A potato ricer (also called a ricer) is a kitchen implement used to process potatoes or other food by forcing it through a sheet of small holes, which are typically about the diameter of a grain of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. This form of food processing is called ricing.

Description

A common variety of potato ricer resembles a large garlic press. It has two long handles, one with a perforated basket at the end, the other with a flat surface that fits into the basket. The food is placed in the basket, then the flat surface is pushed down into the basket by pressing the handles together, forcing the food through the holes.Potato Ricer. CooksInfo.com. Published 02/18/2007. Updated 05/27/2009. Web. Retrieved 11/29/2012 from http://www.cooksinfo.com/potato-ricer Another form, sometimes called a rotary ricer, is cone-shaped with small perforations all around the cone. It comes with a wooden pestle that is used to push the food through the holes. A

food mill A food mill (also called passatutto, purée sieve, moulinette, mouli légumes, passe-vite, or triturator) is a food preparation utensil for wikt:Mash, mashing and sieve, sieving soft foods invented in Brussels in 1928 by Victor Simon. Typicall ...

can be used as a substitute for a ricer.

Uses

This tool is commonly used to rice potatoes, a process that forces cooked potatoes through the ricer and turns the potatoes into fine, thin shreds. The resulting potatoes are lighter and fluffier. The process allows the full

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

cells of high-starch potatoes to maintain their integrity and stay separate, giving the potatoes a fluffy, full texture. At this point, milk, butter, and other additives can easily be blended to maintain the starch structure, the result being consistent mashed potatoes. The process works since uniform texture is created due to the passing of potatoes through evenly sized holes, which ensures that the potatoes are smashed only once. With this method, the cell walls are much less likely to break open. Pressing cooked vegetables and fruits through the small holes produces a puree comparable to using a drum sieve. Many foods can now be pureed more easily in a

food processor A food processor is a kitchen appliance used to facilitate repetitive tasks in the preparation of food. Today, the term almost always refers to an electric-motor-driven appliance, although there are some manual devices also referred to as "food ...

; however, a manual method such as ricing is best for potatoes, which are starchy and become glutinous (in the sense of being glue-like or sticky, and not in the sense of containing gluten) when over-processed. Ricers are often used to puree food for babies. A ricer can be used to remove excess water from foods such as cooked greens that are to be added to

quiche Quiche ( ) is a French tart consisting of a pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetables. A well-known variant is quiche lorraine, which includes lardons or bacon. Quiche may be served hot, wa ...

, thawed frozen

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

, and sliced or grated potatoes to improve the quality of

potato chip Potato chips (North American English and Australian English; often just chip) or crisp (British English and Hiberno-English) are thin slices of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep frying, deep fried, baking, baked, ...

s or hash browns made from them. Ricers are also used to make ''

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

'' (a dessert of chestnut puree), ''

lefse Lefse () is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with riced potatoes, can include flour, all purpose (wheat) flour, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. Special tools are used to pr ...

'' (a Norwegian) flatbread, spätzle ( German noodles), '' passatelli'' (a type of Italian pasta), and process

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

when making the German dish '' spaghettieis''. Potters and ceramicists use ricers to extrude "hair" for sculptures of humans or animals such as sheep.

References

{{Sister bar, auto=y, wikt=ricer, commonscat=y, cookbook=y Food preparation utensils Potatoes

Description

Uses

See also

References