9 Store-Bought Pre-Made Mashed Potatoes, Ranked - Tasting Table

"Mashed potatoes are the creamy, unctuous, comforting side dish that pairs as easily with a steak dinner as it does with braised short ribs, where the potatoes can soak up all that flavorful braising liquid. They can top a traditional shepherd's pie, accompany classic buttermilk fried chicken, or harmonize with your Thanksgiving turkey and rich brown gravy. For home cooks in a hurry, the downside of mashed potatoes lies in the preparation. Crafting the perfect pot of mashed potatoes takes time."

"Thankfully, grocery stores stock many pre-made options that are perfect when you don't have the time to peel, chop, cook, mash, and season yourself. Your only requirement is to heat and serve. And unlike most instant mashed potatoes, which often contain only dehydrated potatoes, ready-to-eat options typically include cream or milk, and butter, resulting in a product that resembles authentic mashed potatoes."

"To determine which store-bought mashed potatoes are best, I gathered a selection of options available nationwide to conduct a taste test. To keep all potatoes on neutral ground, I purchased the original or homestyle version of each, ensuring that a loaded or garlic-flavored option did not alter my opinion. To create the ranking, I considered the overall taste, texture, and ingredients to determine which brands were best and which fell short."

Mashed potatoes serve as a versatile, comforting side that complements steak, braised short ribs, shepherd's pie, fried chicken, or Thanksgiving turkey with gravy. Homemade mashed potatoes require peeling, chopping, cooking, mashing, and seasoning, which takes considerable time. Grocery stores offer pre-made ready-to-eat mashed potatoes that require only heating and often include cream, milk, and butter, making them closer to homemade than dehydrated instant mixes. A nationwide selection of original or homestyle versions was taste-tested with evaluations focused on overall taste, texture, and ingredients. Ease of preparation and nutrition were given less weight. Stouffer's frozen entrees have a long history, but some of its individual frozen sides performed less favorably.

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