by Linda Bayley-Brown

Created on: September 16, 2009

Oh for A Smashing Masher !

Mashed potatoes ? Who the heck wants to 'dine out' on that soft, buttery, utterly delectable mmm ..... ? Well ... me actually but chance would be a fine thing ! I don't know who on earth invented those hand mashers shaped like a number seven but you can be sure it wasn't anyone who had ever mashed potatoes ! I ended up throwing one such masher that buckled into the bin. It had bent and twisted whilst failing to mash soft boiled potatoes. Very frustrating indeed and so I resorted to using a fork in the end . Yes, I know I could use my electric mixer but then you end up with a puree that resembles powdered instant mash which I simply do not like but might as well have used to start with.

A bit of texture in my mash is in fact desirable for me . I remember the very durable hand mashers of the sixties and seventies . You could mash away to your hearts content and you knew they would be a faithful and hardworking friend for years to come . However, like many a kitchen gadget that lost it's gleam and was no longer deemed as part of fashionable cooking repertoire they were thrown out and replaced by sparkling brand new ones. Oh yes, they look good but are totally useless for doing the job they are designed for. I managed to buy a black plastic copy of the old style masher but the potatoes were difficult to mash due to the holes not being sharp enough to 'cut' through .. arrgh !

All is not lost though I am pleased to say. Whilst out picking up some groceries in the small market town where I live, I nipped into one of the charity shops nearby and rummaged in the basket of cutlery . Right at the bottom, hidden from view was just the one I wanted. A well worn but still fit for service masher that brought a smile to my face. One poor lady was hovering to see if I was going to return it to the basket but I'm afraid she was out of luck, mashers at dawn, I was prepared to do battle to keep it . Now I am the proud owner of three such implements, all from from charity shops, because I really don't want to be without one again. So, I am able once more to enjoy my favourite buttery comfort food !

Since acquiring my prized collection of second hand mashers I have had a few guests enquire as to where I sourced mine. Said guests disliked their more modern version and so took my advice and found themselves discarded ones. What a shame that such a useful and simply designed gadget gets rejected due to either de-cluttering one's kitchen or in order to make way for the arrival of some fashionable designer thing. No doubt the new one is attractive and matches the kitchen right down to the dishcloth but utterly useless compared to the very best of potato mashers that our mother's enjoyed.

When ever I make a soup and wish to have texture in it which goes wonderfully with homemade rustic bread, out comes my masher and does the job a treat.

Butter is an all time favourite in mashed potato and as you know cheese, onion and herbs can make great variations but did you ever think to put a little salad cream into them ? I often do if I am covering a pie dish of say fish or ham with mash as a topping .... lovely !

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