OT Potatos

Many many men are fine, nay, excellent cooks.
My husband is one of them.
However he has some quirks.
Aside from leaving food and things in the middle of the dirty dishes
next to the sink, the one thing that I hate about when he cooks is his
use of the mixer to mash potatos. It all but chokes me to try and eat
them when they are done like that. Can you say overworked pasty goo?
We have two potato mashers, and I really can't blame him for not using
them I guess. One is an old style wooden one, only it is rounded at
the end instead of flat, which makes it really hard to use. The other
is one of those modern bent steel with slots sort of things, and it
is way too bendy to be very useful.
His idea of hand mashers are the zig zag ones, he thinks they are good
because you can bend them back into shape when you are done.
On my planet they shouldn't bend in the first place.

The hand mixer died.
He doesn't want to drag out the stand mixer for potatos, the pan
wouldn't fit and taking it off the stand for something like that seems
a bit extreme. So when we have boiled taters now, we have boiled
taters. (Yay!) Which means there are sometimes left over potatos for a
fry up! (G) If I can beat the rest of the house to them, "potatos and
salt, and find no fault" means something here. I am lucky if I have
any to work with when I boil them and leave them to cool for chips!

We will of course be getting a new hand mixer.
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her. On the other hand new ones might not be as well made.
I think I will take the risk, even though I will have to mail order.
Besides, that kind of masher just rocks for juicing fruit to make
jelly or wine.

DH says if I want the tatos mashed by hand I can do it myself.
I am willing to make the sacrifice if it meands no more library paste
and gravy.

NightMist
--

Legolas is my house elf

my dh also does most of the cooking around here.
we have an electric hand mixer, a stick blender, a regular blender and a
food processor but all our spuds get mashed with the hand held potato
masher. always have been, always will be.
we still have the first spud masher we bought for our first home 31yrs ago
now. it is metal masher with wooden handle. we also acquired MILs when she
went into the nursing home. hers is metal masher (different config to ours)
with plastic handle.
we use whichever one is closer when we reach for it in the countertop
container of most used utensils.
all the wooden spoons/forks/spatulas, the masher, the rubber spatula are in
that one container (white pitcher that belonged to my Grandma).
there is another smaller container for smaller wooden utensils and the
various paring/spreading knives.
there is a knift block for the bigger knives and another wooden cylinder
with odds and sods i like to see but they are used now and then. the small
marble mortar and pestle is there too.
oops, sorry, i drifted off topic.
yup, we mash by hand and no gloopy stuff around here, no lumps either.
its not rocket science and not that hard or time consuming to mash'em by
hand.
j.


"NightMist" wrote ...

Many many men are fine, nay, excellent cooks.
My husband is one of them.
However he has some quirks.
Aside from leaving food and things in the middle of the dirty dishes
next to the sink, the one thing that I hate about when he cooks is his
use of the mixer to mash potatos. It all but chokes me to try and eat
them when they are done like that. Can you say overworked pasty goo?
We have two potato mashers, and I really can't blame him for not using
them I guess. One is an old style wooden one, only it is rounded at
the end instead of flat, which makes it really hard to use. The other
is one of those modern bent steel with slots sort of things, and it
is way too bendy to be very useful.
His idea of hand mashers are the zig zag ones, he thinks they are good
because you can bend them back into shape when you are done.
On my planet they shouldn't bend in the first place.

The hand mixer died.
He doesn't want to drag out the stand mixer for potatos, the pan
wouldn't fit and taking it off the stand for something like that seems
a bit extreme. So when we have boiled taters now, we have boiled
taters. (Yay!) Which means there are sometimes left over potatos for a
fry up! (G) If I can beat the rest of the house to them, "potatos and
salt, and find no fault" means something here. I am lucky if I have
any to work with when I boil them and leave them to cool for chips!

We will of course be getting a new hand mixer.
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her. On the other hand new ones might not be as well made.
I think I will take the risk, even though I will have to mail order.
Besides, that kind of masher just rocks for juicing fruit to make
jelly or wine.

DH says if I want the tatos mashed by hand I can do it myself.
I am willing to make the sacrifice if it meands no more library paste
and gravy.

NightMist
--

Legolas is my house elf

I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her.

I have one like that. I've only had it for about 20 years (it was
probably about 30 years old when I got it) so it's too early to say
if it's really durable, but I'd take the chance anyway.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts
****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ******

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her.

I have one like that. I've only had it for about 20 years (it was
probably about 30 years old when I got it) so it's too early to say
if it's really durable, but I'd take the chance anyway.

Giggle.

My mum still uses her neatly 60 YO Prestige potato masher: round metal
plate with rounded slots cut in it, riveted to a Y shaped stalk with a
wooden handle.

I've had plenty of different mashers over the years, but finally went
out and bought a ricer. Best mash I've ever made gets done on a regular
basis now.

Bangers and mash with red onion and port gravy, and peas. Yum! Works
best with Scots steak sausages or venison sausages...

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

In message , Kate
XXXXXX writes
Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her.
I have one like that. I've only had it for about 20 years (it was
probably about 30 years old when I got it) so it's too early to say
if it's really durable, but I'd take the chance anyway.

Giggle.

My mum still uses her neatly 60 YO Prestige potato masher: round metal
plate with rounded slots cut in it, riveted to a Y shaped stalk with a
wooden handle.

I've had plenty of different mashers over the years, but finally went
out and bought a ricer. Best mash I've ever made gets done on a
regular basis now.

Bangers and mash with red onion and port gravy, and peas. Yum! Works
best with Scots steak sausages or venison sausages...

I have a Prestige one also Kate, mine is 54 years old. We bought it when
we were living in Malta and it came back home with us.

We have been married 55 years Nov.6th. I joined my DH in Malta just
after we got married and stayed there 2.1/2 years. He was in the Royal
Navy.
Shirley
--
Shirley Shone

http://www.allcrafts.org.uk

Hey Shirley, My folks were married on Nov. 6, 1948. That must
have been a good day to get married on for a long lasting marriage.
Congrats to you and your dh. That is wonderful.

My 29 yo potato masher and the ancient one at dad's house still are
both in good working order. I think those old one's were made
to last.
Taria
"Shirley Shone" wrote in message
...

I have a Prestige one also Kate, mine is 54 years old. We bought it when
we were living in Malta and it came back home with us.

We have been married 55 years Nov.6th. I joined my DH in Malta just after
we got married and stayed there 2.1/2 years. He was in the Royal Navy.
Shirley
--
Shirley Shone

http://www.allcrafts.org.uk

Shirley Shone wrote:
In message , Kate
XXXXXX writes
Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:
I am also thinking very very hard about spending $10 on a decent
potato masher. The kind I know best are the ones that are sort of
wannabe ricers, a steel plate with holes in it on a handle. DH is
absolutely convinced that the plate will come away from the handle on
those. My mom has been using the same one for over fifty years, if
anybody can destroy a kitchen gadget in five minutes or less it is
her.
I have one like that. I've only had it for about 20 years (it was
probably about 30 years old when I got it) so it's too early to say
if it's really durable, but I'd take the chance anyway.

Giggle.

My mum still uses her neatly 60 YO Prestige potato masher: round metal
plate with rounded slots cut in it, riveted to a Y shaped stalk with a
wooden handle.

I've had plenty of different mashers over the years, but finally went
out and bought a ricer. Best mash I've ever made gets done on a
regular basis now.

Bangers and mash with red onion and port gravy, and peas. Yum! Works
best with Scots steak sausages or venison sausages...

I have a Prestige one also Kate, mine is 54 years old. We bought it when
we were living in Malta and it came back home with us.

Whee! Small world! We lived in Malta for 3 years and 4 days! Dad
was in the RAF - fly boy!

We have been married 55 years Nov.6th. I joined my DH in Malta just
after we got married and stayed there 2.1/2 years. He was in the Royal
Navy.

Brilliant! Himself and I have manages 27 years so far.

And three useless potato mashers before I gave in and got the ricer!

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

"NightMist" wrote in message
...

Many many men are fine, nay, excellent cooks.
My husband is one of them.
However he has some quirks.
Aside from leaving food and things in the middle of the dirty dishes
next to the sink, the one thing that I hate about when he cooks is his
use of the mixer to mash potatos. It all but chokes me to try and eat
them when they are done like that. Can you say overworked pasty goo?

I've only ever had potatoes mashed that way. My mom used a mixer, I use a
mixer. I use the zigzag thing to smash them first... just like my mom did.

Since taters and gravy are just about my favorite food, I guess I better
know how to make them better.

Cindy

On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:57:25 -0500, "teleflora"
wrote:


"NightMist" wrote in message
...

Many many men are fine, nay, excellent cooks.
My husband is one of them.
However he has some quirks.
Aside from leaving food and things in the middle of the dirty dishes
next to the sink, the one thing that I hate about when he cooks is his
use of the mixer to mash potatos. It all but chokes me to try and eat
them when they are done like that. Can you say overworked pasty goo?

I've only ever had potatoes mashed that way. My mom used a mixer, I use a
mixer. I use the zigzag thing to smash them first... just like my mom did.

Since taters and gravy are just about my favorite food, I guess I better
know how to make them better.


It is going to depend on how you do.
DH whips the poor spuds to within an inch of their life.
If you don't overwork them too badly they are probably fine.
I reckon it takes a touch, and you might just have it.

NightMist
--

Legolas is my house elf

"NightMist" wrote in message
...

It is going to depend on how you do.
DH whips the poor spuds to within an inch of their life.
If you don't overwork them too badly they are probably fine.
I reckon it takes a touch, and you might just have it.

NightMist

Honey, you put 2 sticks of butter in there, they could have the consistency
of wall paper paste and they would taste good.

Cindy