@@danalejandro1504 ...haha..saving you time? But you took the time to make that comment, AND...it has more words in it than the other one,lol! Funny sh*t man🤘✌
@@binilgn5941 don't you have a hater's ball to attend somewhere? I cook a lot too and people like Alex and myself skip steps because we know them. There were SO many nuances in that chefs recipe that would easily be overlooked by anyone. Can't you just enjoy the ride?
America: Add bacon to it. South Europe/Mediterranean: Olive oil! Eastern Europe: Sour cream? France: If it's not at least 50% butter you are doing it WRONG.
-- England - butter, butter and cream. Proper cream. Not that french pretend cream. Not that weird American squirty cream. I mean cream. Real cream. Clotted cream if you dare.
nick260682 Nick I am italian use olive oil I recently had my first afternoon tea at my home and I went crazy looking for clotted cream I’m in Toronto and went to fine foods shops wondering if they stopped importing it?
As a ex-chef who worked in a French restaurant in Chicago for a chef raised and trained in Paris, I can officially say you aren’t wrong about this. Not even remotely.
I learned recently that using baked potatoes instead of boiled potatoes produces an exceptionally strong potato flavor in the final mash. I think there is some caramelization of starches that happens in that process too that adds more complexity to the flavor. I'd highly recommend trying it
You can get almost the same by only steaming the potatoes than drowning them in water. But some people (including me) don't like the taste of steamed potatoes in a puree. But actually it's the real potato taste if you do like this.
It’s really not like that man. It just makes it fluffier. It’s very good I’ve been doing it for years. But I’m sorry you’re just being ridiculous 😂 you sound like you’re out of your mind
It's because boiled potatoes loses lots of it's starch Wich explains the lost in flavor however it's the best way to cook it if you want to loose weight especially you add tons of butter to the mashed potato+ milk.
Robuchon in the first video: *uses unpeeled rattes* Alex: *immediately peels yukons* "Waï iz zis notte weurkigne? Aï am louzigne maï maïnde" Never change ♥️
You can increase the 'potato-taste' by heating the milk with the peeled potato skins before adding it to the mash. The skins I believe contain a lot flavour.
For texture I like to clean the potatoes well and zest them into the mashed potatoes. Sometimes I want the vitamins and calories without the texture lol
world citizen G I don’t get it. So because babies also eat it, that makes it baby food? Or is it because you think mashed potatoes originially were made for babies only?
@@Liz-ki4vy Yummy! Well I should shut up... When I bake bread I overboil to make potatoes start to break apart, then use a fork to smash them... Their next fate is that I add them to the bread as small tiny potato particles...
I've used both a wisk and an electric hand mixer before. The type that you would use for pancakes or whipped cream. I can't decide which is better though.
As a Peruvian, I have to speak out... you mention two big families of potatoes and their varieties. Which is correct, BUT, I notice you consider only the white and yellow categories of potatoes. In Perú, we have a third category, which is actually the most important category in the history of peruvian cuisine: the native potatoes. For those who don't know, potatoes are native from Perú, and I never tried the ratte variety you used, but I assure you that you don't the need that big amount of butter to actually taste the flavor of a good mashed potatoes recipe. Sometimes, I even mix more than two types of potatoes to get the most crazy flavor and to experiment with. Soooo If you ever have the chance to travel to Peru, you will be amazed by the amount of varieties you can find for real cheap, near to 3000 varieties, different textures, flavors, colors shapes, is just amazing... Good job tho!
I know that in Peru you have a larger variety of potatoes. I've once seen a documentary where among other things they were talking about a sort of potatoes that people were transporting them high up on a mountain, and letting them there for a period of time because otherwise, they are poisonous. But after this "treatment" they are treated as a delicacy. I have though to say that, here in Europe there are also different varietis of potatoes and more than that, the same sort of potatoes can have different characteristics and tastes, depending on the soil and region where they are being cultivated. In my experience, the more watery potatoes are the fewer chances to make a mashed potato out of them. The best mashed potato I ever had was actually made by baking the potatoes in the oven, skin on, instead of boiling them in water.
@@strangev0id To me, the massive amount of butter used in French cooking is one of its faults. All that butter coats the taste buds and masks a lot of subtle flavors. I would also never use a ricer on potatoes, it destroys what little texture the potato retains after boiling.
Exactly my thoughts... I was like... dude, to me all the high-starch potatoes (well the ones I tried here anyway) taste like garbage. You just need to get some that taste great to you I'd say.
Alex plsssss make a sauce series... I love your videos so much and they are so entertaining while at the same time teaching valuable info in the kitchen, but also I feel like sauces around the globe will be your best series yet!!! keep up the good work!!!! Edit: Thanks guys for the support, and thank you Alex for the response... Can’t wait!!
The funny thing is: Everyone is told to use starchy potatoes for mashed potatoes and waxy ones for fries but the best mash is made out of waxy potatoes and the best fries out of starchy ones..
@@bluwolf098 id imagine its probably more to do with how easy it is to cook with for the commonplace. as he said at the end lumps 100% without a sieve, as a commoner i wouldnt sieve mash potatoes
I’ve had Robuchons’s mashed potatoes. From another planet in my opinion. Almost ethereal. I often find basic dishes executed to perfection are the ultimate test, especially for us plebeians. Bravo for sharing.
The worst, I think, is what we experience in Greece: they don't mention variety, they mention their place of origin, which has practically no value for a number of reasons! It's very common with roots, legumes etc. At least most fruits are usually referred to by cultivar.
Cut potato in half, rub halfs on eachother and if it getting gluey and you see white liquid then you know potato is starchy, if it isn't getting gluey and you just see transparent water then you know it has low amount of starch
Why does this 3 Star potato puree NOT consist of red skinned potatoes?!? They have the most awesome aroma! Or "Bamberger Hörnchen" which taste awesome as well?!? All you need for those is a bit of butter or butter-taste oil and WHOA BABY!
Alex: if you don't have the right potato type, you leave them after cooking with peel on for about 6-12 hours. Then they have an intense, still pleasing taste of potatoes. Chefs Trick.
Brilliant. Used to make this for Aiden Byrne at 20 stories in Manchester. Passing through a mesh while still warm and allowing the spuds to dry out after draining also helps with how the butter is taken up. Mind blowing when done well. Excellent tip about leaving skins on.
@@frenchdude3052 It does not matter. I keep them usually in the pressure-cooker as is over night, unless I hear the valve pop open, and then I put them in a bowl.
This is still one of my most favorite videos on youtube. It's funny, it's informative and it's just all around so well made. This just proves all the love he puts in his videos.
Hi Alex, I wanted to share with you my top advice for mashed potatoes - after you boil them you need to dry them really well. How I do it is after I boil the peeled potatoes I get rid of the water and mash them in the pot while they are still hot and I leave the cooker on minimum heat for a few minutes until the mashed potatoes are perfectly dry. Only then I add butter or milk.
Not only is Alex like a master filmmaker with these videos, but also his cooking videos are by far the most unique that I've ever seen. I love it all. It keeps me engaged.
I am not a cook just a simple man who wanted to make mashed potatoes which I've never made before so thank you for making it so complicated...lol. I loved your video so very much you were entertaining and so very respectful to all those mentors before you which sometimes is lost in American culture. Thank you for teaching the simple differences from the equipment you use and how just a different potatoe can change everything. I look forward to more of your videos.
It's my favorite holiday meal left over, I purposely make enough so I have at least three extra servings for myself later. Spectacularly unhealthy and that's why it's great.
@@recoil53 As if the rest of the holiday meal leftovers are healthy m8 ;) If your liver doesn't hurt for a week you didn't indulge in the gluttony enough ...
I always thought a mashed potato is a mashed potato. Until I had dinner at a Joël Robuchon restaurant and was served the mash. The dish turned my world around. How can a simple potato create so much richness? Alex, I love the way you story tell the mastering of cooking. It is a good reminder that the details in ingredients or technique count and make all the difference.
Heston Blumenthal has a technique in his _"At Home"_ cookbook (which is hilariously named by they way) that I have had a fair amount of success with and might take Robuchon's pommes puree a step further with some added science. It involves par cooking your potatoes for like 25 min at a lower, and very specific temp; I think its 72C but I'd have to look. This temperature has some effect on the starch in the potato; effectively gelatinizing it. You cook them a second time like you would for a regular mash, but when you actually mash it, the starch doesn't leak into the mash and create that gluey texture. Anyone interested in great mash, should pick up that book, even if only for that technique.
Same, I think he intentionally did that to create a more entertaining video. His videos often use the same scheme 1. I reproduce a receipe 2. It's not good enough 3. What am I missing ? 4. Oh i got it 5. New receipe 6. Way better It was the same with the beer for example. Even though, his videos are still very enjoyable and instructive
I felt in this case his video was a bit boring. It's common kitchen knowledge that raw materials dictate the outcome. In the matter of mashed potatoes, there is a single raw ingredient. If the end product is not what you envisioned, it's not like a long list of possibilities you have to work through in order to look at the potato you're using. I guess this video just felt a bit obvious and stayed.
He knew. It's a narrative device to make us feel as if we are exploring and learning with him. If you switch off your brain, it's easy to think it's real, but it's just a standard editing trick. Not that it's wrong to use it.
Okay I just discovered this channel today and subscribed. And I confirmed after watching this video, I regret nothing 😂. The filming, the humor, recipes, the way it’s really informing about cooking, just Alex himself is amazing. One of my favorite cooking channels from this moment on.
Hey Alex, if youre ever in need for video ideas I'd love to see some homemade filled pasta (tortellini, ravioli etc) with different fillings. Would be a cool expansion to the pasta series!
This reminds me of my days training as a commis chef and standing beside my head chef and watching him cook a dish and then trying to replicate the nuances in the techniques and learning those points of transfer that he has learned and practiced for 30 or so years. Tough but worth it! Subbed man.
I think I saw Heston Blumenthal say in one of his videos that potatoes have the most flavour in their skin. Following his advice, when making mashed potatoes I always clean them very thoroughly and peel them, and save the peel to infuse milk while the potatoes are cooking. When mashing the potatoes, I use the potato peel infused milk and it really brings up the potato flavor. I recommend it 100%.
@@grahamweaver4423 I just heat up the milk in a saucepan and throw all the clean potato peels in. When it comes to the boil I switch off the gas and leave them to infuse the milk with their flavor until I need to combine the milk with the boiled potatoes. It costs nothing and it involves almost no extra work. I always do it since I learnt it.
The chefs I have worked under mixed starchy and waxy potatoes, to get the best of both worlds, texture and flavor. Russet + Red Potatoes is a very popular combo.
What about baking the potatoes first and then mashing them? I agree with you on mixing both waxy and starchy varieties to get both texture and flavour.
@@BigHenFor Another good way to extract unwanted water! Remember to puree the flesh rather than simply mashing it if you want the refined finish this recipe produces.
I make a lot of mash, I've made it this way before but it's too gluey and smooth for my personal palette. For the best mix I've ever found, I mix red potatoes with Yukon golds (half-half), and put them in a large mixing machine with a baker's net attachment (AKA flat beater) at a very low speed with unsalted butter, sea salt, and parsley. If you mix them too long they become gluey due to the low starch content in the reds, but if you mix at a slow speed for just the right amount of time (around a minute usually) you get the absolute best mashed potatoes you'll ever taste. They're fluffy but not too fluffy, smooth but not too smooth, sticky but not gluey, just that perfect texture. Also make sure to always use cold/hard butter, never melted. The colder the butter, the better it mixes in, even butter straight from the refrigerator is fine.
@@Shaun.Stephens Yeah if you listen to his conversation with homecookprochef whatever it is, you'll notice he says "failure is what people want to see"... this felt like he saw the recipe, and deliberately left things out in order to fail / show progress and "explain" things. I'm liking his stuff less every video myself. Also, his constant harassment of celebrities by trying to use his fans to spam them is fucking lame.
Hey Alex, thanks for the great video. I just stumbled upon your channel, and I know this particular episode was quite some time ago, but if you ever consider revisiting the recipe, I'd like to suggest using oven-roasted ratte potatoes for your mash instead of boiled. In my experience this really achieves the concentrated "potatoey" flavor you were going for by steaming the mash before adding your dairy. Best, and thanks again for the great content!
I got my face mask, rooibos tea going on while crocheting and watching stuff in the background then I see Alex uploaded '2 minutes ago'. My night just got even better
I doubt you will read this after so long but at the start of my career I was a chef in some very nice Michelin star restaurants. The best technique I was ever taught for mash was to place around 500-1000g of salt on a baking tray and place your potatoes on top, bake them in the oven then scoop out the flesh, pass through a sieve then mix with warm milk and butter. Season with salt, white pepper and a hint of lemon juice. We used a variety called Mayan Gold.
Love the passion for learning and perfection. I've been teaching myself to cook for the last few years and your videos have been very helpful! Thank you for all the hard work!
This reminds me when I stayed a few weeks at my friend's house in Ecuador. When I asked his mother for the mashed potatoes recipe all he told me was: butter, milk, a pinch of salt and potatoes! Later on I figured out what kind of potatoes people used in Ecuador, looks a lot like the Ratte type, small and almost amber yellow!
That is how I learned it from my mother. With some white pepper. But only butter, milk, salt and pepper. And sometimes with butter in the center of the mashed potatoes on the plate. I am in Sweden, Scandinavia.
but then its not a 3 star michelin pomme puree, which is im pretty sure the whole point of this video, not saying its a bad idea but i dont think its what he's going for, plus you wouldnt get that creamy texture that hes going for, your going for more of a rustic potato that would be akin to what paula deen would make and not what an all time michelin chef would make
@@lacanaubay if you're using generic store bought ones. Most typical restaurants have access to higher quality ingredients than a grocery store. A Michelin starred one would be able to pick the best
Hello from Canada's west coast! I've also been on a mission to perfect Chef Robuchon's pomme purée. I started out using Yukon Gold potatoes and got very good results. However, this year I decided to grow two hard to find potato varieties: la Ratte and Bintje. The Bintje are for my special Gratin Dauphinois but the la Ratte has made all the difference in my smooth, rich, creamy, unctuous pomme purée. The only other variety I wold like to try is BF15 (Belle de Fontenay X Flava). For added flavour and creaminess, I also use high fat (84%) butter from Stirling Creamery (Stirling ON), Cow's Creamery (Charlottetown PEI) or, if I can afford it, Farmhouse Cheeses in Agassiz BC. Farmhouse and Cow's both offer cultured butter which is well worth it.
I've always used a combination of half russet and the other half yukon gold to make my mashed potatoes boiled with salt and minced garlic. I use all the same things to season, salt & pepper, butter, milk/heavy cream, but also a bit of cream cheese!
I've eaten at Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas and had the Menu Degustation - 16 Course Meal. It was a once in a lifetime treat. His mashed potatoes were fantastic. I'll have to try this recipe myself.
That last taste from the spoon teleported me back to 2003 when my beloved mom made a fenomenal mashed potatos that have been harvested from our little farm. Thank you for the video, i enjoyed every second of it. Also R.I.P Mr Robuchon... What a legend....❤
When I was training as a chef many many years ago, before I changed career, my teacher would put egg yolk into the potato along with butter and nutmeg and mix after ricing. The result was astounding. Minus the ricer I still use this recipe.
Nutmeg [freshly ground] is a potatoes best friend. Also use freshly milled white pepper. Not only does the white hide in the mash better visually but its slight funk goes with potatoes so much more than black pepper.
Alex, Due to quarantine, I've had the time to make this about 15 times. 2 of which were basically 'nailing it', or as close as I can come in the U.S. since Ratte are not really available unless I want to grow them myself lol. I used Fingerling, specifically I bought the mixed color bags and separated the yellow ones to use when I was really in the mood for a try-hard attempt. (to be fair, I used the purple, blue etc. ones to practice the technique.) Thanks for your cool video and the journey you went on. Any suggestions for the Ratte replacement problem would be appreciated!
Alex you are one of my favorite chefs! I've been in culinary for 12 years and about to release a cookbook. You're a huge inspiration that has helped transform me from a run-of-the-mill cook to blowing people's minds with food. Just wanted to say thanks and I wish you well.
Incredible video production, timing the music clips, editing every single video clip, fixing the audio sound. And still you cook at the same time. Amazing.
NotMyNamePlease! My Canadian relatives use to do that! My aunt used to boil them in their skins and while they were boiling she would fry lardons of smoked bacon until it was crispy then take that out the pan and chop up the white parts of some spring onions fry them in the bacon fat then mash she would mash the potatoes not completely a tiny bit rough and then add butter,salt and pepper,the crispy bacon and then the fried onions and the green part of the onions chopped and give it a good mix, bloody amazing! Worth the plane ticket.
Everything is delicious with a quarter kilo of butter in it.
Pretty much the reason croissants taste good
Anthony bourdain said the same thing. Butter makes everything perfect.
- America 2019
Sugar is the killer so why not?
Too much butter is disgusting 🤢🤮
Recipe: add the potatoes with the skin on
Alex: immediately skins the potatoes
T.I.P. Harris I was just typing this exact comment out, thanks for saving me the time lol
And using not just the wrong kind of potatoes, but also, by the look of it, a low grade selection.
It’s pretty obvious he is doing it wrong on purpose just to make the video longer. He could just follow the recipe and be done in 30 seconds
@@danalejandro1504 ...haha..saving you time? But you took the time to make that comment, AND...it has more words in it than the other one,lol! Funny sh*t man🤘✌
@@binilgn5941 don't you have a hater's ball to attend somewhere? I cook a lot too and people like Alex and myself skip steps because we know them. There were SO many nuances in that chefs recipe that would easily be overlooked by anyone. Can't you just enjoy the ride?
America: Add bacon to it.
South Europe/Mediterranean: Olive oil!
Eastern Europe: Sour cream?
France: If it's not at least 50% butter you are doing it WRONG.
Idaho: yes.
--
England - butter, butter and cream. Proper cream. Not that french pretend cream. Not that weird American squirty cream. I mean cream. Real cream. Clotted cream if you dare.
nick260682
Nick I am italian use olive oil I recently had my first afternoon tea at my home and I went crazy looking for clotted cream I’m in Toronto and went to fine foods shops wondering if they stopped importing it?
*cries in southern France*
Brazil: add cream cheese or shoestring potato chips on top of finished meal
I love how a tire company has the most prestigious awards for cooking
Make people travel to restaurants, sell more tires. French logic basically.
@@RedSkyWhisper guerilla marketing
It was originally a travel guide. Rating restaurants for how much they recommend making a trip there. To sell more tires
1 star worth a visit 2 star worth diverting for your journey 3 star completely planning on going there
Les embeciles
"Doesn't feel like croquette science."
Olli Wilkman bwahahaha
haha! Have you been saving that one up for a suitable video?
@@Nilguiri Nah that's just what I first heard Alex say on the video.
@@OlliWilkman ah. that's disappointing! haha
Read this just as he was saying it..... Haha
Me: "Dear God, I want to master french cuisine."
God: "Put 250g butter into every dish and you're done."
Friend, you owe me a cup of coffee to replace the amount I splashed myself with laughing at your comment :))
you wished it was that simple though..
As a ex-chef who worked in a French restaurant in Chicago for a chef raised and trained in Paris, I can officially say you aren’t wrong about this. Not even remotely.
It has nothing to do with ftench cuisine, just cuisine in general. Butter (fat) and salt makes good food.
@@daandemeyer1708 It's the same here in southern Europe with olive oil.
I swear his accent has been getting even more French if that's even possible.
The man knows what we love
Il le fait exprès
its over done. look at his first vids lol
@@deadmou5e887 Okay -- that is funny :)
@@mameh4243 my le fart you can asmèll
I learned recently that using baked potatoes instead of boiled potatoes produces an exceptionally strong potato flavor in the final mash. I think there is some caramelization of starches that happens in that process too that adds more complexity to the flavor. I'd highly recommend trying it
You can get almost the same by only steaming the potatoes than drowning them in water. But some people (including me) don't like the taste of steamed potatoes in a puree. But actually it's the real potato taste if you do like this.
It’s really not like that man. It just makes it fluffier. It’s very good I’ve been doing it for years. But I’m sorry you’re just being ridiculous 😂 you sound like you’re out of your mind
@@hatesitrick No
It's because boiled potatoes loses lots of it's starch Wich explains the lost in flavor however it's the best way to cook it if you want to loose weight especially you add tons of butter to the mashed potato+ milk.
I will!!!ty
Robuchon in the first video: *uses unpeeled rattes*
Alex: *immediately peels yukons* "Waï iz zis notte weurkigne? Aï am louzigne maï maïnde"
Never change ♥️
Yukons make really lovely mash, but I leave the skin on for flavor and texture. Guess that's what's keepinh the Michelin stars away 😉
why does this look like a german phrase tho?
@@introverseleague Probably because of the umlauts.
@@unnamed47 dude don't take this seriously... it was something to just laugh ahah
@@unnamed47 😂😂😂
It’s 3 am and I’m watching a French dude making mashed potatoes...
you're normal.
My situation exactly.
im high and in bed with tomorrow watching this
Omg me too lol
Same...
His accent is so heavy that youtube auto generates subtittles in French
I thought you were joking until I saw it for myself
OMG hahaha
i screamed
@@yumi5835 bro i died and resurected
Lmao
You can increase the 'potato-taste' by heating the milk with the peeled potato skins before adding it to the mash. The skins I believe contain a lot flavour.
For texture I like to clean the potatoes well and zest them into the mashed potatoes. Sometimes I want the vitamins and calories without the texture lol
thank you. cool tipp.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present butter, with a small side of potatoes.
this is exactly why I don't eat mesh potatos, it looks like baby food :)
@@worldcitizeng6507 what's wrong with baby food?
@@garethbaus5471 nothing wrong for baby, but mashed potatoes is adult baby food😏
@@worldcitizeng6507 mashed potatoes is amazing
world citizen G I don’t get it. So because babies also eat it, that makes it baby food? Or is it because you think mashed potatoes originially were made for babies only?
>dont use food processor
Me a barbarian with a fork and hand potato masher: who uses food proccesor for a mashed potato????
Yep, that's me too! My family likes lumpy potatoes. They don't like anything "too mushy"!
@@Liz-ki4vy Yummy! Well I should shut up... When I bake bread I overboil to make potatoes start to break apart, then use a fork to smash them...
Their next fate is that I add them to the bread as small tiny potato particles...
Executioner's Calling, never thought I would find you here
We use the good old hand potato masher too. I always found super smooth potatoes slightly off putting due to the texture.
I've used both a wisk and an electric hand mixer before. The type that you would use for pancakes or whipped cream. I can't decide which is better though.
The waiters in french restaurants always ask - "do you want some mashed potatoes with that butter?"
Lmao
B A 🧈🧈🧈🧈🧈
@ they just released a butter emoji on WhatsApp 👀👀👀 if you have android you already have it
B A - 🧈🧈🧈 there is on iPad - right next to the 🥖🥖🥖🥖🥖
As a Peruvian, I have to speak out... you mention two big families of potatoes and their varieties. Which is correct, BUT, I notice you consider only the white and yellow categories of potatoes. In Perú, we have a third category, which is actually the most important category in the history of peruvian cuisine: the native potatoes. For those who don't know, potatoes are native from Perú, and I never tried the ratte variety you used, but I assure you that you don't the need that big amount of butter to actually taste the flavor of a good mashed potatoes recipe.
Sometimes, I even mix more than two types of potatoes to get the most crazy flavor and to experiment with. Soooo
If you ever have the chance to travel to Peru, you will be amazed by the amount of varieties you can find for real cheap, near to 3000 varieties, different textures, flavors, colors shapes, is just amazing... Good job tho!
I would love to visit Peru and try some of the 3000 Varieties of potatoes. In Australia we have 5 or 6 varieties. 🇦🇺
@@mariatalarico1058 Peruvian food is amazing. Not just the potatoes, but also the corn - so many types! - and the seafood.
Nice, in France we use butter a LOT ! IN everything.
I know that in Peru you have a larger variety of potatoes. I've once seen a documentary where among other things they were talking about a sort of potatoes that people were transporting them high up on a mountain, and letting them there for a period of time because otherwise, they are poisonous. But after this "treatment" they are treated as a delicacy.
I have though to say that, here in Europe there are also different varietis of potatoes and more than that, the same sort of potatoes can have different characteristics and tastes, depending on the soil and region where they are being cultivated. In my experience, the more watery potatoes are the fewer chances to make a mashed potato out of them. The best mashed potato I ever had was actually made by baking the potatoes in the oven, skin on, instead of boiling them in water.
@@strangev0id To me, the massive amount of butter used in French cooking is one of its faults. All that butter coats the taste buds and masks a lot of subtle flavors.
I would also never use a ricer on potatoes, it destroys what little texture the potato retains after boiling.
me an agriculture student: what kind of potato is he going to use?
Alex: what I'm doing wrong?
me: THE POTATO ALEX THE FOEKING POTATO
Potatoes are awesome.
FOEKING POTAYTOW
i feel you my man ! joel used the ratte !
Exactly my thoughts... I was like... dude, to me all the high-starch potatoes (well the ones I tried here anyway) taste like garbage. You just need to get some that taste great to you I'd say.
Same
Alex plsssss make a sauce series... I love your videos so much and they are so entertaining while at the same time teaching valuable info in the kitchen, but also I feel like sauces around the globe will be your best series yet!!! keep up the good work!!!!
Edit: Thanks guys for the support, and thank you Alex for the response... Can’t wait!!
Yesss he liked this comment ! Want to see your take on sauce 101 so bad !
sammmmmmw
I will. In fact, I am on it.
Hi alex
Sauce sauce sauce! :D
The funny thing is:
Everyone is told to use starchy potatoes for mashed potatoes and waxy ones for fries but the best mash is made out of waxy potatoes and the best fries out of starchy ones..
Be Red So someone fucked up the message somewhere.
Couldn't agree more. It's a weird world out there.
@@bluwolf098 id imagine its probably more to do with how easy it is to cook with for the commonplace. as he said at the end lumps 100% without a sieve, as a commoner i wouldnt sieve mash potatoes
@@chrisbrindas1559 good point.
So, it was the COMMONERS that messed it up for us! Lazy bastards wouldn't take the time to sieve their waxy potatoes
@@chrisbrindas1559 Also price, only a fancy restaurant is going to use the most expensive potatoes available for mash.
I’ve had Robuchons’s mashed potatoes. From another planet in my opinion. Almost ethereal. I often find basic dishes executed to perfection are the ultimate test, especially for us plebeians. Bravo for sharing.
@@damdibidum I heard it's pure fat from intact mammoths in the permafrost
@@Astrodicted I heard it’s from cows fed exclusively on a diet of 4 leaf clovers.
Most Internet thread I've ever seen.
Stores in my country don't even label the potatoes other than "potato". :(
The worst, I think, is what we experience in Greece: they don't mention variety, they mention their place of origin, which has practically no value for a number of reasons! It's very common with roots, legumes etc. At least most fruits are usually referred to by cultivar.
Cut potato in half, rub halfs on eachother and if it getting gluey and you see white liquid then you know potato is starchy, if it isn't getting gluey and you just see transparent water then you know it has low amount of starch
@@misinnio Don't think my local grocery store will be happy that I cut their potatoes in half and rub them together in the store ;)
@@tokega just buy that one 🥔
Same.. We just identified it based on its size.. Small, medium, large..
Alex: "mash potatoes are underrated"
The entire Nation of Germany: "Am I a joke to you?"
seriously my favourite thing to eat.
From a frenchy way of thinking…. sure!
Why does this 3 Star potato puree NOT consist of red skinned potatoes?!? They have the most awesome aroma! Or "Bamberger Hörnchen" which taste awesome as well?!? All you need for those is a bit of butter or butter-taste oil and WHOA BABY!
STAMPF VULKAN!
Kartoffeln!!!
“Skin On”
Peels Potatoes
Me:BRUH
Yeah, what a savage ;)
Made me cringe
Bruv Momenté I’ve stopped watching the video when he started peeling 😄🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
@@English-Sparta agreed, who's he trying to fool here?
Anthony Manzalji I actually watched some more of it in the end. He peels them to drag the video out to male it looks like he’s made a mistake. 😴😴😴😴😴😴
Alex: if you don't have the right potato type, you leave them after cooking with peel on for about 6-12 hours. Then they have an intense, still pleasing taste of potatoes. Chefs Trick.
Brilliant. Used to make this for Aiden Byrne at 20 stories in Manchester. Passing through a mesh while still warm and allowing the spuds to dry out after draining also helps with how the butter is taken up. Mind blowing when done well. Excellent tip about leaving skins on.
leave them out or leave them soaked?
@@frenchdude3052 It does not matter. I keep them usually in the pressure-cooker as is over night, unless I hear the valve pop open, and then I put them in a bowl.
keep resting with water?
@@wynwynona4237 I keep them drained in the closed pot. But it does not matter.
The most cinematic mashed potatoes I’ve ever seen
Yeah. Slick editing and a long advertisment just to (poorly) replicate a dish in a video that's already published. This channel is going downhill.
Shaun Stephens a bit dramatic. No?
I genuinely love how he shows the process of learning, as one who writes my own recipes, I know how long that research period takes.
@@nigelcook730 If you don't enjoy his videos, don't watch. I enjoy the entertainment value of them.
Imagine a Frenchman finding out butter has gone extinct.
stop s'il te plait je ne veux même pas y penser
ooh la la
You are an evil person :D
This is still one of my most favorite videos on youtube. It's funny, it's informative and it's just all around so well made. This just proves all the love he puts in his videos.
Its so sad to read a comment like this after what has happened to his channel the last couple of months
"I'm laughing but I'm MAD".
Story of my life in so many things, brother
Amazing editing at the end there
could not agree more :D
*Proceed to skip to the end*
Timestamp?
CuTeChicKen - CSGO watch the video don’t do our boy alex dirty like that
@@nurduwek7768 I watched the whole video, didn't see anything special..
When mashed potatoes become Butter with added potato.
That's how you know it's a French recipe for Irish guacamole.
@@LegionPrime Man, that shit was good. Some dude called Ergot messed everything up though, shame
Hi Alex, I wanted to share with you my top advice for mashed potatoes - after you boil them you need to dry them really well.
How I do it is after I boil the peeled potatoes I get rid of the water and mash them in the pot while they are still hot and I leave the cooker on minimum heat for a few minutes until the mashed potatoes are perfectly dry. Only then I add butter or milk.
He literally does this in the video little guy
@@mateomoore6385 why little guy thought?
@@mateomoore6385 why little guy thought?
French cook slowly loses his sanity on his journey to achieve heavenly mashed potatoes .
Hahaha,yeah!
This is the most dramatic video about mashed potatoes that I have ever seen.
Ikr! I love it!
“Find potatoes of the same caliber, skin on than add water”
Proceeds to peel the potatoes
and leaves all black junk inside them :D
Nice profile pic
Pomoz bog
And doesn't get potato of same caliber
His fails seemed a bit scripted on this video, tbh :D
Not only is Alex like a master filmmaker with these videos, but also his cooking videos are by far the most unique that I've ever seen. I love it all. It keeps me engaged.
In the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Jiro says Joël Robuchon had the most sensitive palate he had ever seen.
That's a great documentary/movie.
His palate must be so sensitive that he critiques the flavor of his own saliva
I really enjoyed that documentary. But he got a little dark in the sequel Jiro Nightmares of Assrape.
@@CinnamonSandman you are not funny
@@CinnamonSandman ouch!
In a german Tv-Show called "Kitchen Impossible" they tried to recreate his mashed potatoes (the show of february 24)
French guy bagging on another French guy's accent. This made me laugh pretty hard.
Jayyy Zeee I find this might be a french thing-one of my french friend also made similar comments while have pretty strong french accent haha
People from big cities in the USA make fun of southerners accents. It happens.
I am not a cook just a simple man who wanted to make mashed potatoes which I've never made before so thank you for making it so complicated...lol. I loved your video so very much you were entertaining and so very respectful to all those mentors before you which sometimes is lost in American culture. Thank you for teaching the simple differences from the equipment you use and how just a different potatoe can change everything. I look forward to more of your videos.
You know it's gonna be a good cooking video when it features one french guy complaining about the way another french guy speaks french.
"mashed potatoes is underrated" ...finally! That's what I continued to say from my whole life
It's my favorite holiday meal left over, I purposely make enough so I have at least three extra servings for myself later.
Spectacularly unhealthy and that's why it's great.
@@recoil53 As if the rest of the holiday meal leftovers are healthy m8 ;) If your liver doesn't hurt for a week you didn't indulge in the gluttony enough ...
@@peterpain6625 I think the rolls aren't a heart attack waiting to happen.
Mashed potatoes are only underrated if they're made properly. Ive had horrible mashed potatoes and incredible mashed potatoes. Butter and milk are key
Me: They all look nice and delicious
Alex: it doesn't test right I'm missing something
I always thought a mashed potato is a mashed potato. Until I had dinner at a Joël Robuchon restaurant and was served the mash. The dish turned my world around. How can a simple potato create so much richness? Alex, I love the way you story tell the mastering of cooking. It is a good reminder that the details in ingredients or technique count and make all the difference.
Probably eating equal parts butter and potato. That helps
Heston Blumenthal has a technique in his _"At Home"_ cookbook (which is hilariously named by they way) that I have had a fair amount of success with and might take Robuchon's pommes puree a step further with some added science. It involves par cooking your potatoes for like 25 min at a lower, and very specific temp; I think its 72C but I'd have to look. This temperature has some effect on the starch in the potato; effectively gelatinizing it. You cook them a second time like you would for a regular mash, but when you actually mash it, the starch doesn't leak into the mash and create that gluey texture. Anyone interested in great mash, should pick up that book, even if only for that technique.
Leopold you here?
I was like "It's the wrong potato!" from when he started cooking.
Same, I think he intentionally did that to create a more entertaining video. His videos often use the same scheme
1. I reproduce a receipe
2. It's not good enough
3. What am I missing ?
4. Oh i got it
5. New receipe
6. Way better
It was the same with the beer for example.
Even though, his videos are still very enjoyable and instructive
I felt in this case his video was a bit boring. It's common kitchen knowledge that raw materials dictate the outcome. In the matter of mashed potatoes, there is a single raw ingredient. If the end product is not what you envisioned, it's not like a long list of possibilities you have to work through in order to look at the potato you're using. I guess this video just felt a bit obvious and stayed.
@@louismartin7608 exactly, was so obvious when he peel the potatoes and on the recipe are unpeel
He knew. It's a narrative device to make us feel as if we are exploring and learning with him. If you switch off your brain, it's easy to think it's real, but it's just a standard editing trick. Not that it's wrong to use it.
Ditto...
Most dramatic potato video EVER. Nice job, Alex.
Okay I just discovered this channel today and subscribed. And I confirmed after watching this video, I regret nothing 😂. The filming, the humor, recipes, the way it’s really informing about cooking, just Alex himself is amazing. One of my favorite cooking channels from this moment on.
"I'm not getting a potato flavor"
That's because you've made Hot Butter thickened with potato starch... Not mashed potatoes.
@drew13600 Yup, my french onion soup is easily 60% butter.
It tastes amazing though.
@drew13600 Does that make my spaghetti squash cooking and eating method French-inspired
@drew13600 No, I use both
@drew13600 Did someone say Meunière?
Chef video: cold butter
Alex: HROOM TEMPRATEUR BUTTEUR
I'm reading the comments in a French accent now
Früschluft 😀😀😀
I'm veading ze commentz in le French acsient nowe
Same
7:00 "More butter Butter! Butter! Butter! More! More! More!" *Frenchness intensifies*
Hey Alex, if youre ever in need for video ideas I'd love to see some homemade filled pasta (tortellini, ravioli etc) with different fillings. Would be a cool expansion to the pasta series!
yes please
then you should watch the italian guy cooking rather than the french guy cooking. jk
@@blink5789 haha im watching a gennaro contaldo video at this moment.
@@dodo3441 ''Why am i cooking so good!''
I second this. how about egg yolk ravioli?
This reminds me of my days training as a commis chef and standing beside my head chef and watching him cook a dish and then trying to replicate the nuances in the techniques and learning those points of transfer that he has learned and practiced for 30 or so years.
Tough but worth it! Subbed man.
Before visiting sharpening master: I MASTERED sharpening!
After visiting sharpening master: I try to master the world's best mashed potatoes
I think I saw Heston Blumenthal say in one of his videos that potatoes have the most flavour in their skin. Following his advice, when making mashed potatoes I always clean them very thoroughly and peel them, and save the peel to infuse milk while the potatoes are cooking. When mashing the potatoes, I use the potato peel infused milk and it really brings up the potato flavor. I recommend it 100%.
How do you infuse the skins in the milk? Do you just soak them or something else?
@@grahamweaver4423 I just heat up the milk in a saucepan and throw all the clean potato peels in. When it comes to the boil I switch off the gas and leave them to infuse the milk with their flavor until I need to combine the milk with the boiled potatoes. It costs nothing and it involves almost no extra work. I always do it since I learnt it.
@@AdriaJ92 thank you so much for this information! :)
11:14 don't know why but I started to cry with joy :) so happy to see a man pleased with the results of the work
❤
Who else remembers the guy who yelled “MASHED POTATOES!” at golf tournaments whenever a player wanted to hit a ball?
And other famous lines like "Get in the hole.." and "cheeseburger".
I'm getting my wisdom teeth extracted, so this is going to come in handy.
baby food :)
I feel like I might do that in a few years
When you discover your mom's recipe she taught you is EXACTLY the recipe of a world renown chef.
Last time I was this early Alex was using a table as a cutting board!
The chefs I have worked under mixed starchy and waxy potatoes, to get the best of both worlds, texture and flavor. Russet + Red Potatoes is a very popular combo.
Thanks for this professional tip!
I will try this!
What about baking the potatoes first and then mashing them? I agree with you on mixing both waxy and starchy varieties to get both texture and flavour.
@@BigHenFor dont even try it, not worth the effort
@@BigHenFor Another good way to extract unwanted water! Remember to puree the flesh rather than simply mashing it if you want the refined finish this recipe produces.
"I shouldn't be bitchin' about his French accent."
I make a lot of mash, I've made it this way before but it's too gluey and smooth for my personal palette. For the best mix I've ever found, I mix red potatoes with Yukon golds (half-half), and put them in a large mixing machine with a baker's net attachment (AKA flat beater) at a very low speed with unsalted butter, sea salt, and parsley. If you mix them too long they become gluey due to the low starch content in the reds, but if you mix at a slow speed for just the right amount of time (around a minute usually) you get the absolute best mashed potatoes you'll ever taste. They're fluffy but not too fluffy, smooth but not too smooth, sticky but not gluey, just that perfect texture. Also make sure to always use cold/hard butter, never melted. The colder the butter, the better it mixes in, even butter straight from the refrigerator is fine.
Alex: *snaps, experiences despair*
Alex: *has frustrating epiphany*
Alex: *talks about tragic human loss*
Alex: Sponsor Time!
Yeah this channel is turning into more scripting less content. :-/
To clarify, I love the way Alex edits his videos.
I found this progression of emotions to be particularly funny and commented.
That’s all.
Love the channel too, but that was boardering on disrespectfull.
@@Shaun.Stephens Yeah if you listen to his conversation with homecookprochef whatever it is, you'll notice he says "failure is what people want to see"... this felt like he saw the recipe, and deliberately left things out in order to fail / show progress and "explain" things. I'm liking his stuff less every video myself.
Also, his constant harassment of celebrities by trying to use his fans to spam them is fucking lame.
Hey Alex, thanks for the great video. I just stumbled upon your channel, and I know this particular episode was quite some time ago, but if you ever consider revisiting the recipe, I'd like to suggest using oven-roasted ratte potatoes for your mash instead of boiled. In my experience this really achieves the concentrated "potatoey" flavor you were going for by steaming the mash before adding your dairy. Best, and thanks again for the great content!
I got my face mask, rooibos tea going on while crocheting and watching stuff in the background then I see Alex uploaded '2 minutes ago'. My night just got even better
Deniz , you sound like the coziest person ever ❤️
I doubt you will read this after so long but at the start of my career I was a chef in some very nice Michelin star restaurants. The best technique I was ever taught for mash was to place around 500-1000g of salt on a baking tray and place your potatoes on top, bake them in the oven then scoop out the flesh, pass through a sieve then mix with warm milk and butter. Season with salt, white pepper and a hint of lemon juice. We used a variety called Mayan Gold.
interesting
1:15 I'm doubting if Alex is even French, after he seemed surprised by a large amount of butter
My thoughts exactly ! And im not even kidding . I have real doubts now
@@f.azahraeousgougou602 nah he is very french; even for us that recipe is incredibly unhealthy.
Love the passion for learning and perfection. I've been teaching myself to cook for the last few years and your videos have been very helpful! Thank you for all the hard work!
"i was making it, had a breakdown, bon appetite."
The way he seeks perfection makes me cried.
This reminds me when I stayed a few weeks at my friend's house in Ecuador. When I asked his mother for the mashed potatoes recipe all he told me was: butter, milk, a pinch of salt and potatoes! Later on I figured out what kind of potatoes people used in Ecuador, looks a lot like the Ratte type, small and almost amber yellow!
South American potatoes are THE BEST with mash potatoes. Especially the Peruvian purple potatoes
That is how I learned it from my mother. With some white pepper. But only butter, milk, salt and pepper. And sometimes with butter in the center of the mashed potatoes on the plate. I am in Sweden, Scandinavia.
Alex: makes fun of the other chef’s accent*
Also alex: hocket science 1:30
Hey Alex, one tip to get an intense potato flavor: Don’t boil them, just roast them in the oven and mash them afterwards.
was just gonna write that, you will get a more intense potato flavor that way :)
Skin on or off?
@@gray_gogy on
abdurrahman nashit skin on
but then its not a 3 star michelin pomme puree, which is im pretty sure the whole point of this video, not saying its a bad idea but i dont think its what he's going for, plus you wouldnt get that creamy texture that hes going for, your going for more of a rustic potato that would be akin to what paula deen would make and not what an all time michelin chef would make
I’m really upset that the “Each day butter than the last”-fridge magnet isn’t available anymore.
Michelin star chef used the most expensive potatoes
Who knew?
4 euros for a kilogram it's not so expensive, there is a lot of other quality potatoes more expensive in France.
@@lacanaubay if you're using generic store bought ones. Most typical restaurants have access to higher quality ingredients than a grocery store. A Michelin starred one would be able to pick the best
But what came first? It could be that they're expensive *because* Robuchon uses them for his signature dish.
@@Shaun.Stephens probably quality. Chefs on that level use whatevers best no matter the price. Him popularizing them would bump it even higher
It was even his signature dish. One of the most known French chef that have mashed potatoes as signature dish
I watched 12 minutes of a mashed potato video...
I'll use this recipe.
Hello from Canada's west coast!
I've also been on a mission to perfect Chef Robuchon's pomme purée. I started out using Yukon Gold potatoes and got very good results. However, this year I decided to grow two hard to find potato varieties: la Ratte and Bintje. The Bintje are for my special Gratin Dauphinois but the la Ratte has made all the difference in my smooth, rich, creamy, unctuous pomme purée. The only other variety I wold like to try is BF15 (Belle de Fontenay X Flava). For added flavour and creaminess, I also use high fat (84%) butter from Stirling Creamery (Stirling ON), Cow's Creamery (Charlottetown PEI) or, if I can afford it, Farmhouse Cheeses in Agassiz BC. Farmhouse and Cow's both offer cultured butter which is well worth it.
I've always used a combination of half russet and the other half yukon gold to make my mashed potatoes boiled with salt and minced garlic. I use all the same things to season, salt & pepper, butter, milk/heavy cream, but also a bit of cream cheese!
For household mash yukon might be the closest thing to this video. Half russet and half yukon sounds even better
If you can get them sabago potatoes are where it's at.
I've eaten at Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas and had the Menu Degustation - 16 Course Meal. It was a once in a lifetime treat. His mashed potatoes were fantastic. I'll have to try this recipe myself.
Alex: [Spends like 8 million years trying to perfect a croissant]
Also Alex: *"Yeah I'm just gonna make mashed potatoes in this video"*
10:10 the face of a mad scientist right there
That last taste from the spoon teleported me back to 2003 when my beloved mom made a fenomenal mashed potatos that have been harvested from our little farm. Thank you for the video, i enjoyed every second of it. Also R.I.P Mr Robuchon... What a legend....❤
Can I just replace the potatoes with butter altogether?
This basically seems like melted butter with potato mixed in
Cooking must not be healthy.
No recipe is "the best in the world" without plenty of butter.
best in the world doesn’t refer to health very often 😂
Hmm have you made mashed potatoes before?
That's pretty much it, yes. But the right potato.
When I was training as a chef many many years ago, before I changed career, my teacher would put egg yolk into the potato along with butter and nutmeg and mix after ricing. The result was astounding. Minus the ricer I still use this recipe.
That's the way we do it in Belgium also. Nutmeg is a taste booster, egg yolk adds colour, butter softens.
Nutmeg [freshly ground] is a potatoes best friend. Also use freshly milled white pepper. Not only does the white hide in the mash better visually but its slight funk goes with potatoes so much more than black pepper.
@@Getpojke Yup. White pepper for mash, black pepper for roasted, diamond or sauteed.
Alex,
Due to quarantine, I've had the time to make this about 15 times.
2 of which were basically 'nailing it', or as close as I can come in the U.S. since Ratte are not really available unless I want to grow them myself lol.
I used Fingerling, specifically I bought the mixed color bags and separated the yellow ones to use when I was really in the mood for a try-hard attempt.
(to be fair, I used the purple, blue etc. ones to practice the technique.)
Thanks for your cool video and the journey you went on.
Any suggestions for the Ratte replacement problem would be appreciated!
Instructions- skin on potatoes, add cold butter
This fool - I’ll peel the potatoes and add room temperature butter.
Alex: I need to pass this through a sieve!
*clattering noises*
*silence*
Alex: _Dammit_
(Gets me everytime oml)
Alex you are one of my favorite chefs! I've been in culinary for 12 years and about to release a cookbook. You're a huge inspiration that has helped transform me from a run-of-the-mill cook to blowing people's minds with food. Just wanted to say thanks and I wish you well.
I want to make this to go along with some braised short rib!
"du beurre! du beurre! encore! encore!"
This is basically french cooking.
I come from a french region that is known to put more butter than the average in france... search kouign amann and you will have an overview !
@@tarot1136 I read litterally one sentence of your comment and I already guessed which region you were talking about
Bevet Breizh !
"everything is better with butter" remember this sentence
I like my mashed potatoes to have some texture.
Same I think its nasty when so smooth and loose.
What, you don't like them the consistency of gravy? :P
Then bake the potatoes, instead of boil
This kind of food is not meant to be eaten in a large quantity. 250 grams of butter for about 750 grams of potato is insane
At this point I honestly just watch this guy for the accent. Holy hell, it's comedy all on its own
His accent is wonderful.
Incredible video production, timing the music clips, editing every single video clip, fixing the audio sound. And still you cook at the same time. Amazing.
I remember the time when that members list was so short we could actually read the individual names on it. Good to see you coming up Alex.
Am I the only one who likes my mashed potatoes with the skin incorporated into the actual mash? It's just so good :D
NotMyNamePlease! My Canadian relatives use to do that! My aunt used to boil them in their skins and while they were boiling she would fry lardons of smoked bacon until it was crispy then take that out the pan and chop up the white parts of some spring onions fry them in the bacon fat then mash she would mash the potatoes not completely a tiny bit rough and then add butter,salt and pepper,the crispy bacon and then the fried onions and the green part of the onions chopped and give it a good mix, bloody amazing! Worth the plane ticket.
It's also more nutritious...know how many nutrients are in the skin? I use red skin potatoes just to give it a good look lol
Depends on the potatoes you use, like I kept russet potatoes skin in my mash once and it was disgusting
eww, hate skin on my potato
SKIN FTW
"Peel on, washed..."
Alex: peels potatoes before cooking
Why doesn’t it taste like potatoes? Maybe because it’s basically 90% butter.
It can not be 90% butter, learn some math, pal. It's about 500 grams of potatoes and 215 grams of butter, that's only about 30% butter.
@@khoile9807 learn humor