Potato Ricer: Worth It?

By A'Dell

With The Season Of Mashed Potatoes coming upon us, I've been wondering if it's time to upgrade my potato mashing tool of choice. I've wanted a Potato Ricer for several years, but I've never really been able to justify all of the space it takes up in a drawer.

It's also a one-job tool, and I try to keep those out of my kitchen as much as possible. These things are not exactly slim and trim and it's not like I'm making mashed potatoes twice a week. This is definitely a specialty kitchen item and I'm not sure my mashed potato skills/desire are at a specialty level.

Oxo Good Grips Potato Ricer, $25

AND YET. I love silky-smooth potatoes that have been run through a ricer. They're just so much FANCIER and honestly, this seems to make a semi-messy job a bit more controlled/contained. I'm thinking I could also run steamed fruits/veggies through it for baby food. If I could just figure out one or two more uses for it, I might be able to award this sucker a spot in a drawer before Thanksgiving is upon me.

If you have a potato ricer, how often do you use it, and what do you use it for? Or, is this the dumbest purchase you've ever made for the kitchen?

(Photo from Amazon.com)

Comments

[Sarah Anne]

I had one, but it was a cheapy and I bent the handle the first time I went to rice potatoes for gnocchi. That's the only thing I've ever wanted/needed/used one for. It was nice for silky pillowy gnocchi!

[Cass]

For me, a potato ricer is a necessity. My household when I was younger always had one, and when I moved out I would get so frustrated when making mashed potatoes because no matter what I did there were lumps. Finally got a ricer for Xmas last year and haven't looked back.

I'll admit it's a little bulky, but it definitely has a spot in my drawers.

[Elissa]

I had a potato ricer and it did make awesome mashed potatoes, but I broke it after a year or two. Rather than buying another ricer, I decided to go with a food mill. It takes up a bit more space than a ricer, but is definitely more versatile (so if you are thinking baby food the food mill is the way to go!). I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/RSVP-International-Rotary-Food-Mill/dp/B000F7JXM4/ref=pd_sbs_k_8, although the stainless steel ones are prettier :)

[Robin]

I have that one and really like it. I also use it to squeeze out defrosted frozen spinach, whereas I used to ruin a kitchen towl trying to get all the liquid out.

[Em]

I prefer chunky mashed potatoes so a ricer is not something I'd ever consider for my kitchen.

[Christine]

I have a ricer, but I wish that I had purchased a food mill. As Elissa pointed out, it is more versatile and it will make equivalently excellent mashed potatoes.

[Jess M.]

Oh! I have a potato ricer and use it almost exclusively for making gnocchi. I make mashed potatoes with a hand mixer like my mom did, but when I took a class to learn to make gnocchi, that was the way to get as much air in the potatoes as possible. So, *I* think a ricer is essential, but that's really just so I can make gnocchi.

[Aleks]

I have that exact one, and it makes amazing mashed potatoes. But, I have to say that I usually only use it for fancier meals, and use the normal masher for weekday meals because it's kind of a pain to clean. Definitely worth it for Thanksgiving, though, especially because my in-laws do the dishes. :)

[Adrian Whyte]

I have one, but (following a top tip on Master Chef UK) have found that using a normal fork gives an even smoother, if messier result. Though I should say that the ricer I have is pretty cheap.