Hey r/seriouseats
Like many of you, I am preparing for Thanksgiving and looking to minimize the amount of work on the day of. I found this page which suggests holding mashed potatoes in a sous vide at 150°F will have no effect on texture within the first 24 hours.
I asked a tangentially related question (whether mashed carrots and turnips could be done in a similar fashion) on a culinary-related subreddit and was met with some hostility, being told by one individual (a mod, at that) that the information presented from this page is “drivel”, “dangerous”, “stupid”, and “insane”. My post was removed by a mod for this reason.
Am I in the wrong (and is this page incorrect in recommending this method)? I personally don’t see an issue from a food safety perspective if the mashed potatoes are held at a temperature that does not promote bacterial growth, and in this article 150°F is suggested.
by Dicks_Hallpike
11 Comments
I cant imagine it’s much different than holding them in a steam tray (like a restaurant does) but I probably wouldn’t do it for 24 hours… 6 maybe 8 hours max
Yep, you’re fine.
Restaurants do this all the time. I’ve done it, too. Not a problem.
Just using the power of science and the internet, potato starches break down (begin gelatinization) at between 140-150F. You already well exceeded that temperature when boiling/baking your potatoes for your mash. So I suspect texture won’t be significantly affected for a moderately long hold in a sous vide, a day should be OK. Just make sure you keep it out of the danger zone especially if your potatoes contain milk or butter (so, warmer than 138F). I think 145-150 is a very safe temperature to hold it, and the texture shouldn’t be significantly affected. I might suggest mixing in like a cornstarch slurry or something right before serving if the potatoes start to get a bit too runny for your taste, but other than that and a good mix to reincorporate any separated components I suspect you’ll be 100% fine.
I would tend to believe Dan Gritzer over an anonymous Reddit user
Sounds unnecessary
I do this all the time for thanksgiving. It works great. I specifically use it for mashed potatoes and carrots and turnip in ziplock bags. works well for gravy too.
instapot
I do this all the time, it reheats great and holds the temperature perfectly. It saves space on the stove needing to heat up gravy and mashed potatoes.
It’s a fantastic way to make them in advance. I do it all the time.
Cook a day or two before, then put them in vacuum sealed bags in the fridge. The day I want to serve them, a few hours before I put them in a 160°f sous vide bath and just hold them till whenever people want to eat. I think they taste EXACTLY as good as fresh, and they aren’t in the danger zone for any appreciable amount of time.
I was just looking through the comments on the Cook’s Illustrated make-ahead mashed potatoes recipe, and someone asked this specific question. The test kitchen expert (I forget which one) said that sous vide would be a great way to reheat the potatoes.