Did you know that every potato is peeled then cooked in steam which helps to retain the flavour and then the potatoes are dried and formed into flaky pieces for your convenience?
I can see that you don't look impressed and I don't really blame you!
But I will tell you that the Smash makes ... Read review
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A review by Sarahjh1 on Smash Instant Mashed Potatoes April 24th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Value for Money
Good
Product Quality
Satisfactory
Product package
Good
Taste
OK
How loyal are you to this brand?
Quite
Advantages:
A quick and easy way out
Disadvantages:
It does taste very different to fresh potato
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Did you know that every potato is peeled then cooked in steam which helps to retain the flavour and then the potatoes are dried and formed into flaky pieces for your convenience? I can see that you don't look impressed and I don't really blame you!
But I will tell you that the Smash makes a pretty decent fishcake. Just last week I was racking my brains trying to think of something different for supper. Bingo! Home made fish cakes, then I looked in the vegetable rack and groaned, not a potato in sight, OK if you counted the hairy ones that had some six inch sprouts I had four!
I am no big fan of anything instant really but if push comes to shove and I have it to hand then all well and good. After all if I was using the instant mash to make fishcakes then it is highly unlikely that the Other Half would even notice the difference.
The 220g pack of Smash cost me the princely sum of £1 from Tesco and it has been sitting in my larder for some time now. That packet is meant to contain seven servings but I have reservations on that score! The back of the thick foil packet is awash with information on how to reconstitute the dried potato successfully, I am so darned independent that I like to do things my way.
I always use my old china mixing bowl, put an amount of the flaky dried potato into the bottom of the bowl ready to top it with boiling water. The dried creamy coloured flakes and bits look nothing. Now for the part I loathe! Add a small amount of boiling water to the dried potato- and what happens? The smell that starts to rise from the bowl takes me back to when my Granny used to boil the potato peelings on top of the stove for the chickens! Anyway, lets move on swiftly, Use the wooden spoon and then start to beat the flakes and the water together. When you have the consistency right then it is time to titivate, I add a nob of fresh butter, a dash of pepper and a drop of cream and then I carry on beating the mixture for a few seconds. You do have to be careful not to add too much water, or you will end up drinking the mash.
After the titivation ceremony the mash takes on a different complexion, the cream helps to whiten it and the butter enriches the mixture, the pepper seasons it so though you may not have fresh potato you do have creamed potato that is edible. Then I carry on and make my fishcakes with the Smash.
Now it seems that the recipe has been recently improved, it is free of lactose and low in fat. Smash contains no artificial flavours or colours and they say that only good grades of potato have been used to make the product. Smash is suitable for vegetarians and is also gluten free. But any babies under a year old mustn't be fed on Smash.
The bag contains seven servings and each of those seven servings contains 104 calories and the potato is low in fats and sugar. They do have a slightly larger 280g tub of Smash that works out at around £1.50, but I generally stick to using the packet, that is sufficient for me.
Smash as Smash would not be appealing to me in any way, but when the dried potato is reconstituted the texture is reasonably good. But I always feel that the taste is different whether you tart it up or not. There is nothing that can equal a pot of fresh home-made mashed potato. But as a stop gap Smash can be an invaluable addition to your store cupboard.
Advantages: cheap, long shelf life, easy to make, filling, Disadvantages: need to add things to enhance the flavour, quite bland .
...these treasures being Smash.
Smash is dehydrated potato powder in a tin, is the best way I can describe it. Its real potato, not potato imitation, and to make it, you simply need to measure it according to the instructions on the tin, mix in the required amount of boiling water, and stir it about til its at the right consistency. Its really that simple .
Does it taste as good as the real thing ? Of course it doesn't, its been dried out and then ... ...filling, sort of dish, and Smash lives up to that very well.
Of course, just like mashed potato, you can add all sorts of gubbins to it to make it tastier, and I often do. Butter, cream, and chives if I'm feeling indulgent, sometimes a little grated smoked cheese, a tin of sweetcorn, or some tuna. Its pretty flexible, and can also be used in cooking. I've often used it to top a fish pie when my "real" potato's have boiled dry, or to make fishcakes, ...
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Advantages: Takes a whole minute, tastes good, easy to make, light in weight.... Disadvantages: Can get lumpy if you don't make it properly....
SMASH is exactly what it says on the tin "Mash in a Minute". In it's bright red packaging, The word SMASH is splashed across the front in a kinda smooth bubble writing, in a mash potato colour I suppose. As if someone just piped the word smash onto a stripe of blue stuck onto the red packaging. There's also a picture of your SMASH as part of a meal, with a sausage and some peas... hmmm.... For the purposes of accuracy, I should probably mention that ... ...100g sachets.
I love SMASH so much! I re-discovered it when I had to escort my dear brother to the supermarket to stock up on easy-to-carry-but-nutricious food for his Duke of Edinburgh trip. For those of you who don't know, Duke of Edinburgh is like a series of award's that young people from ages 16 to 25 can take part in, and it involves camping out in the countryside and stuff. It's very exciting, and they have to take all their own stuff. So ...
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Advantages: Easy to make, cheap, tastes nice Disadvantages: Bit bland for some
...title of this review of Smash Potato came from my dad, not me, so he takes the credit!
I know this my sound odd to some people, but I really do like the strange taste of Smash Potato. It doesn't taste like real potatoes and obvioulsy the only way you can eat it is in its 'mashed' form, by this, I mean you can't have it in the tradtional whole potato form! It's rehydrated potato, which you make by adding boiled water to it. I'm told that some people ... ...It probably does take a little bit of getting used to, but I actually love it.
I like it with instant gravy poured on top and just eat it out of a bowl when I get back from college and I cant be bothered to make anything else. I like it as a comfort food when I'm feeling a bit down and it reminds me of school dinners - which I also loved. Yes, I was a strange child and I don't have a very spohisticated appreciation of fine foods - I just like the ...
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Advantages: Quick, easy, tasty mash Disadvantages: Nothing beats a real mashed spud
Smash isn't what it used to be - it's some kind of flake now instead of the little tasty cubes which means that you don't have to add milk to it.
The lid of the tin is no longer a measuring device either.
This does mean that it's near impossible to guesstimate how much water is needed when making it so nearly always end up with mash that is too stodgey or runny.
Sure, I could use scales and a measuring jug, but seems a bit of a kerfuffle just ...
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Advantages: quick convieniant tasty food Disadvantages: non
...Smash with Cheddar & Onion
SmashinstantMashPotatoes have always been, a good replacement for traditional mashpotato for when you just didn't have time to prepare the real thing. Smash in my opinion is probably the best of the instantmashpotatoes that are on the shelves in our shops, and as part of there on going trials to constantly improve their recipes, Premier foods have now brought out instantSmash with Cheddar and Onion,
As with the potato and cheese the onion is dehydrated to a powdery substance which reacts to the introduction of boiled water.
The amounts of water needed, is more of personal taste and preference to texture, than preset guidelines.
I used to find that the original Smash, still needed a few personal touches, for instance I would add a touch of milk, salt and butter, to add taste, but this new version...
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03.03.2007
