These Store-Bought Pre-Made Mashed Potatoes Flop In Taste And Texture - Tasting Table

"But, after heating these frozen, pre-made mashed potatoes up in the microwave, we were seriously let down by a lack of flavor and a paste-like texture. Perhaps the ice crystals accumulated in the freezer watered down the flavor and sabotaged the texture of these mashed potatoes, but they were anything but fluffy, rich, and creamy. Instead, they were a gummy mess with watery pools, not to mention woefully underseasoned despite having one of the highest sodium contents on our list of mashed potato brands."

"Surprisingly, the frozen food empire, Stouffer's, landed in last place with its everyday homestyle mashed potatoes. As one of the most popular brand names in the frozen food game, we had high hopes for these mashed potatoes, especially because many of Stouffer's fan-favorite frozen dinners come with a side of them. And, a glance at the ingredients was promising, featuring real potatoes, cream, skim milk, sour cream, and salt, among others."

Nine store-bought pre-made mashed potato products were sampled and ranked by taste, texture, and ingredients. Stouffer's Everyday Homestyle mashed potatoes placed last despite an ingredient list including real potatoes, cream, skim milk, sour cream, and salt. Heating the product in the microwave produced a paste-like, gummy texture with watery separation and a lack of flavor. High sodium content did not translate to adequate seasoning. Ice crystal formation in the freezer may have watered down flavor and damaged texture. Kroger customer reviews echoed similar complaints, calling the product bland and noting attempts to improve it with butter, salt, and pepper.

Read at Tasting Table