All housewives know the basic principles of making mashed potatoes, but the taste and texture of the side dish are not always pleasing.
The thing is that there are not only basic rules for preparing the dish, but also a few unusual tricks.
In order for the puree to be airy, the potatoes must have a sufficient amount of starch in their composition. It is impossible to determine this characteristic "by eye".
Before peeling the entire batch of potatoes, cut one tuber into two parts and try to glue them together. If you manage to achieve the result quickly and without much effort, then the potatoes are ideal for mashed potatoes.
As soon as the new potato season begins, many do not even want to look at last year's harvest. However, the tasty young vegetable is suitable for traditional cooking.
But for mashed potatoes you should only use old potatoes.
Not all housewives remember that potatoes need to be washed thoroughly before cooking to get rid of the unpleasant earthy taste.
But you shouldn't leave the potatoes in water, otherwise it will reduce the concentration of starch.