Potatoes are considered by many as comfort food. In fact, aside from rice they are one of the stape foods in the word. The good thing about them is they are very accessible with produce found anywhere, anytime. Plus they can be served in many ways: mashed, baked or roasted.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, while turkey is something that will always be a part of the dinner spread, the festivity will not be complete without mashed potatoes. To make Thanksgiving a more festive day to remember though, you should make sure to prepare and cook all your Thanksgiving food right. For examle, the recipe for buttermilk mashed potatoes will make your family ang guests asking and drooling for more.
Whatever your family's recipe is for mashed potatoes there are some very important things to remember when cooking these. According to MSN, these are the seven things you need to keep in mind if you plan to serve them:
1. Check the kind of potatoes to use
Choose potatoes that have higher starch to have the smoothest and fluffiest mash. For higher starched potatoes, use Russets or Yukon golds.
2. Add a generous amount of salt
Starch in potatoes absorbs water and salt. Add salt to your potaties to avoid making the taste plain.
3. Initially cook them in cold water
When you cook potatoes directly in hot water these can cook unevenly and cause the outside to break. Start with cold water, then add salt and simmer.
4. Drain well after cooking
Under-draining potatoes will make them taste like water. Make sure to drain them properly.
5. Don't add other flavorings straight from the fridge
Allow additional ingredients from the fridge to come to room temperature before adding them to your potatoes.
6. Never overdo the mashing
Over-mashing the potatoes will make them gluey and unappetizing. Don't overdo it.
7. It's okay to cook them ahead of time
Potatoes are not advisable to be left out for long periods. Mashed potatoes can still be cooked ahead of time though. Just put them in a heat-proof bowl and simmer over a pot of water up to 2 hours.
Vitamin B6 and a good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, dietary fiber, and pantothenic acid are the nutritional benefits a person can get from potatoes. Your Thanksgiving will never be the same with nutritious and healthy potatoes served alongside the turkey. Plus if you follow the seven tips above, you'll have fluffy and yummy mashed potatoes on the table that everyone will love.
