Uses for instant potatoes?

[LBR]

I'm late, I'll confess. I've discovered that adding instant potatoes to foods makes them niftier.

I've just added instant potatoes and grated cheese to some refried beans. Mmmmm.

What do you use those spud flakes in?

[StripyPixieSocks]

I really can't abide anything like that but that's just me... I suppose you could put a spoonful into soups for a thickening agent instead of cornflour maybe?

[contadino]

Cavity walls.

[Rosendula]

I used to use instant potatoes all the time. I'd add them to stews to thicken them. I'd whip some up quick for a snack - mix in some herbs and/or cheese. I'd make some, put it in a sandwich with cheese.

Then, when I started growing my own spuds I stopped using instant mash. After a while I tried them again and found them tasteless. Also, I put myself off further by looking at the ingredients (can't remember which make I looked at as I bought them whichever shop I was in that sold them). I don't think I could ever go back to instant mash. Since giving up convenience food, we have all felt so much healthier. That said, I have plenty of time to prepare meals from scratch now, which was not the case when I used to buy convenience food. (Turns out I was working for money to buy the food I didn't have time to grow/make because I was too busy working for money to buy the food I didn't have time to grow/make )

[ina]

I bought some potato flakes once - they were being sold off cheap in the local health food shop. Just potato flakes, no other ingredients. I use them occasionally for thickening soups and sauces; never tried them as mash.

[MKG]

A large mound of this stuff can be used very effectively to hide any copy of Delia Smith's "How to "Cheat at Cookery" from view.

[Green Aura]

I've never used them, but I recall an aged aunt (long since turned her toes up) used to mix them with tinned tuna or salmon and a few other bits I can't remember and make fishcakes.

I do use potato flour - that's great for thickening gravy and things really quickly.

[Millymollymandy]

When my grandfather used to live with us when I was a teenager he used to eat Smash instant potatoes. The rest of the family ate normal spuds, of course.

The only good thing about Smash was that I quite liked to eat it dry. Made up with boiling water it was .

[Odsox]

Just looked at a Lidl packet of Instant Puree potatoes and it contains;
Dehydrated potatoes, salt, emulsifier E471, nutmeg, spices, stabiliser E450i, preservative E223, antioxidant E304 & acid E330

According to Food-Info http://www.food-info.net/uk/index.htm
E471 Mono- and di-glycerides; Synthetic fats, produced from glycerol and natural fatty acids, mainly from plant origin, but also fats of animal origin may be used.
E450(i) Di sodium di phosphate (di sodium pyrophosphate); Salts of sodium/potassium/calcium with phosphates. All are produced synthetically from the respective carbonates and phosphoric acid.
E223: Sodium disulphite; Sodium salt of sulphurous acid
E304 Ascorbyl palmitate; Combination of the fatty acid palmitate with ascorbic acid
E330 Citric acid

So not too sure what use you could put it to.

[ina]

Well - why don't you buy potato flakes then? They can be quite handy - and all those E numbers really aren't necessary.

[Odsox]

Well - why don't you buy potato flakes then? They can be quite handy - and all those E numbers really aren't necessary.

That's the point .. I don't buy them, I was just reading the box in the store.
I will stick to good old murphies out of the garden, no E numbers there either.

[Rosendula]

Well - why don't you buy potato flakes then? They can be quite handy - and all those E numbers really aren't necessary.

That's the point .. I don't buy them, I was just reading the box in the store.
I will stick to good old murphies out of the garden, no E numbers there either.

I can just imagine you sitting on the floor of the supermarket with your laptop on your knee and a box of instant mash in your hand while you copytype the ingredients Thanks for the info, Odsox

[StripyPixieSocks]

I can just imagine you sitting on the floor of the supermarket with your laptop on your knee and a box of instant mash in your hand while you copytype the ingredients Thanks for the info, Odsox

You and I both then heehee

[ina]

That's the point .. I don't buy them, I was just reading the box in the store.
I will stick to good old murphies out of the garden, no E numbers there either.

You are right, of course. But imagine you need to thicken something for a single portion - cooking just one potato for that is simply not efficient. And thickening with potato rather than flour is nicer for some recipes.

[Odsox]

That's the point .. I don't buy them, I was just reading the box in the store.
I will stick to good old murphies out of the garden, no E numbers there either.

You are right, of course. But imagine you need to thicken something for a single portion - cooking just one potato for that is simply not efficient. And thickening with potato rather than flour is nicer for some recipes.

A good point Ina, but I have never used potato flakes either and I don't think I have ever seen any. I will make a point of looking next time I'm in a shop.
Usually for soup I use diced floury potatoes that disintegrate when cooked and sauces I use cornflour (never use a roux now as OH had a gall bladder problem a few years back, and I had to provide virtually fat free meals)