Stop Overlooking Canned Potatoes As A Mashed Option

Rich, fluffy mashed potatoes are a comfort food fit for any occasion. But one issue can give home cooks pause when they are considering making a simple garlic mash to accompany a juicy steak, which is the time it takes to make them. No matter how fancy you want to get with a mash, you always have to peel, cut, and boil them before you can even get started,  unless you utilize an often-overlooked ingredient. For a side of creamy mashed potatoes that takes a fraction of the time, set aside the raw taters and reach for the canned variety.

Canned potatoes are regular tubers that have been parboiled and put through a canning process. They are not fully cooked and need additional time on the stove before consumption to be palatable. But once warmed, spuds in a can are nearly identical in taste to raw potatoes.

It's commonly known that potatoes are fairly bland on their own, becoming the delicious side we know and love with the help of butter, salt, cream, and various seasonings. However, there are some caveats to consider when using canned taters for a mash. They can have a slightly different texture than raw potato mash because of their high water content. If you know this in advance, you can plan ways to counter any watery texture you may encounter while cooking.

Making a mash from canned potatoes takes about 15 minutes, depending on the method you use to prepare them, whereas using raw spuds will take roughly twice as long. But because canned potatoes contain more water than their raw brethren, they may need more help to achieve a fluffy texture. There are a variety of tricks you can use to thicken them up in a jiffy. 

One easy way to thicken mashed potatoes is to add cornstarch, a teaspoon at a time until you get the consistency you're looking for. Another simple way to add some heft to your mash is to stir in some instant potatoes, which will quickly absorb any excess moisture. If you have nothing else to remedy this issue, you can always cook more potatoes and add them to the mix. Of course, you're not doing this to save time, but the batch itself.

You may be wondering why you can't skip the entire process of using canned potatoes and go for an instant mash in the first place. Firstly, you can, and many do. However, instant potatoes have a slightly different taste than their canned counterparts. When adding a bit as a thickener, the variation in the taste of the instant mash should be negligible with all the butter and seasonings in the mix. While instant potatoes are an option that will save time, you'd be missing out on some of the benefits you get using less processed spuds.

Canned tubers are nutritionally similar to regular potatoes you see in the produce section, with the main difference being that canned spuds have a higher amount of sodium due to how they're preserved. Because canned potatoes are skinless, you also miss out on the nutrients the skin contains — that is, if you keep them in your mash in the first place. 

Though counterintuitive, canned taters last longer unopened than dried instant potatoes. Properly stored, canned potatoes will keep anywhere from 2 to 5 years, whereas instant mashed potatoes generally have a shelf life of 6-12 months. Instant potatoes, on the other hand, can include less minerals and vitamins because of how they are processed. And though canned potatoes come packaged with a certain amount of salt, instant mashed potatoes, particularly pre-flavored varieties, tend to contain more sodium and preservatives. 

Mashed potatoes are always a delight, but most days, you don't have as much time as you'd like to make a good meal. By utilizing canned potatoes for a quick mash, you can spare yourself the huffing and puffing of processing your 10-pound sack.