Reheating mashed potatoes is an excellent way to ensure minimal food wastage at home. There are several ways to accomplish this. If you want to learn how to reheat mashed potatoes properly, read today’s guide, and you will quickly learn the ropes.
Is It Okay to Reheat Mashed Potatoes?
Yes, it is correctly fine to reheat mashed potatoes. The rule for refrigerated food is three to four days (no more than that). If you want to keep cooked mashed potato longer, you freeze the food and consume it within a few months.
Do not reheat and freeze food again, as this is not a safe practice. Bacteria tend to increase quickly after it has been heated and then frozen again. Throw away any mashed potato that has not been consumed after the first reheating as refrigeration is no longer safe for the food. You can always make a new batch – safety first.
Storage Tip: If you are not going to reheat your mashed potatoes any time soon, your best bet is to put your mashed potatoes in individual Ziploc bags and freeze them. If you have any leftovers, the ideal way to store them is in smaller bags so you can control the portions well when reheating. This is an essential step in ensuring that you don’t end up wasting any of your mashed potatoes, and you can have great meals easily.
Keep in mind also that, for the most part, you will encounter differences in the cooking time and temperature readings depending on how much-mashed potatoes you have in the first place.
What Is the Best Way to Reheat Mashed Potatoes?
Reheat Mashed Potatoes in Oven
Reheating mashed potatoes in the oven is one of the best ways to reheat this food. Fortunately for us mashed potato lovers, a little reheating can revert cold or refrigerated mashed potato to its former hot and creamy self. The big difference between mashed potatoes and other kinds of food that you can reheat is that they are chock full of starch.
The best way to heat cold mashed potatoes is with an oven because the heat is gradual, and you can make adjustments as the mashed potatoes warm up to prevent the starch from becoming too dry.
We highly recommend that you add liquid components to the mashed potatoes like half and a half or even butter to maintain the potatoes’ moisture level. For an average pan of mashed potatoes (this is about four cups), add buttermilk to ensure the right consistency.
Incorporate the liquid gradually so you can produce better-mashed potatoes in the end. The risk of adding liquid to cold mashed potatoes makes the mashed potatoes too runny, and eventually, the mashed potatoes break down and become more of soup than mash. While there is nothing wrong with potato soup, this is not the goal of reheating mashed potatoes.
What about butter? How much butter should you be adding to cold mashed potatoes? The ideal quantity of butter is between one to two tablespoons for every four cups of mashed potatoes. We recommend that you slice the butter and spread it so that it melts and incorporates more quickly.
Cooking tip: One of the great things about working with leftover food like mashed potatoes is the food is a blank canvas that you can get creative with if you want. There are no rules about food, and you can add stuff to the mashed potatoes to make the food more palatable or more nutritious. For example, what is stopping you from adding grated garlic to the mix? Sour cream will also add excellent dimensions to the dish. Some people prefer grating some fresh parmesan on reheated mashed potatoes to make the dish even more palatable and rich. Essential modifications for mashed potatoes also include combining a little salt to the dish or maybe some pepper.
What Temperature Should I Reheat Mashed Potatoes?
The ideal temperature for reheating or warming mashed potatoes is 350°F (177°C). Reheating via oven should take anywhere from twenty to thirty minutes – this is only for refrigerated mashed potatoes. We do not recommend baking frozen mashed potatoes – thaw the dish out first by placing it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This should thaw the mashed potatoes enough so you can reheat the entire pan in the oven. The desirable and safe internal cooking temperature for reheated mashed potatoes is 165°F or 73.8°C.
Methods of Reheating Mashed Potatoes
Let’s say you don’t have an oven – what else can you do to reheat your mashed potatoes?
Slow Cooker
You can reheat mashed potatoes with your slow cooker. Apply some butter on the insides of the slow cooker. Add the mashed potatoes and turn on the slow cooker. Consume the mashed potatoes within four hours of reheating it. You can keep the lid on if you wish. Just make sure that you turn the mashed potatoes at least once per hour to maintain the even keel’s heating. We also don’t want the mashed potatoes to become ‘crispy’ at any point.
Double-Boiler
The main advantage of working with a double-boiler is that it is impossible to burn your mashed potatoes with steam. You will need a bowl and a pot that can easily handle the bowl’s bottom. Use plastic wrap as a cover; if that is not available, you can always use either a clean cloth or some aluminum foil. Keep in mind to add just the right amount of water in the pot, so it doesn’t overflow. Place the bowl of mashed potatoes on top and let the steam work on the mashed potatoes. If you suddenly run out of the water, or the water level is reduced too much, add more water to the pot.
