Kitchen rescueRice, pasta and potatoesHard to save: start again

How to fix gluey mashed potato

Gluey mash can't be made fluffy again, because the texture comes from damaged starch. Use it as a baked topping for a pie, or shape it into potato cakes and fry them.

How you can tell

  • The mash is sticky, stretchy and gummy
  • It looks shiny and pulls like glue
  • It feels heavy and pasty to eat

Why it happens

Potatoes are full of starch held inside cells. Gentle mashing breaks the potato up without bursting too many of these cells. Using a food processor or blender, or beating the potatoes too hard, ruptures the cells and releases a lot of starch, which makes the mash gluey. Waxy potatoes and potatoes that are mashed cold are more likely to turn gummy, and after the starch is released it can't be put back.

How to fix it

Option 1Bake it as a topping

  1. Spread it over a cottage pie, shepherd's pie or fish pie
  2. Rough up the surface with a fork and bake until crisp and golden

Option 2Make potato cakes

  1. Mix with a little flour, and add cheese, herbs or spring onions if you like
  2. Shape into flat cakes and fry in a little oil until golden on both sides
  3. Or use it in fishcakes

Next time

  • Use floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or King Edward
  • Mash by hand with a masher or push through a ricer, never in a food processor or blender
  • Mash the potatoes while they're hot and stop as soon as they're smooth
  • Warm the milk and butter before stirring them in
General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.