POTATO EMERGENCY!

[jeniac42]

So in my misguided attempt to create a surrogate Thanksgiving dinner on a Monday night, when I get home from work at 11pm and have to be back in school tomorrow at 9am, I have run into a snag.

I lent both my potato masher AND my KitchenAid (and all attachments therefor) to my friend last week, and forgot about it until now, when the potatoes are mere minutes away from being mashed.

It may be too late to save me, but how else could they be mashed? With a fork? Seems impractical and devastating for my tendonitis, but maybe it could be done.

Help!

[JasonTrue]

I've used a humble pastry blender before... but a fork has worked too.

So in my misguided attempt to create a surrogate Thanksgiving dinner on a Monday night, when I get home from work at 11pm and have to be back in school tomorrow at 9am, I have run into a snag.

I lent both my potato masher AND my KitchenAid (and all attachments therefor) to my friend last week, and forgot about it until now, when the potatoes are mere minutes away from being mashed.

It may be too late to save me, but how else could they be mashed?  With a fork?  Seems impractical and devastating for my tendonitis, but maybe it could be done.

Help!     

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[chezcherie]

got a wine bottle?

[SuzySushi]

Fork. Or with the back of a slotted spatula or slotted spoon.

[jeniac42]

We used the flimsy whisk to do the job. The potatoes are a bit gluey from being overworked, but otherwise OK.

[Fat Guy]

The trick, if you use a whisk for this purpose, is to mash rather than stir. You only want to use an up-and-down motion; not a round-and-round motion.

I've found, however, that a fork is not only suitable for mashing potatoes but actually superior to a masher. At least it is for the texture I prefer: more crushed than pureed or mashed. Fork-crushed potatoes are now a common fixture in fine dining restaurants all over the place. The fork works best on small portions, though. If you're cooking for more than four or five people, forget it.

[jeniac42]

I also prefer the crushed potato texture, which is why I've always used a masher (the kind with the bent metal rod rather than the kind with a metal disc with holes in it) instead of a mixer. I'll have to try the fork next time.

I tried to advise on proper whisk usage but was, alas, unheeded. Probably because by 2:30am most people are pretty hungry... oops.

[mochihead]

If you want a smooth rather than a "homestyle, chunky" mash, you can also push the potatoes through a sieve. (Personally, I prefer mashing with a fork for more homestyle mash.)

[curlywurlyfi]

put your fist inside a chunky coffee mug + bash away. Worked perfectly all through my university days!

[Milt]

My preferences are, in order: masher, ricer, pastry blender, wooden spoon. The final result is all that matters. A great many makeshift tools will accomplish that.

[Kevin72]

I've used a food processor with the shredding blade on before. Get rid of the stuff that accumulates on the blade as that will have been whipped into oblivion but the stuff that went into the bowl is fine.

[chef koo]

i would recommend that if you do'nt have a tool that would help with the masing that during the cokoing to over cook the potato. that way it'll help with the smoothness while having the handicap of not having the equipment

[Malawry]

I don't like overcooked mashers. I like my potatoes to be as dry as possible so I can cram more cream and butter into them. I usually dry them out by putting them back in the pan on the heat after draining for a few minutes and stirring them gently. This also starts them on the process of breaking down a little.

I like my mashers smooth, so I use a ricer or a food mill. I don't even own the wavy-line or grid-type manual masher devices.

[Shalmanese]

If you have a fine mesh strainer and a spatula, you can push your potatos through that for a smooth mash.

[pam claughton]

Two forks works well. One holds the potato down while the other smashes it.

This is a little trick I learned years ago in a restaurant where we had to make the caesar dressing tableside. We used two forks to crush the garlic and smear it along the bottom of the wooden bowl. I often do this when I'm going to saute garlic in oil, as it really releases the flavor into the oil.

Pam

[chappie]

I like to toss the cooked potatoes into an antique oak vat, pull latex covers over my socks and dance the Barynya while my assistant ladles in cream and butter. Alternately, I stuff the potatoes into a ziplock bag, seal, wrap in five layers of plastic grocery bags, hang from a door frame and use it as a punching bag.

But a wooden spoon works nicely, too.

[jsolomon]

put your fist inside a chunky coffee mug + bash away.  Worked perfectly all through my university days!

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I'd need a rather large coffee mug to do that! But, my mortar would do rather well in that regard.

[Malawry]

Chappie wins for creativity.

[pam claughton]

Chappie wins for creativity.

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Yes, he certainly does. I immediately thought of the old I Love Lucy episode when Lucy and Ethel visit a winery and stomp grapes in their bare feet.

Pam