Consumer review: If you must make mashed potatoes from a box, try KFC brand

By Jenn Pulham

November 13, 2006 | No one in their right mind would leave mashed potatoes out of a Thanksgiving dinner. It's an essential part. You have your turkey, your rolls, your stuffing, and your mashed potatoes. Yams, take 'em or leave 'em. The same goes for cranberry sauce, the relish plate, possibly even the rolls, and, let's face it, all the dark meat. Who eats that stuff anyway?

Those of us who can't afford the luxury of real potatoes are left to choose from a variety of options when it comes to instant.

Who would have known that there were so many ways to make mashed potatoes just from a dehydrated tuber? Powder, flakes, pearls. Add some water, and maybe some butter, and maybe even some milk. Supposedly this produces mashed potatoes that, judging by the picture on the box, might even offer a superior quality to actual mashed potatoes. The Kroger box even has some potatoes lying behind the serving dish in the picture. It was my goal, then, to find out which kind of instant potatoes were the best.

In my experiment, my guinea pigs were my roommate Sherrie and my friends Craig, Gregg and James. They sampled from four different kinds of instant potatoes, not knowing which pile belonged to which brand. The four brands were Kentucky Fried Chicken, Kroger Instant, Betty Crocker Homestyle Creamy Butter, and Family Canning Instant Potatoes.

As a devoted fan of mashed potatoes, both real and instant, I was keenly interested to see the reactions of my friends to the different kinds of potatoes. Their plates were numbered on the bottoms, with corresponding numbers on the boxes and cans of potato powder cluttering my kitchen counter.

I was most surprised by the reaction to KFC's mashed potatoes. Gregg was quick to give his assessment. "Number four's my least favorite," he said. "It tasted like real potatoes that came out of the ground and someone forgot to wash them."

James agreed and Sherrie added, "It tasted like potatoes with peels on them." Personally, I like mashed potatoes with some peel still in it, but to each his or her own, I guess.

It's almost not surprising that Betty Crocker took the cake for the favorite potatoes. Craig commented that not only is it creamier but it just goes down the throat more smoothly. James, went even further and said that the Betty Crocker potatoes had a substantial taste to them. Gregg added, "It tastes like I'm eating a petrified steak with it." This, apparently, is a good thing.

Sherrie, on the other hand, didn't agree with the others, saying that they tasted fake and buttery. Personally, I have to agree with Sherrie. There was something displeasing about Betty Crocker's potatoes. It almost seemed like I was eating flavored Play-Do. And, no, I'm not sure exactly what that actually tastes like, nor do I care to find out.

The Family Canning Instant Potatoes received a pat on the back from all involved, eliciting comments such as "I like the taste" or "creamy" or "second favorite.

Kroger Instant Potatoes received harsh comments from almost everyone. James described the texture as "grainy" and added that the potatoes were just bland. Craig agreed with the "bland" comment and also commented that they weren't as smooth. Gregg agreed. Sherrie surprised us all by saying this was her favorite kind of all. In fact, she went so far as to say they were "just yummy." Apparently Sherrie never ate school lunch growing up.

For me, I have to be true to KFC's mashed potatoes. There's something about them that just satisfies me. Of course, I didn't eat the potatoes blindly so there's no way of knowing exactly which kind I would favor. Kroger Instant had that familiar elementary school lunch taste of soap, even with gravy, something I don't miss. Family Canning's potatoes have something appealing about them, and I wouldn't mind substituting real potatoes with these instant potatoes.

My kitchen cupboard is now teeming with different containers of instant potatoes but the only one I really rue being in there is the Kroger Instant. I will probably never make them again. At the same time, I'd feel bad throwing them out. After all, no one else will have them.

So this year make the right choice, get real mashed potatoes. But if that can't be done, the popular vote goes to Betty Crocker's potatoes, even if it is like eating Play-doh.

NW
MS