Making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving? Don’t peel them — use this Instagram hack instead

A bag of potatoes on a wooden surface
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Mashed potatoes are a staple of any Thanksgiving feast — they're easy to make and pair well with all of the other rich foods on your table, like that deep-fried turkey with gravy. It's no wonder that they appeared on the Thanksgiving dinner menu created by ChatGPT.

But, there's one step that's a pain when making mashed potatoes, and that's peeling them. However, I recently discovered an instagram hack that not only makes this process painless, but also cuts the time it takes to peel the potatoes. And you can do it with something you already have in your kitchen. 

This hack comes to us from Lora McLaughlin Peterson, a TV reporter turned-lifetyle-blogger who gives tips on cooking, home decorating, travel and more. 

To remove the skin from a potato, you'll need a wire baking rack — a rack with a checkered pattern is preferable, but you can get by with one that only has wires running in one direction. (Right now, this Checkered Chef Cooling Rack is on sale for $13 at Amazon in a Black Friday deal). 

Once you've boiled the potatoes, simply slice them in half. Place the baking rack on top of a bowl.

Next, place the cut side of the potato on the rack. Then, press down on the potato and push it through the rack, into the bowl. If the potato is still hot, you may want to place a paper towel on top of the potato, to avoid burning your hand.

And that's it - the skin should remain above the rack, while the potato insides should all be in the bowl.

When I first saw the post, I was a bit skeptical — until my mom also tried it. 

And guess what? It works! 

So, save yourself some time this Thanksgiving (November 23), and try out this hack. And, if you're not too comatose from all the turkey, check out our Black Friday deals. You might also be interested in discovering 7 mistakes to avoid when using your range this Thanksgiving.

More from Tom's Guide

Mike Prospero
U.S. Editor-in-Chief, Tom's Guide

Michael A. Prospero is the U.S. Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide. He oversees all evergreen content and oversees the Homes, Smart Home, and Fitness/Wearables categories for the site. In his spare time, he also tests out the latest drones, electric scooters, and smart home gadgets, such as video doorbells. Before his tenure at Tom's Guide, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, the Times of Trenton, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine. He received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, where he worked on the campus newspaper The Heights, and then attended the Columbia University school of Journalism. When he’s not testing out the latest running watch, electric scooter, or skiing or training for a marathon, he’s probably using the latest sous vide machine, smoker, or pizza oven, to the delight — or chagrin — of his family.

Read more
Dishwasher being loaded
TikTok showed me this genius way of unloading my dishwasher, and I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner
Vegetable spiralizer slicing cucumbers into a plate
5 kitchen tools I've wasted my money on — don't make these mistakes
Lazymi silicon baking mat
My favorite kitchen product of 2024 is a game changer and it costs under $10
Fresh butter made in the KitchenAid 7-Quart
This $18 tool fixed the worst part of making cake in my KitchenAid
Dyson V7
I tried this DIY vacuum cleaning hack — and it solved one of my biggest problems
Cleaning items and lemons
The best (and worst) TikTok cleaning hacks of 2024
Latest in Home
A mosquito resting on a plant
Experts predict a spring surge in these 9 pest populations — here's what's forecast for your area
Breville Air Fryer toaster
Hot deal! Breville’s Smart Oven Air Fryer is $70 off for Amazon's Big Spring Sale
De'Longhi Linea Classic
De'Longhi's timeless new Linea Classic espresso machine is shockingly affordable, and ideal for small kitchens
The new Husqvarna iQ series robot lawn mower.
Husqvarna’s new robot mowers offer GPS for less
Roborock Saros Z70
Roborock's new robot vacuum that comes with a robotic arm is now available to buy
the dyson airwrap ID in teal and terracotta colorway (patina and orange) with a lapis case, with a brush, hairfryer, curling wand attachments
I'm so sick of everything being 'smart' — and the Dyson Airwrap i.d. I've been testing is the last straw
Latest in How To
An image of an iPhone screen showing the Safari app icon in the center
I got tired of Safari revealing my web searches in iOS 18.4 — this setting fixes that
Gmail logo on iPhone
I used Google Gemini to declutter my Gmail account — here's how you can do it too
AirPods Pro 2 in hand
Your earbuds are disgusting — here's the right way to clean them
ChatGPT logo on a smartphone screen being held outside
7 biggest ChatGPT mistakes — and how to fix them
a photo of a woman looking at her fitness tracker
Forget the treadmill — I boosted my metabolism and walked 2,000 steps with this 15-minute workout
a photo of a woman out for a walk
Forget running — I did this one thing to boost the calorie burn on my daily walks