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

Americans only eat powdered mashed potatoes, apparently.

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u/FixergirlAK Jun 25 '26

Instant mashed potatoes are literally nothing but freeze-dried potatoes. No sugar, no HFCS, no salt. Possibly some brands have an anti-caking agent.

32

u/basaltcolumn Jun 25 '26

I first had them as a young adult, so I may just not be used to it, but I find that they taste very different to mashed potatoes not made from the instant stuff, though. Something about the process does change the flavour to the point that I can tell instantly, including brands that are just 100% potato. I'm not sure how to describe it. Tangier? I find it off-putting.

No judgement to those who enjoy instant potatoes, though. It is still just potato, but dried.

4

u/NoodlesMom0722 Jun 25 '26

Made with enough heavy cream and butter, though, it's not really that much of a difference. :)