Q&A for How to Make Instant Mashed Potatoes

Move the potatoes to a baking dish and spread to a single, even layer to minimize drying out and allow them to warm faster. To compensate for the unavoidable loss of moisture, add more cream, sour cream, and butter — you can also refresh them with half and half or a nutrient dense broth if you're wanting to add more moisture with less fat.

Yes, you can! Set the crock pot to low heat and let the potatoes warm for up to a few hours, but no longer.

Add a dash of starch, like cornstarch or potato starch, to thicken up runny mashed potatoes.

You can use the same amount for either type. The main difference is simply that flaked instant potatoes often have a more similar texture and flavor to handmade mashed potatoes than granular mixes.

For the sovetop method, it will take anywhere from three to five minutes, depending on how quickly it takes to boil water and that's dependent upon how high of heat used. For the microwave method, about two-point-five to three minutes as per this article, but the power of one's microwave will dictate the actual time.

For 16 oz, you can use close to a liter of milk. The water can be 4 times the potatoes. i.e., about 256 ml, or 1/4 the milk.

No. If you added eggs to mashed potatoes, you would end up making a different dish, like a frittata. You can try if you like but it's definitely not standard for mashed potatoes.

Not initially, not if you want mashed potato as the base. If you like it meaty, you can at parboiled or deep fried bacon pieces once the mash has been made, not before or during its production.