70% Said This Is Their Favorite Way To Reheat Mashed Potatoes

If you're a big fan of mashed potatoes, you aren't alone — a YouGov survey reports that in 2021, it was the most popular American dish in the United States, ahead of French fries, grilled cheese, and hamburgers. Whether you like them smothered in gravy or dripping with a pat of melted butter, mashed potatoes are one of those nostalgic comfort foods that many people love to see on the table. 

Say you end dinner with a container of leftover mashed potatoes. How do you reheat them? Mashed polled nearly 600 people across the country to find out. Just 15.22% of respondents said they use the stovetop, while 12.21% put their potatoey leftovers in a baking dish in the oven. Another 2.51% toss them in the Instant Pot, which can take just five minutes and keeps that nice, fluffy texture (via Margin Making Mom). While all of the above techniques are perfectly good, there's one method that 7 in 10 people said is their go-to for reheating mashed potatoes.

There could be a simple explanation for why 70.07% of Mashed's poll respondents dubbed the microwave the best option for reheating mashed potatoes: It's quick and it's easy. However, it's not as simple as just tossing your container in the microwave and pressing start. Reheat your mashed potatoes the wrong way and you run the risk of ending up with a clump of gummy, unhappy spuds that hardly resemble the creamy deliciousness you enjoyed the night before. It turns out there are a few tricks for properly microwaving your leftover mashed potatoes.

Good Housekeeping recommends putting your potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, covering them (to keep in moisture), and then cooking for one minute. Remove it from the microwave, stir, then keep cooking in 30-second bursts until the potatoes are thoroughly warmed up. Make sure to stir frequently to ensure even heating. Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond uses a similar technique. She has an added trick for restoring your potatoes to their fluffy texture. "You may want to stir a little butter and/or heavy cream or milk into your mash once it's heated to make it extra smooth and creamy," she says.