Cook Your Mashed Potatoes In Milk For The Creamiest Texture

You're probably used to boiling potatoes in water, but if you want to make the creamiest mashed potatoes to have ever graced your dinner table, use milk instead. Simmering milk might sound like an odd technique, but using dairy here will result in a much creamier texture than you're accustomed to, making it a surefire way to elevate mashed potatoes every time.

How does it work? The potatoes will absorb the creaminess from the milk, giving them a softer texture that's easier to mash into a pillowy consistency. Potatoes are also full of starch, which gets wasted when they're cooked in water and the water is poured down the drain. By cooking potatoes in milk instead, the fats in the milk will absorb all that starch, which will further improve upon the desired consistency. This is similar to the reason why many home cooks like to use pasta water to thicken sauce. 

For this method, you can use just milk or a milk-and-water mixture. If you're just using milk, you'll need about 3 cups of whole milk or heavy cream for every 2 pounds of potatoes. For a milk-and-water mixture, you'll use about 2 cups of milk or heavy cream with 3 cups of water for every 3 pounds of potatoes. The trick is to simmer the milk — not boil. And be sure to use whole milk or heavy cream because you want as much fat as possible for this technique to really work.

Cooking the potatoes in milk isn't the only way to elevate mashed potatoes. Here are some other ideas: Use plenty of high-quality unsalted butter. If you like cheese, add freshly grated parmesan to infuse the potatoes with nutty and salty flavors. Garlic is another way to raise the vibration of your mashed potatoes. You might add a garnish of crispy garlic slices for texture, mix in roasted garlic for umami, or keep it easy and sprinkle on some garlic powder instead. As a final tip, fresh herbs like chives, thyme, or parsley are all delicious additions to make killer mashed potatoes.