The Common Mistake Giving You Runny Mashed Potatoes

The simple, humble, darn near tasteless (on its own) potato is one of the vegetable world's great flavor vessels, and its textural versatility is possibly even more remarkable. However, is there any better use for this starchy virtuoso tuber than rich, creamy, velvety mashed potatoes? There are secrets to make your mashed potatoes taste even better, like salting the cooking water. And there are a number of mistakes that may be keeping you from perfect mashed potatoes, like using a food processor to mash them (you should mash them by hand). But let's add another one to the no-no list: It's a mistake to add all the liquid to your mashed potatoes at once.

Whether milk, cream, chicken stock, or your favorite plant milk for vegan mashed potatoes, simply dumping all of your liquid into the potatoes in a single go will leave them a sloppy, soupy mess. It will make them a veritable cereal bowl of potato lumps suspended in liquid, rather than fully integrated, fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes. You need to give the potatoes the opportunity to soak up all the added moisture and flavor a little bit at a time. To avoid thin, runny mashed potatoes, all you need is a little extra patience when doling out the liquids.

Make no mistake about it: The key to velvety-smooth, light, and airy mashed potatoes is all about the mixing process. You're going to need to take your time adding the ingredients (especially the liquids), but you don't want to overmix them into a thick, pasty glue, either. First of all, for better mashed potatoes, you need to add the butter first. Adding butter before the liquid ingredients will help keep some of the starchy texture stable before the milk or cream has a chance to soften it up. The fat in the butter (or alternative butter) will coat the starches, making a sort of lubricating barrier between each starchy molecule, so that they won't be completely obliterated into mush by the oncoming liquid.

Once the butter has been (somewhat tenderly) mashed into the potatoes, it's time to move onto the liquid. Milk works great, but for super smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, heavy whipping cream is a game-changer. No matter your liquid, it should be warmed up before you mash and mix it in. Pour just a bit at a time — about a quarter of the amount called for in the recipe — and allow it to absorb into the potatoes. Then keep adding until the potatoes are moist and fluffy, without any liquid running off to the side. If the potatoes are fully mashed at this point, mix your liquid in gingerly to let the ingredients combine without too much effort. Whipping them too heavily will completely break down the starches into a sticky paste. And there you have it: silky-smooth, airy, buttery mashed potatoes. It doesn't take any extra steps — just a little patience on the pour.