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18 new of 26 responses total.
keesan
response 9 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 18:38 UTC 2007

A ricer forces the potatoe through a bunch of small holes.
cmcgee
response 10 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 19:33 UTC 2007

I use a hand masher, but that's because I prefer non-electric utensils.  Hand
mashing is not much harder for me than hand mixing batters.  I do use my mixer
(actually, my does-practically-everthing-including-beating-egg-whites Little
Pro Plus) for creaming sugar and butter for cookies and cakes.  And for angel
food cakes.  

I keep a hand masher around because I make a lot of refried beans as well as
mashed potatoes.

A ricer pushes soft solids through tiny holes that are a little bigger than
the ones in a strainer.  
denise
response 11 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 19:35 UTC 2007

Hmm, ok. I guess I've never thought about having rice smaller than it already
is before.  What kinds of things would one use this kind of rice for?
slynne
response 12 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 21:07 UTC 2007

I use a hand masher and it works just great
cmcgee
response 13 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 21:30 UTC 2007

It's not rice.  A "ricer" is a device that pushes soft food through small
holes.  Sometimes you use a spoon and push the soft food through the mesh of
a strainer.

Think of a garlic press enlarged to hold 1-2 cups of cooked food.  The piston
pushes the food through the small holes in the bottom.  Many people use them
to make homemade baby food.  

It's like a mechanical puree device.  
jadecat
response 14 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 21:52 UTC 2007

resp:8 Denise- my hubby, who makes all our mashed potatoes, uses an
electric mixer. My mom always used a masher.
keesan
response 15 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 22:21 UTC 2007

It is called a ricer because the mashed potato that comes out is about the
diameter of a cooked grain of rice, and probably breaks up into short pieces
that look a bit like rice.
mary
response 16 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 15 23:12 UTC 2007

I have a ricer that I used to make very smooth mashed potatoes (both white 
and sweet).  I do think a ricer makes lighter mashed potatoes than using 
either a stand or hand mixer.  With a mixer by the time you've beaten out 
all the lumps you've worked the gluten.  When the potato comes out of the 
ricer you can pretty much stir in some milk with a fork for a few seconds 
and be good to go.  But I still use a stand mixer when I'm making mashed 
potatoes for a crowd.

Mostly, I simply use a masher, because I like rustic smashed potatoes. 
I'm especially fond of doing this with boiled sweet potato chunks where
I hand mash 'em with a little OJ (or milk), cinnamon and a bit of butter.
denise
response 17 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 00:13 UTC 2007

Ok, thanks, y'all!  I'm learning lots from this group. :-)
keesan
response 18 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 01:20 UTC 2007

Potatoes do not have gluten, only wheat and rye do.
mary
response 19 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 13:38 UTC 2007

It's starch not gluten that gets overworked and released.  Thanks
for the correction, Sindi.
slynne
response 20 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 23:17 UTC 2007

mmmm. I never thought to do that with boiled sweet potato chunks. I 
*LOVE* sweet potatoes and often cut them up and bake them. But the idea 
of boiling them and then hand mashing them with OJ or maybe pineapple 
juice and cinnamon and butter sounds super yummy. 
glenda
response 21 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 23:32 UTC 2007

I prefer the masher, I like little lumps of potato in the mashed potatoes.
Mom used to use the mixer, I did before I moved out.  One of the first things
I bought after moving out on my own was a hand masher and a ricer.  I use
the ricer when I want creamier potatoes and the masher when I am mashing
unpeeled potatoes (most of the time).  The masher also gets used for mashing
avacados for guacamole and for mashing other root vegetables (turnips,
rutabagas, parsnips, etc.)
edina
response 22 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 16 23:34 UTC 2007

My trick to fluffy mashed potatoes is to drain them, then stick them 
back in the pan they were cooked in and let them sit with the lid on.  
It's weird - it's like they dry out a bit and are easier to mash, they 
cook a bit without water, and it takes very little time with the hand 
mixer to mix them up, so they aren't super starchy.
keesan
response 23 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 17 04:28 UTC 2007

We sometimes mash chickpeas for hummus.
denise
response 24 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 17 05:30 UTC 2007

I remember someone saying the masher works for mashing up bananas for banana
breat.
edina
response 25 of 26: Mark Unseen   Jan 17 15:53 UTC 2007

I tend to run my chickpeas through the cuisinart for hummus, along 
with the tahini and whatever I'm spicing with, but then, I like smooth 
hummus.  My latest hummus add has been to roast a whole clove of 
garlic for about an hour, let it cool, and then add it into the hummus 
as it's pureeing.  It adds a nice flavor to it.
void
response 26 of 26: Mark Unseen   Sep 23 22:37 UTC 2007

I used a hand masher before someone gave me an electric mixer for
Christmas one year.  I still have the hand masher because it's great for
mashing chick peas for mock tuna.
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