I Asked 6 Chefs the Best Way To Make Mashed Potatoes—They All Said the Same Thing

There is no wrong time of year for mashed potatoes. That being said, the frequency with which I prepare mashed potatoes does increase in the fall, and as the leaves change colors, I find myself wishing my grandmother was still around. She made the absolutely best “mashies,” as my family calls it. Alas, I never got her recipe, so I have no idea how she made them!

Missing my grandmother and her incomparable spuds, I decided to perfect the art of mashed potato making. To help, I reached out to some chefs and cooking experts to find out how they make the staple side dish. Much to my surprise, there was a single method preferred by the culinary pros I interviewed.

The 6 Chefs and Cooking Experts I Asked

• Baptiste Maillet: Chef de Cuisine at Private Chefs of the SF Bay
• Laura Muller: Content creator, chef, and recipe developer at Food & Deals by Laura
• Joe Schafer: Executive Chef at Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport, Maine
• Alejandra Graf: Cookbook author and creator of the award-winning blog AleCooks
• Peter Som: Fashion Designer, culinary creator, and lifestyle expert
• Erica Thomas: Content creator, lifestyle writer, and recipe developer at Eating With Erica 

The Best Way To Make Mashed Potatoes, According to Chefs and Cooking Experts

The experts I spoke with had slight variations in their mashed potato-making methods, but they all agreed on the basic steps: Boil your potatoes thoroughly in salted water, then drain well and allow them to cool slightly. Mash your potatoes using a ricer or food mill, and add them back to the still-hot pot along with a healthy dose of “the best butter you can find,” as Schafer puts it.

Finally, slowly stir in just-boiled cream or, if you like your mashed potatoes lighter, just-boiled milk, and tasting along the way, season them with salt and black pepper.

The Best Potatoes To Use for Mashed Potatoes

For the creamiest mashed potatoes, all the chefs I talked to use either fingerlings or Yukon Golds. Waxier potatoes like these take longer to break down than fluffier potatoes. They hold onto their starch, the cells absorbing water until they burst from the pressure when milled, releasing their starch and creating a silky, smooth texture for your mash.

Chefs who prefer to boil their potatoes skin-on opt for fingerlings. This is “the real way to make French mashed potatoes, or purée de pommes de terre,” explains Maillet. He finds that the little potatoes are easier to peel once “cooled just enough to handle, but still hot.”

In fact, maintaining warm potatoes throughout the process is of utmost importance. Schafer, also a fingerling fan, says, “If the potatoes cool down, the starch will make them pasty and goopy.”

Those who prefer Yukon Golds recommend peeling and cutting the potatoes before boiling them.

Som advises extra care when cutting to yield “relatively even pieces for even cooking.” Once they’re boiled to fork-tender and drained, he recommends returning the potatoes to the pot, where the residual heat “will evaporate away any excess water.” Ensuring they’re dry before mashing gives the potatoes a light, creamy consistency. “Water is the enemy,” Schafer agrees, “so the drier the potatoes, the better.”

The Best Method for Mashing the Potatoes

The chefs I spoke with mash their potatoes by passing them through a potato ricer or food mill. They all agree that there’s one piece of equipment to avoid when mashing: the food processor.

“Do not put them into a food processor or blender,” cautions Som, “or the starch will activate, and you’ll end up with wallpaper paste.”

Maillet recommends one additional step for achieving a velvety texture. “Pass the purée through a fine sieve to further lighten the mash. This can be repeated multiple times to make the purée silky smooth.”

How To Enhance the Flavor of Mashed Potatoes

Looking for ways to put a twist on that pure potato flavor? When they’re mashing, and in some cases, just before serving, several of the pros I spoke to add unique touches that boost their mashed potatoes’ flavor.

Muller swaps the milk for Mexican crema. “This adds a rich, velvety creaminess that’s simply irresistible,” she declares.

Graf, who cooks her potatoes in the Instant Pot, mashes in “olive oil with garlic cloves for a nice savory punch” and finishes the spuds with freshly ground pepper, a slice of butter, and some chives.

Thomas recommends roasted garlic, truffle oil, or shaved Parmesan cheese.” Simply put, yum!