Ode to My Potato Masher

It wasn’t until recently that a friend of mine brought to my attention how much I utilize my potato masher in my cooking.  She had asked me for a few recipes, none of which involved mashing potatoes, and in each recipe I used a potato masher. I didn’t think that was unusual because it’s just something that I do.  But I thought I would share all the ways that I use my potato masher in case someone else wants to try it out. I love all-in-one tools, especially in the kitchen. It means less work and less washing, who doesn’t love that?  Here are ways I use my potato masher:

  1. Mashing bananas for banana bread, and, in fact, I use it to stir in all the other ingredients in my banana bread (no whisk or spatula needed).

  2. Making ground meat for tacos, spaghetti, etc.  When I make large batches of ground beef or turkey it’s so much easier to use a potato masher to get the meat really minced and it’s neater than a spatula.

  3. Cooking hamburger patties.  I am in the “flatten meat patties” school when it comes to hamburgers.  I like my patties thin and flat so I use my potato masher when I am cooking them on the skillet.  Keeps them thin and even.

  4. Mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes).

  5. Mashing veggies for my soups.  I like making instant pot soups such as broccoli soup, corn chowder, and potato, sausage, and kale soup.  I like the texture where the vegetables are slightly mashed and chunky so I use the masher to mash the soup before serving.  It’s chunkier than using an immersion blender and faster.

  6. Making doughs, batters, and mixing flours.  I find that I can work with heavier doughs and batters easier with the potato masher.  I can really get in there and work the dough without as much effort. Even making pastries like biscuits or scones can be made with a potato masher.

  7. Guacamole and avocado toast.  The potato masher can turn avocados in to mash in a few seconds flat, much faster than a fork.

  8. Making breadcrumbs or cookie crumbs.  I put the cookies or toast in a bag and use the potato masher to turn them in to crumbs.


The potato masher is one of my trusty tools that I use almost daily.  It’s fast, simple, and easy to clean!