Lumpy mash is almost always a masher problem. You can boil the potatoes perfectly, add plenty of butter, and still end up with little pockets of firm potato that a standard masher just squashes around. Pushing the lot through a ricer gets rid of them, because everything is forced through small holes and comes out as fine, fluffy strands.
The OXO Good Grips ricer is a good one to start with. The body is stainless steel and the handles are soft. Squeezing a ricer closed takes some effort, and a hard handle gets uncomfortable quickly. There’s also a non-slip knob that holds it steady over a bowl or pot, so it doesn’t wobble about while you work.
It isn’t limited to potato. Carrots, cauliflower and yams all go through it, and it’s handy for baby food. Riced cauliflower or carrot makes a very smooth base for soups and purees without any blending. And gnocchi dough is much easier to handle when the potato goes in riced rather than mashed, because the texture is so even.
One catch: potato dries in the holes and sets like cement, so rinse it straight away. The dishwasher handles it if you forget. A normal masher is fine for the odd Christmas dinner, but if lumps ruin your Sunday mash, get one of these.
