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How To Tips For Cooking & Baking

How to Make Mashed Potatoes without Peeling a Single Potato

Updated on 6 min read
These potatoes have been cooked in the microwave and are not sliced yet.
The supplies to make mashed potatoes with peeling a single potato.
The supplies to make mashed potatoes with peeling a single potato.
Once cooked, the potatoes are sliced width wise rather than length wise like potatoes are normally cut.
Once cooked, the potatoes are sliced width wise rather than length wise like potatoes are normally cut.
Place the potatoes white flesh side down with the skin facing up, towards you.
Place the potatoes white flesh side down with the skin facing up, towards you.
Press the handles together to squeeze the potatoes out of the ricer, forming the little squiggles.
Press the handles together to squeeze the potatoes out of the ricer, forming the little squiggles.
This spinach mashed potatoes recipe is simple and a delightful twist on mashed potatoes with spinach to create a delicious side dish. 
This spinach mashed potatoes recipe is simple and a delightful twist on mashed potatoes with spinach to create a delicious side dish.

*This post is instructions on how to make mashed potatoes without peeling a single potato.  It is not intended to be a recipe.

If you’re looking for instructions on how to make mashed potato without peeling a single potato, you will want to keep reading.  Using a potato ricer creates perfectly smooth and creamy mashed potatoes every time.

If you’re like me, on weeknights you don’t have the time or the energy to peel potatoes.  Unfortunately, my family loves mashed potatoes, and I didn’t make them very often.  That is until I saw a potato ricer being used on a cooking TV show.  I was impressed with how they didn’t peel the potatoes and how it saved time making the mashed potatoes.   I ordered one and I have been using it for 20+ year now.

So how does a potato ricer work?  The potatoes must be completely cooked and soft to squeeze through the ricer holes.  After the potatoes are cooked, they will need to be sliced width wise rather than length wise like they typically are.  Then they are placed flesh side down, towards the tiny holes, and pressed through.  It works like a garlic press, but on a larger scale.

So, let’s get going.

Selecting the Potatoes

You can use any type of potato you prefer.  I typically use Yukon Gold and sometimes I’ll use White Russets.  You’ll want to select potatoes that are similar in size, so they will cook consistently.  Also, pick potatoes that are narrower than the potato ricer opening.  I found that out the hard way once.

How to Cook the Potatoes

There are two cooking methods that I recommend, baking or microwaving the potatoes.  Using either method you will be able to make mashed potatoes without peeling a single one.  The are similar to rice and the end result is the same to me.  You will not be able to taste the difference between using baked or microwaved potatoes.

If I plan on using the oven for that meal then I will bake the potatoes.  I will also bake them if I am making a large batch of mashed potatoes.  Sometimes I just will not have the time to watch the potatoes as closely as needed when microwaving them.

I will microwave the potatoes if it is just a few potatoes or if I do not want to run the oven.  Microwaving them does require a bit more attention than baking them.

Baking the Potatoes

I’m going to explain how to bake potatoes.  It is for those that are newer to cooking.

  1. To bake the potatoes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Wash the potatoes and wrap them in aluminum foil.  They can directly onto the rack in your oven and bake for one hour or until they are soft when lightly squeezed.  Another option is to place your foil wrapped potatoes on a baking sheet and put them in the oven and bake for one hour or until they are soft when lightly squeezed.
  3. When they are done, remove them from the oven and remove the foil.

Microwaving the Potatoes

This is the method I use most frequently.

  1. Wash the potatoes.
  2. Poke about 10-12 hole in each potato, on all sides and on the ends.  This will help prevent them from blow up in the microwave.
  3. Place them on a microwaveable plate and cover them with a microwave plate cover, paper towel, or a clean dishtowel.  It helps speed up the microwaving process and catches any possible messes.
  4. Your cooking times can vary depending on the number of potatoes, if they are room temperature or cold, the size of your potatoes, and the wattage of your microwave.  In my microwave, I will do about 4-6 medium sized potatoes for about 4 minutes first.
  5. Turn them over and rotate them and cook them in 2-minute increments until they are soft.  I will flip and rotate them with each 2-minute increment until they are soft when lightly squeezed.

Ricing the Potatoes (Use caution, they will be hot!)

Now we are ready to use the potato ricer.

  1. The potatoes should be cooked and unwrapped, ready to be riced.
  2. Cut the potatoes in half width wise, the opposite of how potatoes are normally sliced.
  3. Open up the ricer and place one potato half with the white flesh side on the holes in the ricer.  The skin should be on the top, that is what you should see.
  4. Over a bowl or a pan, close the handle of the ricer and squeeze the handles together.  The potato flesh should squeeze out the holes of the ricer and into your bowl or pan.  They should look like little squiggles.
  5. Open the ricer.  The peelings should be stuck to the top of the ricer. Using a knife or a fork remove the peelings off the ricer, set aside to be disposed.
  6. Insert the next potato half to rice and squeeze.  Repeat until all of the potatoes are squeezed through the ricer.
  7. Now you should have a bowl or pan full of the cooked and mashed potatoes.
  8.  Add your ingredients milk, butter, and salt and pepper to your mashed potatoes until they are the desired consistency and flavor.
  9. They can be heated up in the microwave, stove top, or placed in the oven if you feel they need to be warmer.

Washing the Potato Ricer

I have a couple of washing tips for the potato ricer.  It is dishwasher safe.  I put mine in the top rack and it washes up great.  If you plan to wash your ricer by hand, rinse the ricer with water or soak it in water.  It is much easier to wash if the potatoes have not dried on it.  Potatoes dry on to it quickly.

You did it!  You just made mashed potatoes without peeling a single potato and they are as smooth as can be!

I hope you enjoy the potato ricer as much as I do.  I feel it is a kitchen gadget that is worth it.  It saves time in the kitchen.

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