Smashed Vs Mashed Potatoes: What's The Difference?

Because of their high carb content and the many less-than-healthy ways to prepare them, potatoes get a bad rap. Nevertheless, these starchy vegetables should be in your diet. We're going to forego examining all the nutritional benefits to focus on versatility, flavor, and texture.

Essentially, you can turn potatoes into just about anything. They can be sweet, savory, chunky, smooth, or even crunchy. You can eat them with your fingers, a fork, or a spoon. Potatoes can be served whole, cut, smashed, or mashed. And yes, smashed and mashed are two distinct things. While some people might use the terms smash and mash interchangeably, they are not the same. 'Smash' is when you merely break something into pieces. However, "mash" means you reduce a food to a soft, pulpy mass. Therefore, making smashed potatoes and mashed potatoes requires two different processes. To get the best results, you need to know the difference.

Making smashed potatoes is a three-step process. You must boil, smash, and bake. First, boil them (whole) until they are tender. If you don't have patience during this step, your dish won't have a smooth texture for a uniform smash. If you forget about them and boil them for too long, your potatoes will disintegrate when you smash them. The sweet spot is to boil your potatoes just long enough that you can stick a fork in and pull it out without resistance.

Smashing is the fun part. The best approach is to arrange your boiled potatoes directly on an oiled baking sheet to get a crispy texture. Use something like the bottom of a clean measuring cup that is large enough to smash the entire potato with a single press, and add the flavor elements you desire. Onions, pepper, chives, and cheese are all suitable options. You can follow a recipe for this portion or create your own smash-terpiece.

To finish, roast the smashed potatoes until they are golden and crisp. Depending on your oven, you may need to rotate your baking sheet during this final stage to get the best results.

Making mashed potatoes is similar to making smashed potatoes, but it only requires two steps. You just need to boil and mash. In step one, you must do a little more work than you did for smashing. While it isn't essential, it is wise to peel and cut potatoes before boiling for mashing. The smaller pieces not only cook faster, but they are much easier to work with than whole potatoes. The secret to getting the best results is to make sure all the pieces are roughly the same size, as this guarantees even cooking.

As with smashed potatoes, cook until fork tender. Add the potatoes to a bowl and begin mashing them with a handheld potato masher, a mixer, or a potato ricer, depending on your preference. At this point, you also want to mix in flavor elements as directed by your recipe. This could include salt, pepper, milk, butter, and stock. If you are not serving them immediately, you can keep your mashed potatoes warm in a slow cooker until it's time to eat.