Hand Smashing Potatoes without Burning Your Hands

The other day, I made a sheet pan sausage and potato dish. The recipe calls for boiling the potatoes for 15 minutes, allowing them to cool, and smashing them with the palm of your hand to about 1/2-inch thickness. I was short on time and couldn’t let the potatoes cool enough to smash them with my bare hand. I considered wrapping a pot holder in a clean plastic bag or plastic wrap. Then I remembered we had a pair of silicone pot holders.

I quickly washed the gloves; they had been sitting idle for years. Then I smashed away without burning my hands. It worked well. The grooves in the palms left an interesting pattern that increased the surface area of the potatoes for oil and seasonings. When I was finished, cleanup was a breeze. When short on time, the silicone pot holder was a big help.

I have tried a couple of other methods to smash the potatoes, but all are unwieldy. Using a potato masher on a whole potato creates a situation where you push down with a lot of force on an unstable object that wants to shoot/squirt/tiddlywink off the pan. I’ve also tried to push down on the potatoes with the flat side of the meat tenderizer. The same thing occurs when the potato tries to flip off the pan. Cutting the potato in half and using the masher/tenderizer is a more stable substitute, but it makes half the potato flat. Hand smashing on both sides causes a more desirable crumbly texture.

The silicone pot holders that have been gathering dust in our pantry now have a purpose. As potholders, I found them challenging to use. We probably haven’t used them in 8 years. But as potato-smashing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), they are great!

How do you prevent burns in the kitchen? Please share below in the comments.