Real mashed potatoes vs. Instant

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
Can you tell the difference? If so, what gives it away to you?

When they first came out, my mom tied them and the family consensus was they were "wallpaper paste". At least for me, I think improvements have been made in the intervening decades. I often buy instant potatoes. The only produce section potatoes I have now are when I make baked. They haven't developed a good 'instant' baked potato yet.
 

When I was a kid my mother bought 'Smash' instant potato granules.. we all hated them so she went back to potatoes... when my father remarried, the wicked witch stepmother didn't cook despite all the money that was given to her to buy fresh food.. so Instant potato was the only thing available along with frozen pies and peas.. .. *ugh* I couldn't eat that...
 
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Yes, I can tell the difference. I will peel potatoes and make my own mashed potatoes. In a pinch, I will buy Bob Evans.
 

I do like real mashed potatoes but they are getting to hard to do by myself especially when daughter and family come over. I use "Real Mashed Potatoes" and they are a different taste but still good. I really should buy the big baking potatoes and they would be tossed into the oven.
 
I can tell. They put something in there to prevent browning or something. I still have them around but mainly use them to thicken something that comes out too watery. I'm mostly using fresh potatoes these days,
 
I've tried the instant mashed potatoes. I put just a handful in the microwave oven for a couple of seconds then add a small knob of butter. They did taste nice and seeing I'm just cooking for one it's the easiest way to make them. I'm not a big potato eater and only have them once in a while.
 
Instant was a godsend during the years of the pandemic. I tried everything as a substitute for spuds: grits, pasta, mac & cheese, etc. My mom, whom I cooked for, hated anything else. But, she liked instant potatoes. I found I could enliven them in a variety of ways such as first cook them per box's instructions; refrigerate over night; then fry them lightly in oil in a skillet. And, maybe add a bit of onion, too. Or mixed the potatoes with cheese flavored grits (grits had no flavor for mom). Or mix sweet green peas or corn with the potatoes. I'd mix a fried egg, instant potatoes, & some salsa and wrap it all in a large flour tortilla. Mmmmm. Good! You have to be creative with bland stuff like instant potatoes.

Real potatoes would run out and wouldn't keep; so it was to the store and possible exposure to the covid virus. I could order lots of instant potatoes via Walmart and would be supplied forever. :D
 
I can tell the difference easily, nothing tastes better IMO than homemade mashed potatoes. Been many decades since I had instant, when younger I had some around because we were both working full time and it was a quick side dish, sometime brought them camping back then too. Now, it's homemade with real gold potatoes, butter and 2% milk, sometimes I just boil them and add seasonings and Smart Balance for dinner.
 
I might have eaten instant mashed potatoes when buying school lunches back in high school, but no one ever served them at home and I've never prepared them. :p
 
I think anyone can tell but I do like the Bob's Red Mill instant mashed potatoes. The real potatoes I've gotten at WINCO Foods the last two times have been crap.
 
It's the texture and the taste of instant that I don't much care for. There's no variation in their texture; they seem synthetic somehow. Real mashed spuds are much better although I don't have them all that often.
 
If someone else was going to do the cooking, then I'd prefer fresh genuine mashed/whipped potatoes. But, since lazy me is the person who is doing the cooking, I just use the individual cup size of instant mashed potatoes (only make them a couple times a year).

Sometimes I'll buy a frozen dinner that includes mashed potatoes, so I guess those are real, they're yummy.
 
Remy said:
I think anyone can tell but I do like the Bob's Red Mill instant mashed potatoes. The real potatoes I've gotten at WINCO Foods the last two times have been crap.
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Not sure where WINCO is sourcing it's potatoes, but there are ample supplies of good potatoes from all US and CA points of origin. They are 1/3 the price of the last 2 years and generally higher in quality.
 
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