How to Make the Ultimate Light and Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

All mashed potatoes are not created equal. There’s the smashed kind where you get chunks of potato in every bite. Some people favor creamy potatoes that melt in the mouth. Our favorite, though, is light and airy mashed potatoes. They’re the perfect vessel for a dab of butter and a drizzle of homemade gravy.

There are two secrets to making light and fluffy mashed potatoes. First, is the type of potato to use. Red and Yukon Gold potatoes are great if you’re making a creamier mashed potato. But for light and fluffy, good old Russet potatoes are perfect. They cook quickly and are high in starch.

Second is saying no-no to a hand mixer. A ricer is your kitchen tool of choice. Starch molecules become sticky when they are broken down and released. When making fluffy potatoes, you want to reduce the amount of starch being released by the potato. Using a ricer breaks down the molecules in the potato just enough to help the final product be light and airy.

Here’s a recipe from the Test Kitchen to make you look like the mashed potato king or queen this holiday season. You may see a few funny steps but, trust us, they have a good purpose. The results will be the ultimate light and fluffy mashed potatoes. We’ll include ingredients for a 5 lb bag of potatoes (if you’re serving a crowd; 10-12 servings) and 1 lb of potatoes (if you’re just cooking for the family; 2-3 servings) to make sure you have ample mashed potatoes.

Ingredients for 5 lbs of Fluffy Potatoes

5 lbs Russet potatoes
1 1/4 tsp of salt (for water)
1 1/2 – 2 sticks melted butter
1 1/4 c warm half and half
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Ingredients for 1 lb of Fluffy Potatoes

1 lb Russet potatoes
1/4 tsp salt (for water)
2-4 Tbsp of melted butter
1/4 c warm half and half
Salt and Pepper to taste

Step 1

Pick a bag of Russet potatoes in which the potatoes are mostly the same size for easy chopping.

Step 2

Peel the potatoes.

Step 3

Chop the potatoes so they are a good size and evenly chopped. Place them in a bowl.

Step 4

Fill the bowl with water and stir the potatoes around. The potatoes will release a starchy cloudiness in the water.

Step 5

Pour the potatoes into a strainer and rinse them with water.

Step 6

Pour the potatoes back in the bowl. Fill the bowl with water and stir around again. The water should be clear. If the water is still cloudy repeat step 5.

Step 7

Strain the potatoes and carefully drop into a pot of boiling water.

Step 8

Add salt to the water and cook the potatoes in the pot of hot water for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the size of the chunks of potatoes). The potatoes, when dropped into the pot, will cool down the water slightly and the water won’t boil at first. That’s ok, start your timer as soon as you drop them. Cover with a lid; check, and stir them occasionally.

Step 9

When they are fork tender, strain the potatoes and rinse under water to get any starchy water off.

Step10

Put a handful of potatoes in the ricer and push through. Don’t put too many potatoes in the ricer at once or it becomes hard to work with.

Step 11

Rice all the hot potatoes.

Step 12

Pour melted butter onto potatoes.

Step 13

Next, pour in the warm half and half.

Step 14

Gently fold in the butter and milk with a rubber spatula.

Step 15

Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold and taste as you go. Salting the water and using salted butter will reduce how much salt you have to fold in so you don’t have to work your beautiful fluffy potatoes too much.

Step 16

The results, a bowl of light and fluffy mashed potatoes!

Watch this video on how to make the ultimate light and fluffy mashed potatoes:
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