My Tips on Mash and the Potato Ricer

Here’s a gadget that I couldn’t live without.  The Potato Ricer.  It’s brilliant for mashed potatoes any mash actually and purees too.   You can even use it to make German Spaetzle noodles. The video is in German but you’ll get the drift! There are loads of Potato Ricers on the market, but I’m going to let you in on the secrets I’ve learnt over the years. These are the things that made me choose which Potato Rice I would sell in the cooking school.

Selecting a potato ricer

I think I’m an authority on Potato Ricers.  LOL, I’ve owned or used quite a few mashers in my time and because of this, I can tell you what not to buy and why.

• Don’t buy a ricer that is all in one if you’re like me and want to stuff it in the dishwasher.   It’s too hard to fit it in up the right way, so enough water flushes through. If you can’t remove the discs, everything gets stuck inside like a sieve.
• Don’t buy a mouli or food mill style ricer.  Many restaurants use them, and they look all professional and that but, they’re equally as hard to clean. In fact, most won’t fit in your dishwasher. So unless you like washing large bulky items that have lots of parts, forget it.  They also start to slip over time, and you’ll need to replace them sooner than a ricer. Unless you’re cooking for 30 or more, then forget this one.
• Don’t get one that is big and clunky. You might think it looks strong and sturdy, but after you’ve used a streamlined one, you’ll see this is all you need. 
• Stainless steel seems like a good idea (at the time). Except, all the ones I’ve used either come in one piece, or they’re massive. That gives them a black mark because, again, they’re too hard to clean.  They’re also noisy when clanking them against your bowls.  I find them not as nice to use.  The good thing is, get a stainless one, and it will last forever.  Dam, I have one in the house, but the one in the cooking school is better.  See, I thought it was a good idea at the time.  Shhhh, I think I’ll have to give it away so I can replace it. ???
• Make sure the one you get has a small arm at the round end where you put your spuds in.  Opposite to the handles. That arm’s built to rest on the other side of your bowl.  This is great for resting the ricer on your bowl rim hands-free. It’s handy to stand it on the bowl and not make a mess on the bench.
• Make sure it comes with different size disks so you can choose how smooth or coarse you want your mash.

My tips for making great mash potato

1. Wash your spuds or buy washed potatoes that are good for mashing and rinse.  
2. Pop them in a pot and 1/2 to 2/3rds cover with cold water from the tap and pop a lid on. You don’t have to fill the pot to the top with water, conserve the water, energy and your time.  Yep leave the skin on, this helps lock in the potato flavour.
3. If you wish you can add some rosemary or another hard herb to the pot for a change if you like.
4. Turn the stove on to medium-high and bring to a boil then reduce to a rolling boil, just enough to stop the lid from chattering too much.  Depending on a few factors like quantity, size of pot etc. it should take around 30 minutes to boil them through. Don’t keep taking the lid off or they’ll take longer and you’ll reduce the water by letting the steam escape.  You don’t want your pot to run dry.  Test them after 20 minutes with a knife so you’ll know how they’re tracking.   Pop the lid back on and continue to simmer till they’re soft.
5. As soon as they’re soft all the way through and they’re still really hot, set up your bowl and ricer.  Grab a pair of tongs and one at a time (or two depending on size) drop a spud in the ricer and press.  If you use the very end of the handles, you’ll notice it’s easy. That’s leverage ? Also f you squeeze everything out then open again, you’ll notice the skin has stuck to the top of the leaver.  Awesome, easy to remove the skin with the tongs. Although, you don’t have to do this every time, do it when you’ve built up a few. 
6. Do all this while the potatoes are really hot, or the texture will change to a gluey mess.  That is for any method you choose; potatoes just do that.  Add quite a bit of salt and cream and stir with a fork to blend. You could use butter and milk same, same but different. I tend to use cream because it’s just the one addition.  And how do you make butter?  Cream huh).
7. Taste, does it need more salt, pepper, truffle oil LOL  Dish it up, they’ll love it.

So which is my favourite potato ricer? 

The image above is my favourite it’s made by Metaltex. They’re hard to find but the price is right and they’re not bad quality. If you want one that is a bit more substantial then check these out. Google Metaltex Potato Ricer. There are so many to choose from on the internet but this one meets all my requirements.

About Metalex Potato Ricers

Forget the heavy work of mashing cooked vegetables with a masher and save on power when you use this handy and versatile potato ricer from Metaltex. Perfect for making baby foods, dessert fruit purees, and any mashed vegetables you fancy, this is the alternative you’ve been looking for. Choose from the three styles of included pressing discs then fill the press with the cooked foods, close the handles and press evenly for deliciously consistent results.

Set includes:

• Potato press
• 3 x stainless steel ricing discs – Fine, Medium and Coarse

Key Features:

• Plastic / Stainless steel
• 37cm in length
• Easy to use
• Three ricing styles
• Interchangeable discs
• Strong leverage
• Dishwasher safe

Want to know more?

What about other ways with veg, here’s some more tips for perfect roast vegetables.