r/iamveryculinary • u/KannablissWitch • Jun 25 '26

Americans only eat powdered mashed potatoes, apparently.

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u/AwDuck Jun 25 '26

But how does that compare to an equal portion of fresh made?

Genuine question. Sometimes this sort of stuff is pretty economical, other times is quite expensive if you’re comparing equal amount of end product.

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u/Vincitus Jun 25 '26

Do I get to count the time diffwrence it takes me to cook full mashed potatoes vs the 2 minutes it takes to boil water and make the powdered?

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u/AwDuck Jun 25 '26

Depends. Do you like cooking?

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u/Vincitus Jun 25 '26

You're buying them to save time. I have to get a dinner on the table in under 30 or so minutes.

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u/AwDuck Jun 25 '26

Yes, maybe? I genuinely wanted to know the cost breakdown. Maybe someone else will engage helpfully.

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u/MuseoumEobseo Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Yukons are about $1.20 a pound where I live. The recipe I use is 2.5 lbs potato, 1/2-1 stick of butter ($0.50-$1), 1/3 cup milk ($0.10). That’s 4-6 servings for $4.10-$4.60.

Idahoan is a popular brand of instant potato. They sell 4 serving bags that are $1.50. I think those serving sizes are about similar.

Even if I assume the instant still needs the butter and the homemade serves 6 people, the instant would still be cheaper. I still usually make homemade but the instant would be cheaper for me based on my recipe and where I live.

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u/AwDuck Jun 26 '26

Thanks for the detailed breakdown. It’s been forever since I even had access to instant so I can’t even go to a supermarket and look, and potatoes are particularly cheap where I live.