obvious, but poorly washed potatoes are the easiest way to ruin a dish, without the ability to fix it.

The second thing that the chef recommends paying attention to is several varieties of potatoes that should be used in the cooking process. This solution, according to the professional, will significantly improve the texture of mashed potatoes. In particular, Mary Frances advises using a mixture of waxy and starchy potatoes.

Then, she says, do not throw the potatoes into boiling water; put them in cold water so that they cook evenly.

The fourth tip is to keep the temperature constant. If you cook the potatoes too intensely, they may fall apart prematurely.

Fifth tip: Sprinkle the potatoes generously with seasoning. And immediately add more salt to the water so that it absorbs it well.

Tip number six concerns the temperature of milk and butter. According to Mary Frances, the butter should be cold so that it melts evenly, but the milk should be heated. This will make the puree lighter and more tender.

In addition, the expert says, don't forget to drain the water before mashing, and use a meat grinder instead of a fork and a food mill to get rid of lumps and make the mash fluffy.