I have been a professional cook for my entire adult life, but I have never encountered any problem like this. I now live in Mexico and, of course, I buy my food in Mexico. When I make mashed potatoes with Mexican bought potatoes, they come out runny. I make them as I always have. No changes what-so-ever. Boil potatoes until just barely done. Drain well. Place back in pot and turn fire down to super low and allow to dry out somewhat. Add butter and salt. Use elec hand mixer to "mash" them. Add only enough milk , while continuing to mash, to make them stick together into what thickness I desire. We all know what thickness mashed potatoes are supposed to be like. BUT not with Mexican bought potatoes. They come out ultra runny. Not soupy, but still runny. WEIRD ! By experimenting, I have discovered that if I boil potatoes WHOLE AND STILL IN THEIR JACKETS, and then when done, peeling off the skins before mashing, they come out just fine. in other words like they always have . Anybody else have this strange problem ? If so, what did you do about it ?
I cook my potatoes like you do and I don't ordinary have problems with mashed potatoes being runny neither. BUT....I must of had some of them Mexican taters too. The same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't figure out WHY my mashed potatoes were runny? The potatoes have been looking a little sketchy in the store these days, as does the rest of the produce. It could be the type of potato or the soil they were planted in. Or it could even be how they stored the potatoes.
I seldom make mashed potatoes, and I do not really like them, although I like potatoes most other ways. Baked is my favorite, naturally. I always have cooked potatoes with the skin on because that is what i learned from my mother. After cooking , we used a small butter knife and peeled off the skins if we wanted them off, like for potato salad. I am wondering if the potatoes you get in Mexico absorb more moisture, or maybe it is even something to do with the milk. In any case, if you get a package of instant potato flakes, you could add a little of those into your mashed potatoes to thicken them if you wanted to do that, @Richard Whiting .
Yes, I also am wondering if perhaps it is how Mexicans store potatoes. One thing is for sure, Mexican produce is 2nd class. When at the supermarkets you must select very carefully as much of it is borderline old.
I searched on "Are potatoes from Mexico different?" and the very first search result was Mexican Potatoes. Why Are They So Lousy? She offered no scientific answer but hypothesized: I suspect it’s because they have been stored at too high or too low a temperature. I could find nothing else on the local potatoes, just articles from this summer stating that Mexico is open again to importing potatoes from the U.S.
After rereading your initial post...I wonder if this happens more with the dry, light ones. I'm thinking that they may be getting too dry in your climate and then absorb the cooking water. Leaving them in the jacket might be what's preventing over-saturation from happening. If you want to post specs (type and size) of a potato you have there, I'll buy one here close to it and see what it weighs. To be exacting, put it in a measured container of agua to see what it displaces, and I'll do the same here. g/cm³ would be the most accurate measurement, and I'm anal enough to do it if you are.
I haven't heard of such a thing, @Richard Whiting but I know climate and daylight changes the composition of potatoes. Interesting that the skins change the consistency.
I don't know. I lived in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas for twenty years, on the Texas-Mexico border, but that doesn't mean that the potatoes we bought were locally grown. Although we grew oranges in the Valley, most of the ones in the stores there were from Florida or California.
Don't they sell microwave mashed potatoes south of the Border? I'm partial to Bob Evans Farms brand, because I lived in Rio Grande, which is the home of Bob Evans Farms, for 4 years, and had a crush on his youngest daughter. btw, that's Rio Grande, Ohio.
Like you, I have worked in commercial kitchens for most of my secular career and I can’t say that I saw a plague of runny mashed potatoes. That said, as Yvonne suggested, if the potatoes ever came out a little runny, I always kept a #10 can of instant to tighten it up. Now, I did however come across a time when all the mashed turned out like glue. The Russets I used for mashed came from the same cases of Russets I used for baked and the baked came out fine. I mean, for about a week I 86’d the mashed potatoes and honestly could have donated the stuff to an elementary school for paste. I did learn though that some potatoes get a buildup of starch on the outside whilst boiling so if they are rinsed in cold water to get rid of the excess starch (like pasta) and then thrown back into clean boiling water, thrown into a strainer and then mashed, they turn out fine. Too much work for mashed potatoes. 86
Only time we boil potatoes with skins on is for making potato salad. After boiling, my wife removes the skins and continues on with making the salad. I loved mashed potatoes, but my wife isn't nearly the fan of them like I am. I done some research and found out that the best potatoes for mashed potatoes are Yukon Gold, not Russet. But, don't want to buy a 5 pound bag of Yukon Gold just to make a batch of mashed potatoes, so continue on using Russet ones. I make good-to-great mashed potatoes, but I absolutely love Gold Corral Buffet mashed potatoes. And, for instant mashed potatoes, I use Hungry Jack. If I make them right, they come out perfect.
Most Mexican white potatoes grown in the interior are thin-skinned and do absorb moisture easily while in storage. They are usually stored at high humidity to keep them from drying out. Note that the Idaho Russet and the Mexican White potato are two very different varieties. The insides of the Mexican Whites seem to absorb water at a higher rate than a US Russet. This is why leaving the peelings on and boiling them uncut is necessary. Our local reds and yellows are thin-skinned and have to be boiled with the peelings on. They don't make good mashed potatoes if peeled. The wonderful taste of an Idaho (or Greater Idaho/Eastern OR) baby red boiled and then cut in half, buttered, and seasoned is only obtainable with the peelings on. Our authentic Mexican cooks here love that we have an abundance of Idaho thick-skinned Russets that store very well in potato cellars. Fear, not my good man, as of May this year Mexico has decided to allow US potatoes to be imported into the interior. Before this ruling, a USA potato was rarely seen other than within 20 miles of the border.
Speaking of things being imported into Mexico. They don't allow any fresh veggies/fruits/meats to be imported. (at least by individuals) They CLAIM it is to protect Mexican produce from being infected by various diseases/insects . BUT, that is total B.S. because veggies/fruits/meats from California are far, far cleaner than anything in Mexico. Personally, I think Mexican rules are pay back for the U.S. prohibiting individuals from carrying fresh veg/fruits/meats into the U.S. AND to protect Mexican growers from competition.
Potatoes grown in cold-weather climates are far less susceptible to disease than those grown in warm climates.