We look forward to having holiday dinners with my in-laws every year for many reasons, but the highlight of the meal has to be my husband’s grandfather’s mashed potatoes. He has made them every year for decades, but now he’s 95 years old and ready to pass the torch to someone else. I am more than happy to take up the task, but I also wanted to find a way to put my own spin on the dish while still cooking up a huge, delicious batch of mashed potatoes everyone will enjoy.
Recently, I saw a tip on the Food Network’s TikTok account (@foodnetwork) that I had never seen before. Chef Poppy O’Toole (aka Poppy Cooks) shared three tips to get fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes. O’Toole, a Michelin-trained chef, bestselling cookbook author and potato queen really knows her stuff, so I was excited to see what gems she had to share.
While I did know about two of the tips O’Toole shared, one was new to me. I made a note of it so I can incorporate it into my mashed potato making this year and hopefully do grandpa proud.
Related: The Genius Mashed Potato Trick That Will Make Thanksgiving Dinner 10x Easier
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@foodnetwork 3 genius tips to making perfect mashed potatoes from the Potato Queen herself! 🥔👸 Thank you, @Poppy O’Toole! #LastBiteHotel
♬ original sound – Food Network
Why You Should Steam Dry Your Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes
Two of the tips O’Toole shared were already things that I’ve put into place in my potato-cooking life, but it’s worth sharing them. First, add your potatoes to a pot of cold water and bring the water up to a boil. Staring the potatoes in cold water will help them cook evenly and retain their fluffy texture. Her third tip was to press the cooked potatoes through a fine mesh sieve or a colander to make them nice and fluffy. (A potato ricer is also a great tool for this job, if you have one.)
But it was the second tip that made me take notice. According to Poppy, you should steam dry your potatoes after they have cooked. This was new to me!
Once they are boiled, drain the potatoes, then place the colander, with the potatoes still in it, inside the pot. Drape the colander with a clean kitchen towel to help hold the steam in as your potatoes dry. You should let them sit for around 3-5 minutes to give them time to dry and for the steam to dissipate.
Steaming the potatoes dry before mashing helps remove moisture, which is the enemy of fluffy mashed potatoes. Think about it: If you squish a waterlogged potato through a sieve it’s going to squeeze out in starchy ribbons, which is not what you want. A steam-dried potato, on the other hand, with come out the other side of the sieve as fluffy potato snow. Add warm milk and butter to that snow, give it a stir and you have fluffy, delicious, super smooth mashed potatoes.
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