Ask Dr. Potato

With 922 posts, chances are there's already an answer to your question. Please try searching below before submitting a question to Dr. Potato. Use multiple words to help narrow down the results. For example, search for "potatoes" and "group" if looking for an answer on cooking potatoes for large groups.

Back To Dr. Potato Home

Finally, My “Mashed Potatoes” Stayed Bright And Nearly White Instead Of The Usual Gray

Q:

Thank you, my Idaho mashed potatoes turned out white. I followed some of the tips on the Dr. Potato posts… Peel before cooking, Cut in half lengthwise and then put the flat parts on a cutting board. Then I cut into equal sized chunks and placed immediately into a bowl of water with concentrated lemon juice. Drained and added to a pot to put on the stove. I started with cold water and then boiled until a knife pierced the potatoes easily, about twenty minutes. Drained in a colander and added back to the pot and cooked a little more. Scraped the completely cooked chunks into a plastic bowl and put a clean tea towel over the top to keep air out and put the bowl in the refrigerator. I did all this the day before. When it came to Thanksgiving, I brought the potatoes out to room temperature, then microwaved. And, once thoroughly heated added to a ricer. The result was SMOOTH potatoes, no lumps and no gray hue to the potatoes! Finally, I folded in warm cream and melted butter. Put in a covered serving crockpot with some additional chunks of butter. I got raves about my Idaho russet potatoes this year. It’s going to be an annual tradition from now on.

A:

I’m so glad your Idaho potatoes turned out just like you wanted. That’s one of the reasons I started a blog back in late 2009 as Dr. Potato. We get so many questions and have a very small staff so it’s hard to field every call. Posting recommendations helps us out too in time savings. Did you know you can search by keyword to find information at Dr. Potato? Thanks for sharing your success story with Idaho potatoes over the holidays. I took a picture of the last of our family’s mashed potatoes just to prove that they can stay white (or pale yellow in this picture) for several days in the refrigerator even after preparing a day ahead of the event. Freed up that oven for more meat, side dishes and fresh made rolls.

All Things Mashed Potatoes HERE