Thanks in advance for any help on this.

I have been running a new bbq place since oct 1 and have managed to fumble through most things that came up except mashed taters.

I was using sams idahoan (red box) mashed and switched to excel pearls because the sams were breaking down in the steam table unless I made them so thick that you could use them to mud drywall.

Now the excel's are trying to do the same thing...Any secret on excels and holding them for service.

I have held them both in a steam table and just  a holding oven...no difference

The pearls?

If so, you might be holding them too long, too hot, or too shallow.  The pearls are designed to mix instantly with boiling water - you would do it when you serve the customer......

I would start playing with the temps and try not to make them too far ahead.

Food Write
The Responsible Serving of Alcoholic Beverages

Try this ...

Any random potato, chopped and boiled till soft.  Add butter, cream, salt, pepper, and a little sugar.

Why make mashed potatoes difficult?

Bob Johnson
bob@tjslogcabin.com

I would check to make sure they are being made right in the first place. If you don't use boiling hot water they do tend to break down. Don't know why! When I make them it takes three different turns in the mixer for 300 servings. I can hold them from 9 till service starting at 11;30 and they will thicken not break down............unless I make them wrong in the first place. Slow down and check what your doing. Not saying your doing anything wrong just that when mine get watery it's cause of me!

http://www.myspace.com/thereallunchlady
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain" Unknown

My mashed potatoes always stay better in the warmer than in the staemtable. I think its because of the steam heat hitting the bottom of the pan. I would keep the heat just high enough to keep them warm. I don't worry about the temp on mashed potatoes, most all the people want hot gravy over the top anyway. If my buffet depended on quality mashed potatoes on the line at all times, I would make smaller batches, and keep them at lower temps on the steamtable......................Bill

Far freakin out, this happened to me last night.  I've been using the Excel Potato Pearls for more years then I can remember and this was the first time this has ever happened.  Went up front, took the lid off and the first words out of my mouth were; who put water in the potatoes?  They had litteraly turned to soup, never seen them do this before.   The other seven bags from that case were fine, we'll see how the remaining four do.  Potato Pearls are a great product and have always held better on the steamtable then anything else I've used.  Haven't got a clue what happened to that batch last night.

Ray

http://www.dallasfamouschicken.com/

I have never seen them break, I have seen them go in another direction, Hard, crusty, crumble, cement. This must be a product problem. I don't think its a user error...............Bill

We used to have the same problem as we hold potatoes on our buffet.  But now we have no problem.  We use 1/2 bag of the excel potato pearls with 1/2 bag of Idaho mashed.  After mixing with the 4 quarts hot water...(hottest from the tap)....we then microwave for 3 minutes.  (We mix ours in a microwavable bowl then transfer them to a steam table pan).  We have not had them break down since.  This amount fills a 6 " deep third pan.  We did it the same way with each kind of potato by itself....and they still broke down.....but for whatever reason...mixing them did the trick.  It's kind of a pain to use a half bag of each...(we weigh ours)...but perhaps you need enough more at a time you could use a full bag of each mixed together.  I hope this works for you.

At first I thought this was a problem that had to do with cooking.  After googling "Excel Potato pearls" I see that it has nothing to do with cooking.  Perhaps they are best microwaved to order.

Also if a product has time to "break down" then, to me, that says it is being overprepped as well as being held too long.

Considering the rates I have see at standard operating temperatures (piping hot at 175~180 F) I venture a guess that one of America's most popular sidedishes is being held for more than 3 hours.  Business alright?

lol:  ~$70 dollars a case for mashed potatoes.