All You Need Is Ice Water For The Fluffiest Mashed Potatoes Ever
You've probably heard that it's best to add potatoes directly to the pot while the water is still cold instead of waiting for it to heat up, but have you ever considered soaking those potatoes in ice water even before that? If not, you might want to give it a try the next time mashed potatoes are on the dinner menu. Doing so will give you the fluffiest potatoes imaginable. And when it comes to mashed potatoes, well, the fluffier they are the better!
The reason why an ice water bath results in smooth, cloudlike potatoes is simple: The water helps draw out the starch. And while starch is an important part of the whole mashed potato experience, too much of it is the cause behind a gloopy, lumpy purée. A good ice-cold soak will help eliminate the surplus starch in those taters so that they whip up into the perfect creamy texture.
Give those potatoes enough time to soak
Soaking the excess starch out of your potatoes is super simple. Just peel and slice them the same way that you would before boiling. Only instead of putting them directly into a pot of cold water and setting it to boil, add them to a big bowl of cold water with plenty of ice. This does take some forward planning since the soaking process will take at least half an hour. Better yet, let the potatoes rest in the ice-cold water for an hour if you can.
By the end of that time, you'll be able to see the cloud of starch at the bottom of the bowl. Be careful not to stir it up as you remove the potatoes. It's a good idea to give them an additional rinse afterward, just in case any of the starch clings to them. From there, prepare your mashed potatoes as usual. No doubt you'll be amazed by the results.
It's okay to start soaking your potatoes the night before
Between the peeling and cutting, making mashed potatoes can already be time-intensive. So adding an extra step that requires 30 minutes to an hour of downtime might not always work out. Fortunately, potatoes can be soaked overnight in the refrigerator. Doing so makes it possible to get all that prep done the day before a big dinner. That way, you can focus on the final steps of boiling, mashing, and seasoning the potatoes instead of worrying about getting the peeling, chopping, and soaking done in time.
While the refrigerator is plenty cold, you'll still want to add ice cubes to the water with the peeled and cut potatoes, as this will ensure maximum starch removal. Although the ice cubes will likely melt overnight, they'll still get the job done. Just be careful not to soak the potatoes for longer than 24 hours, as they can become slimy and mushy if they're stored for too long. But as long as they're put on the stove to boil within a day of being cut, you should still get perfectly fluffy classic mashed potatoes.