How to Make Light and Fluffy Mashed Potatoes | Kenji's Cooking Show
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2023
- Get my books (including The Food Lab and my new book, The Wok) here: www.kenjilopezalt.com
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This recipe is adapted from my book, The Food Lab, and can also be found in another version on Serious Eats.
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The Serious Eats version of the recipe is here: www.seriouseats.com/ultra-flu... - Навчання та стиль
I really appreciate seeing these single serving recipes.
Even if I were allergic to spuds; I have to try those pups. YUM
🤣🤣
Interesting. Skins off = fluffier potatoes. Skins on = creamier potato. Rinse after cooking to remove excess starch. This will definitely help folks have great, not gluey potatoes this Thanksgiving. I love Kenji’s in depth explanations. Thank you!
I think the skins on vs off is secondary to cutting the potatoes up. Both peeling and cutting the potatoes into pieces increases surface area that starch can "escape" from.
Peeled and cut into pieces vs boiling the potatoes whole with the skins on then peeling them is, I believe, what was stated. The former resulting is fluffier potatoes; the latter resulting in creamier potatoes. Unless, of course, you want to leave the skins on russet potatoes, which I definitely don’t.
Looks amazing! Simplicity is best!
Skin off = fluffier
Skins on = creamier
Lenny = white
Carl = black
I don't get what is meant by fluffy VS creamy. Is creamier denser than fluffy?
Ohmygoodness…my Japanese grandfather (~1880-1964) would heat the potatoes after pouring out the cooking water, too. (He did save some of the potato water). He wanted to "dry" them out. He would shake the heated pot, tossing around the potatoes, put back on flame, shake, repeat. Always delicious. I do same today. He had a small cafe in Berkeley, California, in early 1910's.
Hi Kenji. I'm irish and we know a thing or two about potatoes 😉. It's a thing in Ireland to drain the potatoes in a colander, put it over the pot, and then cover the colander with a clean tea towel to absorb the steam from the potatoes. It works a treat for drying the potatoes.
I think I heard in the Thanksgiving video that you've given up drinking; whatever you're doing, you're looking super healthy. Love the content on this channel and the second one.
As someone who just started watching his videos this week. The change in appearance from the old to the new ones is stunning. Keep it up!
I use equal parts russet, yukon, and red potatoes. I leave 1/3 of each of them whole, and I cut the other 2/3 into 1 and 2 inch dice. After that, I cook all through, then I mash 1/3 with a masher, 1/3 with a ricer and 1/3 with a food processor. Then I combine with equal parts of salted and unsalted butter and a 1:1:1 mix of milk, half and half, and heavy cream. This is the perfect way to make sure nobody can accuse you of being more than 2/3rds wrong about how you made potatoes and if anyone says "you should have done xy or z" you can say "I did".
@@kjdude8765they wouldn’t
Perfect 😂
😂😂😂
Ah, a consensus-based mashed potato recipe.
Love it when Kenji says yum yum good. Makes the whole video.
I really appreciate the science behind the Why and What with your style of cooking. Awesome. Request - scrambled eggs.
You may have already seen it but he does have a vid “Really Good Scrambled Eggs” from about two years ago.
I am very grateful for your channel, your books, and your writings online. You really are a great inspiration and source of knowledge. Thank you for existing and doing what you do Kenji :)
Kenji it's so good to see you in a good mood, having a great time cooking and having fun with your camera setup! I've been watching since you first started doing these more "off the cuff" style videos at the beginning of Covid. Things sure have changed a lot since then!
Yeah, he's lost weight and isn't semi-drunk while filming anymore. A great improvement
@@boet764he was drunk before?
@@boet764 what because he was nursing a can of beer on camera in one or two videos? Come on
Does he have an auto-tracking camera?
@@carsonscherer4611 You need to chill. Nobody is calling him out here. Kenji mentioned he was quitting drinking. Nobody decides to quit without recognizing there is a problem. And you can pretty much guarantee that someone who is "nursing beer when the cameras are on, is absolutely slamming the booze when nobody is watching.
- Coming from someone who has struggled with an alcohol addiction.
A potato ricer is such a blessing for fluffy potatoes. And if you have one with a changeable grate (idk, it's the thing you push the potatoes through), you can get really creamy and not gluey mash with the smaller holes
My cheap judge one is good as knew, 12 years later and lots of dishwasher action. Great gadget.
Think I speak for everyone who gets bad motion sickness when I say I really appreciate the new camera angles, much less of an issue.
One of my favorite holiday tricks is to make the mashed potatoes earlier in the day and bag them and keep them in a sous vide water bath at around 150°F. Then, when I’m ready to serve, I snip on the corner of the bag and essentially pipe them out onto the plates.
I love just how much of a science cooking is.
I love how it’s an artistic science. It’s a beautiful fusion of applied physics and mixed media.
The way I cheered when you added the rest of the cream and butter
I'm so used to Kenji's POV style of video, it felt perverse to watch him walk around the kitchen from behind. Feels I'm stalking him while he cooks. That being said I do think the new angles/camera is a very nice addition.
What came to my mind is, Whoah, there’s a window above his sink. I, too, like his additional camera.
Appreciate the recap of important steps at the end. And that view of the potatoes in the bowl, steam rising and rivulets of butter streaming, was a stellar shot!
I think you just solved a mystery for me. For years I’ve done the Chefsteps pomme purée which sous vides the potatoes (no surprise). Every year I think “If I slice the potatoes thinner then it’ll cook faster” and that never happens. I have to Hulk-out on the ricer and it makes the whole process not worth it.
This was great Kenji! A good midground between casual and professional styles. You look like you are having fun, and that's what matters!
Never thought about intentionally removing starch. Always learning something from you, Kenji. Thank you for sharing.
OMG! I never realized there could be a course on Potato Science, but there you have it. Kudos, Kenji.
Kenji's channel is 85% food science...he has books about it - that's his thing 😅😊
Kenji is a leading potatologist.
I love watching the sunrise through this video.
love the explanations you give, like with size of dice vs grating...you are awesome!
They look PERFECT!!! Thank you, Kenji!
I've now watched so many of Kenji's videos that I reflexively go, "mmmh" after every taste when I'm cooking.
Similarly, watching Claire Saffitz makes me have the verdict of "MMM" about every bake.
Happy to discover Kenji has a channel. I have his book *The Food Lab* and it's terrific.
I love Kenji's chemistry class.
Man, appreciate the latest videos... Really takes away the stress of figuring out the nuances of making a thanksgiving dinner
Hadn't thought of mashing them in my stand mixer, but that makes a lot of sense. I'll have to give that a try. And more rinsing off of starch, definitely going to incorporate both of those into my potatoes this year. Mashed potatoes are my wife's favorite, I think she'll be pleased. Thanks Kenji!
As always this is a great tutorial. Thanks Kenji!
46 seconds into watching this late at night and already loving the new angles! awesome!
Great video. Have learned so much from you over the years and the content just keeps getting better. Nice to see your face!
One of my favorite UA-camrs. Learn something new on every video.
This recipe (and its rich and creamy counterpart) has been up on my phone since last week! Thrilled that there's now a video.
My kids loved these potatoes for thanksgiving dinner. They came out great.
In the Netherlands we add onions and carrots, season with nutmeg and call it a meal (hutspot)
I absolutely love the way he does his videos. 😊
I've always done the chef steps sous vide method for my potatoes, but I think I'm going to add in the initial rinse when I do them this year. I've never really paid much attention to starch reduction with their method, but it makes a ton of sense. And I need friend garlic and shallots on my mashed potatoes especially for texture. Thanks as always for such great info. All the best to you and yours.
Excellent, excellent video Kenji... Thank you...! Cheers from Canada...
I’ve watched your videos for years and think your mental well being and overall happiness seems to be in a good place right now, brother. Hope you are and stay well!
I like to use black pepper because I can see how evenly its mixed in and how well its distributed in the potato.
I also like to season the milk/butter instead of the potato, so when I heat it up it gives a fuller flavor.
also for other home cooks, smash (instant mash) can be used to recover over wet potatoes, like if you go over board with milk and butter, its good in an emergancy.
so glad i checked out this channel! i'm excited to try this out :)
I grew up with riced potatoes much as you described, then as I learned to cook for myself have gotten much lazier. You reminded me of the best of my home holidays with those lovely fluffy goodies. Thank you so much for all the details--I'm going to put russets on my grocery list (and probably use a food mill as that's what I have instead of a ricer) and make them in this week's meal plan. Oh, and thank you also for going to the extra cost and effort of putting cameras overhead (instead of on your head)--I notice and appreciate it very much, it makes a huge difference for me (lessens my susceptibility to vertigo). Love your videos and your books (great evening reads) and my husband loves the results!
Now my wife wants me to buy her a potato ricer. Thank you Kenji. I enjoyed you talk about the science of potato cooking
They're fantastic, and they last. I've mine 12 years! Mine has different sized plates, so I use it to add texture to soups too mashing vegetables through. Think mine is a judge brand. Cheap and comfortable to use. Dishwasher friendly. Very important
I'm pretty sure I *only* use mine for mashed potatoes, but it's worth having it for that alone. It's also a great calibration point - "Hmm, are these potatoes soft enough yet?" *imagines pushing them through the ricer* yeah, maybe a bit more :-)
I like to add carrots to smashed potatoes. The colour is beautiful, and taste is greatest of all!
13:00 I love putting a bunch of garlic and herbs in my mashed potatoes, especially rosemary. Gotta chop it up really fine, though, and make sure it gets cooked a bit by incorporating it as soon as the potatoes get mashed or riced. I think everyone has their own version of mashed potatoes, though, and honestly, they're pretty much all good.
Edit: I should probably put the herbs in the milk and heat that up. I've been using the heat of the potatoes to melt the butter; it never occurred to me to heat up milk and butter separately. Thanks Kenji!
I chuck the whole garlic cloves in the boiling water about 2 or 3 minutes before the potatoes finish and rice them with the taters. garlic mash is always a winner
@@hurgcat I do the same and also add 1-2 heads of roasted garlic while mashing.
Yeah I usually like to incorporate the herbs in the butter/milk mixture. Just grab some rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and a couple cloves of crushed garlic and throw it into the mixture and let it seep for some time. All those aromatics just elevates mashed potatoes. If you want some kick to it, even adding some red chili flakes into the mixture is pretty tasty.
Used your all of your fluffy mashed potato recommendations and it was truly WONDERFUL. I will never make mashed any other way.
I miss the GoPro view! It made the videos feel very natural, casual and realistic, personally I don't feel like these new camera shots provide any more clarity and probably makes it harder to make the videos too.
Nice job! Love the cast iron display setup 😎
Interesting! My mom and I started using yukon golds recently and really fell in love with the flavor and texture - they seem buttery before even adding butter. My mom always just uses a a hand mixer to whip the potatoes up, which seems to work well, although on a few occasions there have been some small undercooked bits of potato left that are hard to puree in, so I’ve filtered them out by pressing through a strainer. Maybe that’s similar to the French technique? They come out VERY creamy. I think my ideal potatoes are less liquidy than what Kenji has here, but super smooth. And then a ton of cold butter on top to melt in 😅
Yukon Gold a permanent staple in our house, very popular in BC Canada
There are some wonderful Middle Eastern spices and mixtures in the stores, to really add a beautiful nuance to the potato and meld them with what ever other dishes are being served.
What I like to do is as an egg yellow once it got slightly runny from milk and butter. It sets it up slightly and makes them even richer. Have to mix it in fast or else it cooks before it's completely mixed under. Premixing a tiny amount of mash off in a bowl before putting it back works too. Also mash needs Muskat and a ton of it.
If you put green onions and sauteed kale in like you mentioned, then you have Colcannon! Yum.
So, I was doing everything all along except the second rinse... definitely trying that next. Also, I like sometimes some small hints of ground nutmeg in my mash, but my main is still black pepper.
Thanks, Kenji. I routinely use a ricer for mashed potatoes. It’s the only way to go. Happy Thanksgiving from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Thanks, Chef! Happy Thanksgiving!
I love just the potato flavor . I just want, milk, butter cream and salt. A chef told me once that the secret to the best mashed potatoes is to not cut the potatoes small for boiling, He said that if you do that the potatoes absorbed too much water and lose that rich potato flavor. So that’s what I’ve done and I think it works. Never rinsed them either. This is a very interesting video. Enjoyed it.
Outstanding. Thank you. I'll stick to my Silver Palate holiday potatoes, made that recipe my own 30 years ago. But yours look awesome, and you explained things perfectly.
I really love this style of mashed potatoes, especially for thanksgiving. I have never noticed them ever being any worse after reheating in the microwave... maybe I'm just very forgiving when it comes to mashed potatoes.
If you like mash with cabbage and spring onion you should look up the Irish dish 'colcannon'! Although you probably know it already, but we use both of those thing (plus Irish butter is best in my biased opinion)
A new approach to mashed potatoes! Love it! All of the rinsing hasn't ever occurred to me but makes total sense. I've started using russet potatoes for mashed because I find the waxy potatoes - Yukon gold and red - get way too starchy and gluey. Personally, I'm a fan of super rustic mashed potatoes, skin on, lots of potato chunks left behind, but most other folks prefer the super smooth version. And my guests get what they enjoy!
Can't wait to add these extra ideas to my mashed. Seems simple, but thanks, Kenji!
Yes for the rustic version. If I’m eating them with my mother, skin on and chunky.
Kenji, you look maaahvelous! Thank you for the tips, Happy Thanksgiving!
Another great video. I just happened to be referencing your Food Labs book today, looking for the salt/baking powder brine ratio for crispy skin turkey/chicken. Love your book, thank you. I must note you are looking trim and fit Kenji, good for you. 👍💪
I like the new Kenji look!
One of my favorite " mashed potato " thank you for sharing🌿❤️💞🌿
Loving the new video setup and perspectives!
Garlic roasted until its super soft, mixed with butter and herbs is what I like.
That initial plop into the bowl was satisfying.
Those look amazing. I don't have a ricer or food mill; my favorite method is the Instant Pot, potato masher, and a quick zip with a hand mixer. I use Yukon Golds, as they seem to work better with the pressure cooker. I don't know what it is about the process, maybe the pressure release, or the higher temp, but they end up way fluffier than Yukons have any right to be. And it's rare that I don't add at least a few garlic cloves to cook and include some sour cream with the dairy. And lots of black pepper, of course.
I'm liking this multi-camera setup, btw, a really nice middle ground between first-person GoPro and the slick, polished productions that look nice, but (IMO) tend to distance the viewer from the kitchen. Cheers!
I love a hint of freshly ground nutmeg in my mashed potatoes.
At what point of the process do you add the nutmeg? I would like to add some to my potatoes this year. Thank you.
I add it at the end, after adding my butter and cream and checking for seasoning. It’s delicious 😋
What a masterclass we've been given here
One of the very best videos ever produced on this channel. Production value is top notch too.
Please pretty please do sweet potatoes too!
I have been dying to try and make a miso tonkotsu mashed potato and I think this is life telling me to do it
yo kenji you looking good man!
Kenjiiiii you’re the best⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The man's collection of Magnum Unicorn grinders is legendary.
So glad to see Kenji posting often again. Definitely missed this real life, humble yet professional approach. This guy tought me not just how to cook over the past 5 years but why things should or shouldn't be done the way they're done in the kitchen.
the opening clip, god this man is adorable protect him at all costs!!!!!
Cook's Illustrated recommended slicing the potatoes. I wonder how that compares to the large dicing. Thanksgiving isn't at our place this year, so will try this weekend for our informal Thanksgiving.
I am 100% use a ricer and skin off, about 1-2 inch chunks. Very good tips here, thanks Kenji!
Nice work here Kenji! I tried cooking some peeled Yukon golds in cream and milk and then mixing with butter and some of the liquid and it came out great--perhaps the cream and milk liquid was a bit too starchy and a teeny bit grainy--but I liked your approach here.
Did you make a bowl of mashed taters as a stand alone meal? You mad genius. I love you
The water bath to re-heat is a great idea!
Exactly, I’ve never thought of that before 😊
Does look pretty good
Sometimes the basics need to be reiterated. Glad to see your videos. Please do go on. Thanks.
lol, I literally just made Joël Robuchon mashed potatoes this weekend. And wasn’t a huge fan. May try this next.
@JKenjiLopezAlt I started steaming my potatoes for mashed potatoes after a NYT Cooking article and I like the texture of the mashed potatoes more. What are your thoughts about boiling vs steaming potatoes for mashed potatoes? Thank you
I was just going to ask this very question! I also steam, but see mostly recipes that boil in very salted water to flavor the spuds. I always just thought boiling would make starchier potatoes but haven’t tried it that way so I might be wrong. I’d like to know Kenjis and others’ thought too.
JKLA picking out the potato cube from the drain made me feel normal 😂
I just made mashed potatoes for myself a few nights ago. When I reheated the leftovers I mixed in a little chicken bouillon. It really kicked it up.
Kenji thinned tf out good job Mr Lopez
I used a ricer a few times, and I got blowback from the family. They wanted lumps, just like Grandma used to make! (It's also easier to wash a masher than a ricer.) So, I went back to the masher, and our holiday mashed potatoes definitely have some lumps. Texture, baby! Good for ya!
Kenji, can you break down why it is that for fluffy mashed potatoes we should use the starchiest variety of potato but then wash as much starch off as we can? Is it something about starch that's inside of cells versus released from ruptured cells or how does that work?
Great video. Just in time for Thanksgiving. What about sprinkling with baking power before ricing?
I'll have to try the method with the rincer(?), though the thing i have instead is a Spätzlepresse(you may know southern german nudels, doe put into a similar utensil like he used above hot water = best nuddles ever). Usually i used a potato masher(Kartoffelstampfer hrhr).
One thing i will not do though is having pepper in my potatoes. In my univese pepper comes onto meat or into sauces, but i am happy with some muscat, milk and butter.
@Kenji. I like the new tracking camera! Its still a little shaky and fast so far, but its got potential! I think this is a good style for your videos
the cinematography here is next level
i actually like adding a bit of lemon or lime zest, and even a bit of the juice to cut down the richness a bit. but i am still liberal with the butter
bro is living the dream i swear
Hey, I've got that ricer. It's pretty good. Makes that potato leek soup pretty well.
Wonderful
Yeaaaaah, good to see, I guess. I even have a ricer, for Spätzle (the holes might be slightly larger, but it’s basically the same thing) - but that contraption is awkward to clean, so I’m probably sticking with a simple masher. Looks delicious though, I have to admit.