Rice your way to great mashed potatoes
It's almost November, and for many people that means planning a big Thanksgiving meal. In my house, that means an incredible amount of light and fluffy mashed potatoes. There's a secret to making really fluffy potatoes: use a potato ricer, such as the Deluxe Angled Potato Ricer. By pushing potatoes through a ricer, you not only break them down into the consistency necessary for good mashed potatoes, but you're also incorporating air into your potatoes--making them fluffy. A potato ricer also makes it easier to avoid lumpy mashed potatoes--and nobody wants those of the Thanksgiving table.
The Deluxe Angled Potato Ricer is larger than most other ricers, with perforations on each side to make it easier to push potatoes through on all sides. You can place a full potato into the ricer, hold it over a bowl or a pot, and push the handles of the ricer together. Your potatoes will push through easily; ready to be mixed with butter and milk. The ricer also has rubber-coated ridges, so you can just rest it right on a pot without worrying about scratches. The ricer is made from stainless steel, so it's safe to run through your dishwasher. It's priced at $32 at Williams-Sonoma.
The all-metal ones are practically indestructible. Plastic utensils simply aren't very durable.