Mashed potatoes... I don't get it

[Thipu1]

You can get creative with cake mixes.  My mother made something absolutely ambrosial with an angel food cake mix. 

She baked two layers in round cake pans and another layer in a cookie sheet. 

First round layer went on the plate and a layer of dark, bitter, buttery chocolate was applied on top. 

The cookie sheet cake received the same chocolate and was then sliced lengthwise.  That was then coiled to form the second layer of the cake. 

The other round layer was then put on top.  The whole cake was then frosted with mocha whipped cream. 

The result was spectacular.  When sliced, the cake had a middle layer with vertical stripes of chocolate.  Despite the angel food, the cake wasn't very sweet.  It was in great demand for Birthday and Anniversary cakes in our family. 

[Outdoor Girl]

I read ambrosial as abysmal and then got really confused as I started reading the description because it sounded really good.

I think I need a drink...   

[lowspark]

Wow, Thipu. That sounds amazing. Do you have any pictures?

[Thipu1]

Sadly, no.  The last time I had one of those cakes was about 40 years ago.

[gingerzing]

I bake for fun, and occasionally for money. I always use the "Cake Mix Doctor" recipes with Duncan Hines mixes. They are moister and taste delicious from the day they are made until nearly a week later.

I make all frostings from scratch, with real butter, real sugar, real chocolate, and real vanilla paste.

My mother gave me Cake Mix Doctor as part of my wedding gift.  Love that book. 

[ladyknight1]

I bake for fun, and occasionally for money. I always use the "Cake Mix Doctor" recipes with Duncan Hines mixes. They are moister and taste delicious from the day they are made until nearly a week later.

I make all frostings from scratch, with real butter, real sugar, real chocolate, and real vanilla paste.

My mother gave me Cake Mix Doctor as part of my wedding gift.  Love that book.

Anne Byrn has 4 books I consider absolutely essential. They are: The Cake Mix Doctor Returns, Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor, The Dinner Doctor, and Entertaining with the Dinner Doctor. I use those recipes very often, without fail.

[datcat]

I do cook mash from scratch, but using a hand masher always left me with a sore wrist and slightly lumpy mash so now I use this http://preview.tinyurl.com/dyrzoxa (UK site)  or http://preview.tinyurl.com/US-Site. The Masher gives fantastic fluffy results every time

[gorplady]

I make real mashed potatoes when I have the time and use the packet when I don't. (Idahoan Four-Cheese instant mashed potatoes, if you want to know...)

[CrochetFanatic]

We always have homemade mashed potatoes if it's to be a side dish, but if it's an ingredient in something else - shepherd's pie, for example - it's just easier to use the instant kind.  Once or twice we've lucked out, and had leftover stew and leftover mashed potatoes in the house at the same time. 

[nayberry]

i use flakes when making gnocchi, just means i know how much liquid is in it

otherwise i make my own mash, always have and i have an irish background so i'd never be forgiven if i didn't!!

[Bottlecaps]

I prefer real mashed potatoes, but due to cost/storage/cooking limitations in my home, I use instant most of the time these days. What I wouldn't give for a heaping bowl of real mashed potatoes though. Maybe I should get some potatoes next time we go grocery shopping and experiment with making real mashed potatoes in the microwave. If anyone already knows of a good, tried-and-true way to accomplish this, please give me a heads up!

[Thipu1]

It's actually pretty easy.  The secret is to have everything warm.

We wash the potatoes, poke a few holes in them with a fork and microwave them.  Smaller spuds go in about five minutes.  Larger ones are ready in about ten.  Since we like our mashed potatoes with skins, the things can go right into a bowl to be mashed.

Once the potatoes come out, the milk goes into the microwave.  When that's ready we get out the butter, add the milk and mash away.  We've never had a bad batch. 

[ladyknight1]

We also like the Simply Potatoes brand of real mashed potatoes, available in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. They were buy 1, get 1 free this week!

[Specky]

Haven't had them in a long time, but when we do:  peel on, lots of lumps, butter, fresh milk/cream (depends on what we have), sea salt, maybe fresh sour cream for taste.  When I first met my DH, he had been trained that lumpy potatoes meant you were a horrid cook.  I love the mouth feel of "real", not homogenized into a paste.  Finally retrained him.  For me, it is all about taste and mouthfeel, as well as avoiding ingredients that make me ill.  We have virtually abandoned pre-made, packaged stuff for that reason.  It can be more work, but it keeps me out of the ER.

[Katana_Geldar]

dH makes beautiful mashed potatoes from scratch. Better than my mum's which would sometimes have lumps in it.

I've had powdered while I lived on campus at uni. They were ok, but they were the best food besides what they gave us.