It’s funny you point out you use Allrecipes.

It’s entirely possible you are making the home cook’s number one mistake: Not using an unbelievable amount of butter and salt. If you think you’ve added enough salt and butter, you’re probably less than halfway there.

use red bliss or yukon gold, don’t use russets.  enjoy!!!!  (now i want mashed potatoes.)

add more butter, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper. try the sour cream, i never thought i liked it but it’s magic in smashed pots!

the trick is to dry the potatoes & mash them in the pan you cooked them in to keep them hot. wet or cold potatoes are the worst. boil the suckers (i use red bliss) until they are cooked through (fork inserts easily with no resistance). drain all the water from the pan but keep the potatoes in. put the pan back on the…

I was reading this whole thread and thinking this the entire time. I’m a pretty terrible baker, but I’ve been in charge of pies for my 20+ person family Thanksgiving since I was 9. Maybe we are just crust savants.

Hand-mash them with a wire masher. Embrace the lumps. Always red or gold potatoes. A full stick of butter for each 2 pounds of potatoes and a generous splash of cream or milk. If they’re blah, then they need more butter and more salt.

Seems like you need more training. Have you tried the Mayo Clinic?

I killed off 4 during “Skyrim in One Sitting” (a 44-hour gaming marathon I did to get over a breakup) and felt like shit for 3 days afterward.

Some people just don’t quite have the talent for seasoning, or the palate, or yes, find it intimidating. I grew up with a mom who usually liked to cook, and taught me the basics, and I grew up interested in food and have expanded my own talents. I have a certain intuition for it. My husband on the other hand is…

Broadly, I agree. However, I will say that some people just don’t know how things are supposed to taste. I also think that some people are genuinely intimidated by cooking. Like it’s magic or alchemy or something. In a sense, I feel lucky that my family wasn’t wealthy growing up because we all helped in the kitchen…

Everyone can cook. Some are obviously better at it than others but like you said, the information is out there, just go watch a youtube video. Usually “I can’t cook” means “I don’t like cooking”.

Hey, that’s totally fair. I only picked up the book this year after hearing an interview with the author when it was published in 2013. And when I say “picked up” I mean checked a digital copy out from the library because a physical copy would probably have been to inconvenient for my lazy bones. And then I had to…

Similarly, Michael Pollan recommended a diet consisting of foods you make yourself. Want ice cream? Great! Make it yourself. Want an apple pie? Peel the apples, make the dough, put it all together and, then knock yourself out. That method takes a slightly different approach of just setting the difficulty bar higher,…

NFL fans are steakheads.  

Have you watched any NFL games lately? You’re going to need something to keep you awake!

The modern student athlete and their selfless mentors of the NCAA are a true inspiration to us all.

That's why we stick with college football, which exists to promote the physical and emotional well being of the student without corruption by the almighty dollar.

Can’t make money if you don’t sell enough of it. Remember Jay Leno’s pitch for Lay’s Potato Chips: “Don’t worry, we’ll make more.”

I’m sure this is surprising to no one, but foods are designed this way. I’m reading an excellent book called “Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us” that I got as a recommendation in the Takeout comment section. It goes in to detail about the science behind formulating food that we crave.