We’ve looked at a lot of different uses for potato ricers in this article. But people are finding more and more ways to use these handy gadgets every day. Here’s a relatively comprehensive list of all the things you’ll be able to do with your new potato ricer: This potato ricer from Speensun is similar to the OXO Good Grips ricer with one important difference: this one comes with three interchangeable discs that allow you to create “rice” in three different sizes. Medium holes work best for creating homemade spaetzle or for mashing hard-boiled eggs for egg salad. If you prefer chunkier mashed potatoes and pulpier citrus juices, these larger holes will work better for your needs.

Most potato ricers are dishwasher-safe but can also be cleaned using warm water and soap. If washing by hand, it's best to use cleaning gloves due to the ricer's sharp edges. Also, make sure to let your potato ricer dry thoroughly before storing it to prevent rust. These extended handles provide extra leverage and require less force needed from you to mash even full-sized russets—just make sure the potatoes are well cooked. The extra length means more torque on the ends of the handles. Even though they are made of stainless steel, they will bend if you try to squeeze an oversized, al dente tuber. These handles also aren’t as comfortable as others here but there is more surface area to grip, and the design means you won’t have to squeeze as hard. In fact, the texture you get is quite smooth and uniform. This is one reason potato ricers make such delicious mashed potatoes. To get this same consistency from a masher, you’d have to pulverize the potatoes. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little obsessed with mashed potatoes. They look so unassuming on the plate, but somehow fluffy mash potatoes always ends up being my favorite part of the meal. I get a little sad, though, if I’m greeted with a lumpy, gummy, overworked pile of spuds. They’ll still taste great, but their texture leaves something to be desired. I’ll let you in on a little secret: If you ditch the hand masher, food processor, or stand mixer and use a potato ricer instead—like our top-rated Chef'n FreshForce Potato Ricer PressCut into smaller chunks if needed . Depending on the size of the ricer’s hopper, you will either be able to load the potatoes as is or you may have to chop them into smaller chunks. Large holes are great for creating chunky applesauce and other pressed dishes that use raw or al dente ingredients. They also lend themselves to faster juicing, if you are okay with a lot of pulp and maybe a few seeds.

Like a cheese grater or garlic press, cleaning a ricer can be a bit of a chore. The larger the ricer, the more holes there will be to scrub. But smaller ricers aren’t much easier to clean. Getting a sponge or washcloth into a small hopper can pose a bit of a challenge. Material: Stainless steel | Dimensions: 12.8 x 4.8 x 4.2 inches | Weight: 1.7 pounds | Hopper Capacity: 1 cup | Dishwasher-Safe? Yes Do you need a masher? "Their large heads and long handles make them easier and faster to use than a fork," says Nicole Papantoniou, Senior Testing Editor of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab. "They also help prevent overworking your potatoes, like a food processor or mixer would, which causes potatoes to get gummy." It's important to note that the hopper on this tool is on the larger side, so it may be more challenging for smaller hands to use. While this appliance is dishwasher-safe, many users note it can be challenging to get the inner cup out to clean it. But they do praise the bargain tool’s high-quality features, like the ability to mash peeled and unpeeled potatoes, and that it helps make their mashed potatoes taste as good as any five-star steakhouse's recipe. Depending on the consistency you want your mashed potatoes or foods to be, you'll want to pay attention to the hopper's hole sizes. Some potato ricers come with interchangeable discs that make them more versatile and able to mash more foods. Others only come with one disc and can be more limiting in what you can use your potato ricer for if you're looking to make more than mashed potatoes or to mash softer foods.

FreshForce Herb Scissors

Your tool of choice depends on what you define as the perfect mashed potatoes. Potato mashers tend to be a better option if you want a more textured mashed potato or if you're adding additional items, like herbs or cheese. Chef and blogger Jennifer Segal of Once Upon a Chef prefers using a masher in her recipes due to the recipes she uses it for. What We Love: Grips on handles make it easy to squeeze, non-slip knob, comes with three interchangeable discs If you are looking for something a bit more compact and easier to clean than the Norpro, the OXO Good Grips ricer is a great choice. For this one, you will have to cut your potatoes and other large veggies up into large chunks to fit them in the medium-sized hopper. But the ease of use with this gadget is worth a little extra work. While its stainless steel design makes it easy to clean, many users mention that it's best to use dish gloves if cleaning by hand as the discs have sharp edges. This potato ricer does best with peeled potatoes and is not recommended for making riced cauliflower. Its 18/10 stainless steel design ensures it won't bend, rust, or stain, but it's still important to thoroughly dry it before storing.

Looking for a well-made potato ricer but don't want to spend a fortune? Nurch Potato Ricer is the perfect option. The ricer is made from plastic and comes with three interchangeable discs (fine, medium, coarse) to make a variety of dishes, including pasta and baby food. Even better, this potato ricer has a gear design on its handle that makes it easy to rest the tool on a pot or bowl when reloading. Even though this potato ricer is made mainly of plastic, several users note that it is sturdy and not easy to break when using.Before you can decide which ricer is best for you, you’ll need to understand how these clever devices work. Given the way a ricer functions and what it’s used for, a more appropriate name would be a potato press. The real name comes from the rice-like pieces of potato that form when a cooked potato is forced through the tiny holes. But the texture of this product is nothing like rice. Some potato ricers come with interchangeable discs with multiple hole sizes. This is a great feature if you hope to use your ricer for a wide variety of jobs. But if you have only a specific use in mind, hoppers with a fixed hole size are often less cumbersome to use and easier to store. Size of Hopper In addition to strength, you’ll want a soft handle that is comfortable to grip. Many come with added rubber padding to take some of the strain off your hands as you squeeze. Ergonomic handles that are positioned to take pressure off your wrists are also a great choice. One of our top choices, the Joseph Joseph Helix ricer, takes this idea to the next level by removing the need to squeeze the handles altogether. Ease of Cleaning Chef’n claim that the dual-gear mechanism makes this ricer 65% more efficient than conventional ones. And we can happily report that the easy-squeeze non-slip handles made mashing easy.