# Like Glue Mashed Potato - what went wrong?



## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Last night while trying to make regular mashed potatoes, it just turned to glue. This also happened to us right before Thanksgiving, and once other time this fall. 

Any idea what is going wrong? Is there a difference in the potato crop this fall? We are using Yukon Gold potatoes, like we always have, boil them in small amount water, drain water, add butter, add skim milk and "have at it" with the hand-held mixer. We have made mashed potatoes for years with good results. Our Glue Like Mashed Potatoes are a new event but we are not sure why it is happening - and of course, we want it to stop! 

Suggestions? Thank you very much! 

(I am going to post this over in the cooking section too.)


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## sparkysarah (Dec 4, 2007)

It could be the potatoes. I have also had this happen to me simply because I over-mixed it and the gluten developed very well making it sticky.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Hm. I always boil them in enough water to cover by at least an inch. Don't know if that makes a difference.

I have had mashed potatoes become gluey when I use red Norlands instead of the usual whites. Usually have good luck with Yukon Golds. 

If you still have trouble with your spuds and you have a lot of them left, you could try boiling a few turnips in with them. Makes a tasty mash with the taters, and not at all sticky.

Pony!


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## A'sta at Hofstead (Sep 20, 2006)

Use a good ole' hand masher, the ones with the waffle type business end. Hand mixers break down the starch too much, I had this happen once when using an elctric hand mixer....have never used a hand mixer again and never had the problem again.


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## Cheryl aka JM (Aug 7, 2007)

I don't know if it's true or not~ but my mother used to tell me that the taters got sticky like that when they got old. She said you could tell they were gonna be sticky if when you pealed them they were green just under the skin~ that meant they were old and would be sticky.

Seems to me it has more to do with where the sun, the moon and the stars are at~ and if the second hand is on the three............

In other words~ I've never noticed the correlation to old taters~ but thats what Momma said.


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## chickenmommy (Aug 24, 2004)

The potatoes were over beaten. A'sta has the solution. A food mill works well also, as does a ricer. Then all you need do is stir in the milk and butter and no beating is required, so no wallpaper glue potatoes.
Learned this a couple months ago in Culinary class. But have always used a food mill so never experienced it myself.


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## paintlady (May 10, 2007)

Did you drain them right away? Being overcooked or by letting them sit in the water too long after cooking will do this. I always add milk and butter when I am mashing mine.


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## WindowOrMirror (Jan 10, 2005)

I happen to LOVE them like glue, so send 'em this way!


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## MelissaW (Jun 18, 2003)

Sounds like a combination of cooking the potatoes too long and over beating. Different potato varieties will get sticky faster than others, although I've always had good luck with yukon's. Try cooking them until they are just getting soft. I like to use a hand masher as well. Good luck!


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## booklover (Jan 22, 2007)

As potatoes get older, the starches in them develop more, which is what makes them sticky.

If they are young, they are forgiving and you can over beat them without them turning to glue. But if they have a lot of starch, you can't beat them as much without the molecules sticking together and getting wallpaper paste. It's best to hand mash them, and make sure that you don't ever over mix them.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

Are potatoes bad if it is green under the skin? These did have a slight green layer just under the skin. When we peeled them, I had to do a very thin second peel in spots to get the green off? Is it safe to eat a potato with green in it or should I throw them out? We had some baking potatoes recently that had green on them too? And for some reason, lately we have noticed that the baking potatoes we buy are sprouting faster than they used to? We buy potatoes from regular grocery store (sometimes Ingles, sometimes Food Lion or sometimes Harris Teeter) but all the bakers seem to be sprouting in about 2 weeks - as opposed to we used to be able to buy groceries for a month and the potatoes were OK the whole month? Have maybe grocery stores starting selling stale potatoes? We do plan to learn to grow our own this year but for now, must buy them. Thank you all for teaching us about this.


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## MelissaW (Jun 18, 2003)

The green comes when they've been exposed to sunlight. Just cut the green parts off, and they are still usable. It sounds like the potatoes that are sprouting are old. I didn't hear of any weather events effecting the potato crops this year, but it could be that the yields were down, and more inferior potatoes are making it to store shelves. Either that, or with shipping costs, they are leaving them on the shelves longer.


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## marvella (Oct 12, 2003)

i had it happen when i started them cooking in warm water. if i put cold water on them to cook, they'd be fine.


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## Trixie (Aug 25, 2006)

When I use my canned potatoes to make mashed potatoes, they are a little gluey, but I just put about a 1/4t of baking powder and they lighten up.

That's what my Mother used to do when her potatoes didn't get fluffly.


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

When I peel and slice my potatoes for mashed potatoes, I put the slices in cold water until I've finished. Then, I rinse them and put them in fresh cold water to cook. I get rid of the excess starch that way!


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