# Mash: what's your secret ingredient? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721 "2008-06-21T21:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/21 "2008-06-22T16:49:47Z")
Roasted garlic, sour cream, and **white** pepper. No nasty black flecks! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/22 "2008-06-22T17:34:04Z")
Yum! So many things to try… ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/23 "2008-06-22T17:43:37Z")
[QUOTE=Full Metal Lotus] … mash with a ricer.. … [/QUOTE] That’s probably the most important one, technique, it’s real easy to make potato paste with a hand mixer! [Ricer](http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/827/586214.JPG) or [food mill](http://www.greatknives.com/Mouli%20products/food%20mill%202%20lg.jpg) all the way. CMC +fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/24 "2008-06-22T18:32:03Z")
[QUOTE=Savannah] The Pioneer Woman puts in cream cheese, and lordy, it’s delicious. [/QUOTE] This. Also roasted garlic. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/25 "2008-06-22T20:08:12Z")
[QUOTE=crowmanyclouds] That’s probably the most important one, technique, it’s real easy to make potato paste with a hand mixer! [Ricer](http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/827/586214.JPG) or [food mill](http://www.greatknives.com/Mouli%20products/food%20mill%202%20lg.jpg) all the way. CMC +fnord! [/QUOTE] I’m on this bandwagon. Ricer. And NEVER add cold liquid to hot starch; add hot starch to HOT liquid. Heat up your milk, cream, broth, whatever you’re using, and then add the potatoes. I like a little speck of horseradish powder. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/26 "2008-06-22T21:52:24Z")
Apart from real Dijon mustard, the thing to add to mash is bacon. Chop the slices and let them simmer in whatever liquid you’re using, then add taters. Bacon mash is divine, it’s barbaric, hedonistic, heart failure inducing and … …and … … words fail me. There are no superlatives that can convey the joy of bacon mash. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/27 "2008-06-22T21:55:30Z")
Mashing in some parsnips with the potatoes is nice. I also like your standard horseradish mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/28 "2008-06-23T05:52:42Z")
A teaspoon or two of wasabi. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/29 "2008-06-23T09:49:24Z")
Lime or lemon juice ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/30 "2008-06-23T13:50:14Z")
A raw egg - added when the potatoes are still piping hot (so it does get cooked by the residual heat, as it’s is mashed together). I also like it with a parsnip mixed in, or jeruasalem artichokes. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/31 "2008-06-23T14:21:49Z")
Add beets to make [Red Flannel Hash](http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1926,146166-246206,00.html). Old New England recipe. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/32 "2008-06-23T14:29:54Z")
This thread is making me really hungry. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/33 "2008-06-28T05:26:25Z")
[Paul McCartney’s secret Mash](http://youtube.com/watch?v=WyyEc-GNDfQ) is simple genius, a bit of the zwiebeldom. This video makes me cry, it just shows how much he loves Linda. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/34 "2008-06-28T05:48:52Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] Creamy cucumber salad dressing. [/QUOTE] We use ranch dressing (I thought this was just a family quirk, you’re the first I know of outside the family that does this..) ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/35 "2008-06-28T16:11:41Z")
I do the cream cheese thing too, but like to use the vegitable flavored cream cheese myself. Chicken stock intead of all water helps too. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/36 "2008-06-28T17:20:36Z")
While a lot of purists insist that your mash has to be corn and nothing but corn, my daddy always claimed that adding just a little bit of potato helped boost the yield. You have to make sure not to brew it too hot and to make sure you have a long enough coil to… Oh wait, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/37 "2008-06-28T17:26:38Z")
I thought that this was going to be a thread on moonshine…but I live in the sticks. I add yogurt to mashed potatoes. I’ve maintained the same culture since last summer. ---
**Author:** ![hlanelee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3bc359/32.png) [@hlanelee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hlanelee)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/38 "2008-06-28T17:27:48Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] While a lot of purists insist that your mash has to be corn and nothing but corn, my daddy always claimed that adding just a little bit of potato helped boost the yield. You have to make sure not to brew it too hot and to make sure you have a long enough coil to… Oh wait, never mind. [/QUOTE] I thought that this was going to be a thread on moonshine, too…but I live in the sticks. I add yogurt to mashed potatoes. I’ve maintained the same culture since last summer. ---
**Author:** ![WoodenTaco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/45deac/32.png) [@WoodenTaco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WoodenTaco)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/39 "2008-06-28T17:28:26Z")
Children. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2008, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721/40 "2008-06-28T19:00:09Z")
Mashed potatoes is PEOPLE!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mash-whats-your-secret-ingredient/453721.md?page=3)