The Kitchen Tool That Can Peel And Mash Potatoes At The Same Time

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate starchy side to serve alongside meat and veggies. Often accompanied by butter, milk, or cream to give it that extra silky texture, this dish is oh-so-decadent while only requiring a few ingredients. However, mashed potatoes are prepared in many different ways depending on the country. 

For instance, according to My Dainty Kitchen, mashed potatoes in India are prepared with onion, garlic, green chilis, and ghee, with vegetable or mustard oil as a vegan substitute for the ghee. And if you notice that mashed potatoes in France are much more yellow, that's because they sometimes incorporate egg yolk for richness. Needless to say, the ingredients list in American mashed potatoes is rather short, but the technique requires a bit of work. Peeling potatoes takes patience, and mashing them requires some arm work.

Whichever way you enjoy making your mashed potatoes, there is a common kitchen tool that does the double duty of peeling and mashing your cooked potatoes all at once.

Why, yes, a baking rack can save the day. And let's face it, it takes up much less space than a ricer or a stand mixer, which are gadgets that most people use to speed up the process of mashing potatoes. According to food blogger LORAfied, you can now whip up your favorite mashed potatoes without the time-consuming tasks of peeling and mashing them. Simply boil your potatoes whole with the skins on, drain them, and let them cool so that they're not too hot to the touch. 

From there, simply place a baking rack on top of a large bowl, cut each potato in half, place the potato flesh-side-down, and press the potato through the rack. All that's left is the skin, which you can then easily remove and continue with the rest of your spuds. This technique performs a double whammy of peeling and mashing at once. Move over instant potatoes, for this hack makes whipping up mashed potatoes from scratch an absolute cinch.