Fluffy Mashed Potato Recipe | ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda Project (2024)

FAQs

What does adding baking soda to mashed potatoes do? ›

Throw just a pinch of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda into potatoes while mashing to make them fluffier.

Here's how to do it: For every pound of potatoes in your mash, drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the dish and fold it gently into the potatoes. If the mash is still too gluey for your liking, repeat the process with another tablespoon of butter.

I love it when cooking involves a bit of a science experiment. In this case, research suggested adding baking soda to the pot when parboiling potatoes; having water of higher alkalinity than usual helps the outside edges of the potatoes break down more, opening up the possibility of a crisper outside texture.

Playing With pH: Why You Should Add Baking Soda to Your Water. In my previous roast potato recipe, I recommended adding a splash of vinegar to the water for the initial boil. The idea is to control the breakdown of pectin, the cellular glue that holds vegetables together. Think of it as the mortar between bricks.

Garlic – For savory depth of flavor. Unsalted butter – For richness and buttery flavor. Milk – It smooths the starchy potatoes into an incredibly creamy mash. Use whole milk for the creamiest results.

The Mistake: Using the Wrong Kind of Potato

Thick-skinned varieties like russets will give you the fluffiest results. Steer clear of waxy red-skinned potatoes, which turn gluey when mashed.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

Adding a handful of these flakes of cooked, mashed, and dehydrated potato is an easy way to tighten up a runny batch of mashed potatoes. You can also tighten up your mashers with starch (the very thing we were trying to avoid in the first place with fluffy potatoes).

Too much baking soda will result in a soapy taste with a coarse, open crumb. Baking soda causes reddening of cocoa powder when baked, hence the name Devil's Food Cake.

Why do you put a little vinegar in the potato cooking water? ›

03/5Why vinegar is added to boiling potatoes? This hack has been suggested by several home cooks and chefs and the reason behind it is that vinegar can help the potatoes retain their shape. Vinegar causes the potatoes to form a thin crust that further helps in retaining their shape.

The baking soda spuds had considerably more small, crunchy bits in the pan than the vinegar ones which were whole and looked neater. Both ingredients successfully produced a perfectly fluffy core in each potato with crispy skin, though the crunch was much better on the potatoes boiled with baking soda.

Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash partly. Cook the buttermilk in a saucepan over low heat to just barely warm it; do not let the buttermilk get too hot or it will separate. Add it and the baking soda to the potatoes and mash completely. Stir in the butter, additional salt and the pepper to taste.

Baking soda and baking powder are not the same. Sodium bicarbonate and bicarbonate of soda are other names for baking soda. Baking powder is made of baking soda plus cream of tartar and cornstarch. Baking powder can be substituted for baking soda by tripling the amount of baking powder.

For the silkiest fluffy mashed potatoes, start with firm, cool Russet Burbank spuds, also known as baking potatoes. They're the easiest to mash without becoming pasty and are even tastier steamed instead of boiled.

America's Test Kitchen often recommends adding baking soda to the water in which you will boil potatoes, which further coaxes out the starch molecules. Aim for ½ teaspoon baking soda for every 8 to 10 cups or water, or 2 to 3 pounds of potatoes.

Baking soda becomes activated when it's combined with both an acidic ingredient and a liquid. Upon activation, carbon dioxide is produced, which allows baked goods to rise and become light and fluffy (1).

What does baking soda do to potatoes? It makes the water alkaline which helps break down the surface of the potato and helps make your potatoes crispy!

Increased pH in your mash can lead to extraction of tannins, which will make your beer taste astringent. If your mash's pH is too low, baking soda will help remedy the situation. Baking soda will raise the mash's pH, but the exact amount to use is dependent on a lot of factors.