BA also recently released their Making Perfect: Thanksgiving episode on mashed potatoes (and gravy) too that is worth watching IMO: Molly and Carla Try to Make the Perfect Mashed Potatoes & Gravy...
They seem to disagree with Serious Eats on a few things. E.g. They experimented with a whole bunch of potatoes and came to the conclusion that baked German Butterball potatoes were the best for mashing. And I also really like BAs crunchy topping idea for the mashed potatoes to get the best of both worlds, which I can't wait to try for myself at some point (although sadly Canadian Thanksgiving has already passed).
This example is the perfect example why I don't subscribe to this and other 'foodie' magazines. It seems like they are all written in New York or somewhere else where there are tons of crazy...
E.g. They experimented with a whole bunch of potatoes and came to the conclusion that baked German Butterball potatoes were the best for mashing
This example is the perfect example why I don't subscribe to this and other 'foodie' magazines. It seems like they are all written in New York or somewhere else where there are tons of crazy variations of foods constantly being imported. What use is a recipe that I can't find the ingredients for? I get wanting to get something absolutely perfect, but there is a reason why they say that perfect is the enemy of good enough.
My favorite soup is Alton Brown's lentil soup. One thing that has forever bothered me is that it calls for a spice called Grains of Paradise. I've made a small game over it; I decided that I will not do a special order for this spice (largely because I have only the one recipe that calls for it), and just buy it if I can ever find it in a store. Years later, after combing through boutique and specialty stores, I have yet to find it.
I get what you're saying, but most "foodie magazine" recipes offer substitutions for rarer ingredients for exactly that reason. And while this is certainly personal preference, I rarely ever...
I get what you're saying, but most "foodie magazine" recipes offer substitutions for rarer ingredients for exactly that reason. And while this is certainly personal preference, I rarely ever follow recipes exactly anyways... even ones with all common/widely available ingredients in them. Instead I tend to view almost all recipes as simply sources of inspiration/ideas, rather than treating them as definitive instructions that I must follow exactly or I will get it "wrong". IMO there is no "wrong" if it tastes good in the end... cooking is an art, not a science. :)
p.s. In the case of Grains of Paradise, it apparently tastes like a combination of ginger, coriander, nutmeg and cardamom, so you can probably just use a pinch of each of those instead... and the generally recommended substitute for it seems to be black pepper, so that would probably work just fine on its own too, though you could probably also add some pink peppercorns to the mix as well (if that's available to you) in order to get some additional complexity and floral notes to the dish.
I agree with you. My reason for not liking these recipes is entirely arbitrary. Heck, I approach most recipes as a list of suggestions. And for the record, the soup tastes amazing with black...
I agree with you. My reason for not liking these recipes is entirely arbitrary. Heck, I approach most recipes as a list of suggestions.
And for the record, the soup tastes amazing with black pepper. It gives it a spicy punch.
Well -- to be fair to BA, that's the entire premise of the miniseries. As an extreme example, for the "best pizza" miniseries two members of the team went to Italy to learn how to make their own...
Well -- to be fair to BA, that's the entire premise of the miniseries. As an extreme example, for the "best pizza" miniseries two members of the team went to Italy to learn how to make their own mozzarella out of buffalo milk. I don't really think that's intended for home chefs.
It's more about learning generally about food and getting to watch their experimentation process than it is about creating a recipe that is easily replicated. (I also think that a lot of them are funny and fun to watch which helps.)
American mash seems so much wetter and thinner than British mash. The BA video is an extreme example, it honestly looks like a potato soup but even in less fancy versions it has the consistency of...
American mash seems so much wetter and thinner than British mash. The BA video is an extreme example, it honestly looks like a potato soup but even in less fancy versions it has the consistency of a dip compared to our version which tends to be much heavier and can stand under its own weight (and the weight of sausages and beans)
I agree! I'm even right next door as a Canadian and I think most American recipes for mashed potatoes often involve way too much butter and cream/milk. I'm used to them being fluffier.
I agree! I'm even right next door as a Canadian and I think most American recipes for mashed potatoes often involve way too much butter and cream/milk. I'm used to them being fluffier.
As an American, this is the first time I've even really considered that mashed potatoes need a recipe. It's always just been boil, mash, season as desired for me. But now that you mention it, it...
As an American, this is the first time I've even really considered that mashed potatoes need a recipe. It's always just been boil, mash, season as desired for me.
But now that you mention it, it seems like every time I have seen it pictured in magazines it is really flat looking. I personally prefer the fluffy style. The idea of pommes puree just kind of makes me cringe because it reminds me of my grandmother's watery style of mashed potatoes.
Here's a protip: steam your potatoes instead of boiling them. Because a) it's faster (steam is hotter than boiling water) and b) you don't leach out all of those sweet, sweet nutrients (mainly...
Here's a protip: steam your potatoes instead of boiling them. Because a) it's faster (steam is hotter than boiling water) and b) you don't leach out all of those sweet, sweet nutrients (mainly minerals).
This also works well if you plan on roasting potatoes e.g. wedges: steam them beforehand and you can cut way down on the roasting.
BA also recently released their Making Perfect: Thanksgiving episode on mashed potatoes (and gravy) too that is worth watching IMO: Molly and Carla Try to Make the Perfect Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
They seem to disagree with Serious Eats on a few things. E.g. They experimented with a whole bunch of potatoes and came to the conclusion that baked German Butterball potatoes were the best for mashing. And I also really like BAs crunchy topping idea for the mashed potatoes to get the best of both worlds, which I can't wait to try for myself at some point (although sadly Canadian Thanksgiving has already passed).
This example is the perfect example why I don't subscribe to this and other 'foodie' magazines. It seems like they are all written in New York or somewhere else where there are tons of crazy variations of foods constantly being imported. What use is a recipe that I can't find the ingredients for? I get wanting to get something absolutely perfect, but there is a reason why they say that perfect is the enemy of good enough.
My favorite soup is Alton Brown's lentil soup. One thing that has forever bothered me is that it calls for a spice called Grains of Paradise. I've made a small game over it; I decided that I will not do a special order for this spice (largely because I have only the one recipe that calls for it), and just buy it if I can ever find it in a store. Years later, after combing through boutique and specialty stores, I have yet to find it.
I get what you're saying, but most "foodie magazine" recipes offer substitutions for rarer ingredients for exactly that reason. And while this is certainly personal preference, I rarely ever follow recipes exactly anyways... even ones with all common/widely available ingredients in them. Instead I tend to view almost all recipes as simply sources of inspiration/ideas, rather than treating them as definitive instructions that I must follow exactly or I will get it "wrong". IMO there is no "wrong" if it tastes good in the end... cooking is an art, not a science. :)
p.s. In the case of Grains of Paradise, it apparently tastes like a combination of ginger, coriander, nutmeg and cardamom, so you can probably just use a pinch of each of those instead... and the generally recommended substitute for it seems to be black pepper, so that would probably work just fine on its own too, though you could probably also add some pink peppercorns to the mix as well (if that's available to you) in order to get some additional complexity and floral notes to the dish.
However, if you are dead-set on trying Grains of Paradise rather than substituting for anything else: https://www.amazon.com/Spice-Specialist-Grains-Paradise-Plastic/dp/B00NP47IGC/
I agree with you. My reason for not liking these recipes is entirely arbitrary. Heck, I approach most recipes as a list of suggestions.
And for the record, the soup tastes amazing with black pepper. It gives it a spicy punch.
Well -- to be fair to BA, that's the entire premise of the miniseries. As an extreme example, for the "best pizza" miniseries two members of the team went to Italy to learn how to make their own mozzarella out of buffalo milk. I don't really think that's intended for home chefs.
It's more about learning generally about food and getting to watch their experimentation process than it is about creating a recipe that is easily replicated. (I also think that a lot of them are funny and fun to watch which helps.)
American mash seems so much wetter and thinner than British mash. The BA video is an extreme example, it honestly looks like a potato soup but even in less fancy versions it has the consistency of a dip compared to our version which tends to be much heavier and can stand under its own weight (and the weight of sausages and beans)
I agree! I'm even right next door as a Canadian and I think most American recipes for mashed potatoes often involve way too much butter and cream/milk. I'm used to them being fluffier.
As an American, this is the first time I've even really considered that mashed potatoes need a recipe. It's always just been boil, mash, season as desired for me.
But now that you mention it, it seems like every time I have seen it pictured in magazines it is really flat looking. I personally prefer the fluffy style. The idea of pommes puree just kind of makes me cringe because it reminds me of my grandmother's watery style of mashed potatoes.
Here's a protip: steam your potatoes instead of boiling them. Because a) it's faster (steam is hotter than boiling water) and b) you don't leach out all of those sweet, sweet nutrients (mainly minerals).
This also works well if you plan on roasting potatoes e.g. wedges: steam them beforehand and you can cut way down on the roasting.