To make instant mashed potatoes taste better, add some salt free seasoning such as Mrs. Dash. The seasoning masks the artificial flavor some instant potatoes have.
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I love to have single serve mashed potatoes on hand at our house. I use stock or broth for the liquid instead of water, because it adds more nutrition to the potatoes. Usually I buy the broth or stock, but sometimes I make it myself.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
How do you make instant potatoes without milk? Can you use evaporated milk?
Yes, you can make them with evaporated milk. Just reconstitute it with an equal part of water and stir (ex: 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water = 1 cup "milk").
I have a sister who has never been able to drink milk or eat anything made with it. So we all had to learn to cook without it. When I make instant potatoes and I know she is going to eat, I add the same amount of water that was needed for the milk, then I add anywhere from a half a stick to a whole stick of margarine. She can only have the type made with corn oil. I season it with salt, pepper and garlic.
It tastes just as good as instant potatoes can, you'd never know there wasn't any milk. We also use to make biscuits with water too until I learned how to make it with mayo/salad dressing (the white stuff). I still add water just not as much and the flavor is out of this world. I don't have a recipe, it's one of those things you do by touch. I hope this helps.
Use sour cream. It tastes great! Closer to taste of real homemade potatoes.
How much instant potato flakes do I add to 1 cup liquid when making brown gravy?
By Cyndi MacAfee from Anderson, MO
Depends on how thick you want it. Add just a little bit then stir it in and wait a little to see how much it thickens. It might be the right consistency or you might have to add a little bit more.
I'm sure Redhatterb thought she was helping, but really. Is a "little bit" a pinch, or a tablespoon or a cup or what?
Here's my answer. Start with 1 tablespoon full. Then cook the gravy for a bit as it usually thickens as it cooks. If it's not thick enough then add no more than 1 teaspoonful at a time, cooking for a few minutes (2-4 minutes) between each addition till it gets to the consistency you want.
I've never used potato flakes but when using flour it's usually been about one tablespoon per one cup of fluid. As already mentioned start with a little and just keep adding a little more at a time until it's the consistency you're hoping for. It takes a bit of time for the gravy to cook and thicken so be patient. ;-)
Instant mashed potatoes don't always appeal to everyone when cooked per their directions. They can however to dressed up or used in other ways, such as in breading, as a thickener, or in recipes such as the potato onion puffs included on this page.
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When making deviled eggs, cream soups, even tuna or chicken salad; do you ever find that it is too runny or thin? Try adding dry instant mashed potato flakes.
