Making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving? Don’t peel them — use this Instagram hack instead

A bag of potatoes on a wooden surface
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Mashed potatoes are a staple of any Thanksgiving feast — they're easy to make and pair well with all of the other rich foods on your table, like that deep-fried turkey with gravy. It's no wonder that they appeared on the Thanksgiving dinner menu created by ChatGPT.

But, there's one step that's a pain when making mashed potatoes, and that's peeling them. However, I recently discovered an instagram hack that not only makes this process painless, but also cuts the time it takes to peel the potatoes. And you can do it with something you already have in your kitchen. 

This hack comes to us from Lora McLaughlin Peterson, a TV reporter turned-lifetyle-blogger who gives tips on cooking, home decorating, travel and more. 

To remove the skin from a potato, you'll need a wire baking rack — a rack with a checkered pattern is preferable, but you can get by with one that only has wires running in one direction. (Right now, this Checkered Chef Cooling Rack is on sale for $13 at Amazon in a Black Friday deal). 

Once you've boiled the potatoes, simply slice them in half. Place the baking rack on top of a bowl.

Next, place the cut side of the potato on the rack. Then, press down on the potato and push it through the rack, into the bowl. If the potato is still hot, you may want to place a paper towel on top of the potato, to avoid burning your hand.

And that's it - the skin should remain above the rack, while the potato insides should all be in the bowl.

When I first saw the post, I was a bit skeptical — until my mom also tried it. 

And guess what? It works! 

So, save yourself some time this Thanksgiving (November 23), and try out this hack. And, if you're not too comatose from all the turkey, check out our Black Friday deals

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Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.