The three Finest Potato Ricers of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Pay attention, I really like simplifying a job as a lot as the following individual. After I’m staring down the barrel of a five-pound bag of potatoes that must be mashed, I’d love to look to my meals processor or stand mixer for an help. Nonetheless, neither of those home equipment will make appropriate spuds. For the silkiest, fluffiest mashed potatoes, the secret’s to attenuate the mashing, as they include lots of starch and can turn into gummy if overworked. Enter the potato ricer. 

Consider a ricer like a big garlic press. Cooked potatoes go in a perforated hopper basket, then a lever will get pressed all the way down to push the potatoes by means of small holes (typically the scale of a grain of rice, therefore ‘potato ricer’). As talked about above, the much less you’re employed potatoes, the much less starch is launched, leading to a fluffier mash. There are different choices for mild mashing, like meals mills or potato mashers, however in case you’re on the lookout for a simple solution to mash potatoes that nearly ensures you gained’t overwork them, a potato ricer is your finest wager.

To search out the perfect ones, I examined 9 potato ricers. After 18 kilos of mashed potatoes, I landed on my three prime picks.

The Winners, at a Look

Joseph Joseph found out a greater solution to rice potatoes with its distinctive ricer that makes use of a twisting movement fairly than a lever. In my assessments, it labored sooner and was simpler on the wrists. The straightforward design makes for straightforward cleanup with no additional elements or crevices for potato to cover in.

In case you favor the extra typical press-style ricer, the Chef’n was a dream to make use of. The twin-gear hinge presses potatoes easily with much less effort than different fashions. The handles are comfy and the hopper basket detaches from the physique for straightforward cleansing. 

This heavy-duty ricer simply match an entire potato, urgent the spuds out swiftly because of its all-over perforations.

The Assessments

• Potato Check: I examined every ricer by, properly, ricing potatoes. I used every ricer to make a batch of Kenji’s Extremely Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, noting how simple every ricer was to load with cooked potatoes, the time it took to rice them, and the ultimate consistency of the mashed potatoes. 
• Cleanup Check: I then washed every potato ricer by hand to judge the cleansing course of.

What We Realized

All Potato Ricers Will Rice Potatoes

All the ricers produced silky, fluffy potatoes. I struggled to detect variations between virtually the entire mashed potato samples processed with the varied ricers. So, whereas there have been virtually no true ricing failures (no less than among the many pool of ricers I examined), some ricers had been much more nice to make use of.

Easy and Sturdy Was Finest

What separates a so-so ricer from a great ricer? Easy design and durable development. The ricers I appreciated finest lacked quite a few crevices for mashed potato to make its method into. Sturdy development was additionally key, as urgent potatoes by means of a ricer requires you to make use of stress—and a flimsy deal with is certain to bend or break over time.

Snug, well-sized handles had been necessary as properly. Hole handles with metallic edges (like these on the Bellemain and Precedence Chef) pressed into my arms and fingers unpleasantly, whereas strong handles (just like the handles on the Norpro and Chef’n) had been extra comfy to make use of. 

One Press Plate Was Sufficient

A couple of fashions I examined got here outfitted with a number of plates with holes in varied sizes. Whereas this may be helpful you probably have plans to rice a wide range of greens, in case you’re primarily going to be utilizing your ricer for potatoes, the additional elements appear pointless. So long as the holes had been comparatively small—between 1/16- and 1/8-inch—the ensuing potatoes will come out silky easy. 

The hopper baskets on some fashions (just like the RSVP and OXO) had holes solely on the underside (like a garlic press) whereas others had holes on the edges as properly (just like the Norpro and Williams Sonoma). Whereas fashions with extra holes had a minuscule pace benefit when ricing, that saved time slipped away once I needed to scrape lingering potato tendrils from two to 4 surfaces as an alternative of 1. 

The Standards: What to Search for in a Potato Ricer

potato ricer ought to have an uncomplicated design with sturdy development. I appreciated a ricer with out nooks and crannies for bits of potatoes to smush into. Stable, easy handles that had been no less than six inches lengthy had been essentially the most comfy and straightforward to make use of. A hopper basket with a large opening to simply load potatoes into and small perforations make for a positive, fluffy mash. In case you’re planning on cooking a wide range of mashed greens, having press plates with different-sized holes may be advantageous. However, in case you’re simply going to be mashing potatoes, they’re not mandatory. 

Search for a mannequin that may go within the dishwasher. (Each ricer I examined was dishwasher-safe.) I don’t see any purpose to complicate your life by including a software to your kitchen that requires hand-washing when there are such a lot of choices that don’t.

Our Favourite Potato Ricers

What we appreciated: This mannequin felt like somebody thought of easy methods to make a potato ricer higher, utilizing a novel method. As an alternative of urgent two handles collectively vertically to drive the potato by means of the hopper, you push two levers collectively—not in contrast to a pair of hedge clippers. The ricer is comprised of two separate items: The underside half homes the hopper basket whereas the highest is cylindrical with a spiraled canal across the sides that screws snugly into the basket. Either side has one deal with hooked up. After loading the basket with potatoes, you line up the 2 halves of the press utilizing the purple dots on both aspect for steering after which press the 2 handles collectively. This twists the cylinder on the highest and screws it down into the metal basket, pushing the riced potato out of the underside.

This unorthodox design had no downsides: It was simple to load potatoes into the hopper with out the highest half of the ricer in the best way, there have been fewer surfaces to scrape potatoes from, the handles had been comfy, and the twisting movement required much less effort than conventional ricers. On prime of all of that, the removable halves and crevice-free design made it one of many best fashions to wash.

What we didn’t like: I couldn’t discover something to complain about with this one, although I want it got here in several colours.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Nylon and chrome steel
• Variety of perforations: 106
• Distance between perforations: 1/8-inch
• Weight: 1.1 kilos
• Deal with size: 6 3/4 inches
• Opening measurement: 3 1/8 inches
• Care directions: Dishwasher-safe

What we appreciated: In case you’d favor a extra conventional potato ricer this mannequin from Chef’n is a good possibility. The “twin gear” hinge makes urgent potatoes by means of the hopper a noticeably simpler and smoother expertise.

Whereas many fashions included plungers and hopper baskets manufactured from chrome steel, leading to an disagreeable metal-on-metal scraping when urgent the ricer shut, the plunger on this mannequin is manufactured from the identical plastic because the physique. This made for a easy, scrape-free ricing expertise. The lengthy plastic handles had been well-made and comfy to carry. The chrome steel hopper is extensive for straightforward loading and removable for painless cleansing. 

What we didn’t like: This mannequin is heavier. It’s additionally the costliest ricer I examined.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Plastic and chrome steel
• Variety of perforations: 271
• Distance between perforations: 1/16-inch
• Weight: 1.5 kilos
• Deal with size: 6 1/2 inches
• Opening measurement: 3 1/4 inches
• Care directions: High-rack dishwasher-safe

What we appreciated: In case you’re after a mannequin that may accommodate an entire potato in its hopper, it is a good possibility. It has comfy handles and perforations on all sides of the hopper, permitting potatoes to maneuver by means of simply.

What we did not like: It is fairly giant, heavy, and messy to make use of (because of the aforementioned perforations). Due to its measurement, it is more durable to retailer, too.

Key Specs

• Supplies: Solid aluminum and rubber deal with, chrome steel
• Variety of perforations: 1,260
• Distance between perforations: 1/16-inch
• Weight: 2 kilos
• Deal with size: 6 3/4 inches
• Opening measurement: 4 inches
• Care directions: Dishwasher-safe; hand-washing is beneficial

The Competitors

• OXO Good Grips Stainless Metal Potato Ricer: The brief handles on this mannequin had been uncomfortable to make use of and the slender opening on the hopper basket made it troublesome to load.
• Williams Sonoma Potato Ricer: This ricer is made by Chef’n and is nearly similar to my favourite. The one distinction is the edges of the hopper basket are perforated in addition to the underside. I discovered that additional holes supply little greater than one other floor to scrape potato from, however in case you’d like extra holes this mannequin is barely cheaper than the Chef’n.
• RSVP Worldwide Spud Potato Ricer: It is a strong ricer, although it did really feel a tad flimsier than different fashions. It’s simple sufficient to wash, nonetheless, it’s important to be certain that each bit is totally dry earlier than reassembling. In any other case, the items are inclined to get caught collectively.
• MyLifeUNIT Heavy Responsibility Industrial Potato Ricer: The handles of this chrome steel ricer had been uncomfortable to make use of and the development was chock-a-block with nooks and crannies for mashed potatoes to make their method into.
• Bellemain Potato Ricer: This mannequin felt unstable throughout use along with having uncomfortable handles and a hopper basket that slipped away from the physique when opening the ricer.
• Precedence Chef Massive Potato Ricer: This ricer’s development was flimsy. The plunger is held loosely to the physique, permitting it to wiggle from left to proper as you’re utilizing it. I didn’t like how the metal-on-metal scraped when opening and shutting it, and the handles had been uncomfortable.

FAQs

How do you utilize a potato ricer?

Most (however not all) potato ricers are designed like giant garlic presses. You place cooked potatoes (or different greens) right into a perforated hopper, then apply stress with a lever that pushes the meals by means of small holes.

What’s a potato ricer for? 

Properly, primarily potatoes. Although you’ll be able to press different delicate meals objects by means of it, like avocados to make easy purées, most different greens want one thing a bit extra forceful to interrupt down their robust fibers and cell partitions.

What’s the purpose of ricing potatoes? 

Ricing is a good way to mash potatoes whereas guaranteeing that they don’t turn into gummy. The ricer breaks down the potato whereas solely rupturing the cells as soon as as they move by means of the hopper. It is an particularly great tool in case you’re making one thing like gnocchi that requires a very fluffy mash, or in case you simply wish to assure you gained’t overwork your potatoes. 

How do you clear a potato ricer?

Each mannequin I examined was dishwasher-safe, although we do advocate placing it on the highest rack the place it’s furthest from the heating component. Test the producer’s directions for his or her suggestions. In case you don’t have a dishwasher or favor to scrub by hand, a bottle brush did an incredible job of getting potato out of the ricer’s many small holes.

Why We’re the Specialists

• Andrea Rivera Wawrzyn was previously an affiliate editor at America’s Check Kitchen. She presently works for The Kitchn.
• She has developed recipes for a number of New York Occasions bestselling cookbooks, together with an IACP award winner.
• For this overview, Andrea examined 9 potato ricers by utilizing them to rice potatoes. She additionally examined how simple they had been to function and clear.