Your Idahoan instant mashed potatoes don’t always have to taste like they came out of the box.
Use these tips and tricks to make your instant mashed potatoes taste better every time you make them.
First, try other varieties of the Idahoan mashed potatoes
If you’re bored of your Idahoan instant mashed potatoes, it could be because you’re stuck in a rut with a certain product type.
The whole idea of “food variety” is to explode your realm of choices, and you better be taking that seriously.
The Idahoan mashed potato brand offers a wide range of products that are flavored in many different ways.
Choose a different option than the one you’re used to when next you stop at the grocery stores, and who knows, you might not be needing the rest of the tips in this article.
If a new carton of instant mashed potatoes didn’t impress you either, then the tips and tricks below should definitely make you the best instant mashed potatoes ever.
Add Dairy Products Like Milk, Cream, Half and Half
Dairy products contain fats in them which coat compounds in food, melt them and give the fat-binding receptors on our tongue some neurochemical triggering job to do. The result is an elated and satisfying feeling on the buds.
That’s the flavor right there!
And of the three categories of dairy mentioned above, cream delivers the most flavor because it is derived from the fatty layer that suspends at the top of raw milk that is unhomogenized.
So it contains lots of fat content which means it is very flavorful. Next comes half and half which is a combination of cream and milk in defined proportions, and then last comes milk, the whole organic milk.
Any other type of dairy product won’t be as tasty as the ones we’ve mentioned above.
To properly add diary to your mashed potatoes, first warm it on a pan, then pour it into the hot mashed potatoes and incorporate. It’s much easier and better that way.
Add Broth
Instead of milk, you can go the route of broth: whichever type you have hidden behind the doors of your refrigerator.
Adding broth to your mashed potatoes adds an extra layer of flavor (although not the type of flavor you get from adding milk and its cousins), but one that is still unique in its own way.
When it comes to adding broth, you can substitute it for water in a recipe, or cut the quantity of water demanded in half and substitute one half of the water with the broth.
Make sure to warm the broth on the stovetop before adding it to the mashed potatoes so it incorporates well and doesn’t make the potatoes cold.
Season Well
Another little trick that can transform your instant mashed potatoes from bland to flavorful is seasoning.
There are a variety of seasoning out there that you could choose from, and the right combination would immediately transform your mashed potatoes for the better.
For simplicity, you can start with salt: adding a quantity of it into the water meant for boiling the mashed potatoes will prevent the potatoes from giving a bland taste after mashing.
Then if you want to kick things up a notch, add pepper, herbs and seeds.
Depending on the kind of taste you’re seeking, whether blunt or sharp, you can decide to go with either dried or raw versions of these herbs.
If you’re going with the dried versions, make sure to allow them to sit in the mashed potato for some time in order to heat up and release flavors.
Add Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is basically cream and cheese bundled up together to form a different and stable product. While adding cream cheese wouldn’t magically add depth to the flavor profile of your mashed potatoes because cream cheese in itself isn’t really a flavorful compound, it would certainly go some distance, especially when you’re considering seasoning as a second option.
Add Cheese
Parmesan, cheddar, blue cheese or whatever cheese you can think of can be added to mashed potatoes to give it that cheese flavor.
Gravy
Gravy, actually, is one of the quickest ways to make your instant mashed potatoes taste better. Gravy doesn’t only work for instant mashed potatoes, it can be paired with fresh, mashed potatoes and would work well.
You can make gravy from your favorite meat juice, and the way you add it to mashed potatoes is a little bit of it on top then serve.
You’re also free to choose from the wide variety of gravy types available, depending on what your kitchen can afford: onion, giblet, mushroom, egg and even creamy gravy.
Butter
Butter is typically a staple ingredient in mashed potatoes, including instant mashed potatoes. It has already been added to them. But sometimes you might crave an extra bit of freshness, in which case, a real quality butter will do justice to that craving.
Add Meat
Your favorite cut of meat be it chicken, beef, lamb, turkey etc., is also an excellent way to spark up life into that bowl of dead mashed potatoes. Make sure the meat is juicy as dry meat would only make matters worse. You can even use fish like salmon for a different flavor.
Compound Butter
The primary purpose of a compound butter in the first place is to enhance flavor, which it actually does pretty well. Why not take advantage of it in your mashed potatoes? Instead of adding butter separately and then seasoning, you can easily add compound butter and you’re good to go.
Add Vegetables
For extra crunch and varied flavor, you can easily go the route of vegetables. Add roasted vegetables like peppers or false ones like mushrooms. You could also add steamed or boiled vegetables seasoned with your favorite spice combo, or even sautéed vegetables, all your choice.
Sauce
Just like gravy, sauce too would help uplift the boring taste of your mashed potatoes. Make your favorite sauce however you like it and pour a little bit of it on your mashed potatoes the same way you’d add gravy to them.
Fried Onions
The crunch of fried onions is a glorious combination with the softness of mashed potatoes. Add fried onions in the best form you like, whether rings or the ones you fry by yourself.
Nuts
Nuts are the easiest way to add crunch to your mashed potatoes. And because nuts come in a variety of flavors, they become an adventurous addition to your mash as you unlock different flavors the more nuts you try with the dish. So go grab as many varieties of nuts as you can and begin your adventure.
