Baking Powder in Mashed Potatoes?

[Mike Nolan]

A food 'tip' came up on my iPhone yesterday that suggested using baking powder to make fluffy mashed potatoes.

That was a new one on me, has anybody heard of it before, or tried it?

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[RiversideLen]

Never heard of it.

[BakerAunt]

I've also never heard of it.

[Joan Simpson]

Never heard of it either.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Why does it improve them? These days I'm leery of tips that just say "do this..." without saying why/how.

[BakerAunt]

Cass called yesterday to weigh in on the baking powder in mashed potatoes question. He asked me to post about it, and I hope that I do him justice from the notes that I took. He thought that the baking powder was being added to thicken the potatoes. He said that baking soda or cream of tartar would also work, with cornstarch as a gluten-free alternative. However, he has never used any of these in his mashed potatoes.

To reduce starch in potatoes, he said to boil for 6-7 minutes, then drain the water completely, add fresh water and finish cooking.

He also shared with me his way of making tasty, mashed potatoes. He cooks the Russet potatoes with two medium cloves of garlic in salted water. After he drains the water, he mashes the garlic with the potatoes and 2/3 cream cheese and 1/3 butter. He also says not to be afraid to add pepper to the mashed potatoes.

It sounds scrumptious. While the saturated fat content is too high for me, perhaps someone else can try it out and report back.

It's nice to know that Cass is keeping up with us at Nebraska Kitchen.

[Mike Nolan]

Here's an article on using baking powder in mashed potatoes, I'm not sure if it is the same one I saw on my phone, that was a few days ago.

https://www.nobiggie.net/the-most-fluffy-mashed-potatoes/

I haven't quite gone the full bore Joel Robuchon route yet, but I put more butter in my mashed potatoes than I used to. It makes them better when reheated, too.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/dining/mashed-potatoes-robuchon.html

[Joan Simpson]

I couldn't read the second article you posted Mike but I do use butter and sour cream,salt and pepper and they're pretty good.

[Mike Nolan]

In general, Joel's recipe is like this: For 1 pound of potatoes you add some milk (some variations of the recipe say to add a cup of whole milk, but most limit it to a few tablespoons) and slowly work in 1/2 pound of butter. What you get is a suspension, like a mayonnaise or hollandaise.

[Joan Simpson]

Thanks Mike.

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