Too much starch causes potatoes to go from great to glue. Unfortunately, once potatoes have released their starch, they can’t un-release it. The three factors that lead to gluey potatoes are overworking, working too aggressively and using the wrong type of potatoes.
This is what my research found. the high starch content and low moisture results in a drier texture and lighter mash. Avoid low-starch, high-moisture potatoes such as red bliss or white potatoes, which need more exuberant mashing to break them down, potentially overworking the starch and turning them gluey.
Why do potatoes get gluey?
The glue nature of potatoes are due to their altered starch ratios and lower the gravities of potatoes, the higher chances of being gluey. For the past two years there is a general decline in the gravities of potatoes due to extreme weather conditions during growing season.
One more query we ran across in our research was “Which potatoes are gluey when mashing?”.
The favorite answer was Avoid low-starch, high-moisture potatoes such as red bliss or white potatoes, which need more exuberant mashing to break them down, potentially overworking the starch and turning them gluey. Yukon Gold potatoes contain a medium level of starch and relatively low moisture, but with a thinner skin and a naturally creamier texture.
What happens if you mash potatoes too much?
If you mash your potatoes too much, they can turn out gluey and sticky. Unfortunately, there’s no magic cure for a gluey batch of potatoes, but mixing them in with fluffier potatoes can help. Simmer a new batch of potatoes in hot water until they’re soft, then mash them up gently with a hand-held potato masher.
Let us see if we can figure it out! now for the important part. To avoid a gummy, overstarched mess, mash the potatoes while they’re dry but still hot, and don’t use a food processor or a blender; these appliances tend to overmash the potatoes, creating an undesirably starchy consistency.
Is it possible to make mashed potatoes light and fluffy?
But despite good intentions, they can easily turn out gummy, heavy, and nearly inedible, making what is normally a fan-favorite into wasted food. If you follow a few tried and true tips and tricks, however, you can learn to make your mashed potatoes light and fluffy every time.