You dutifully strain, rinse, and dry them while you open drawer after drawer looking for your potato masher…that you’ve never owned. No need to panic—and no need to rush out to the shop.

(Hint: it’s not a potato masher.) Once you’ve learned all there is to learn about mash, vote in our poll at the bottom of the page to tell us which style of mash you’re going to make next.

Cover the slow cooker and turn to high. Cook on high for 3 hours, then mash a little using a potato masher. Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley if you like a ‘chunky’ soup.

I like to put my potatoes through a fine sieve instead of using a potato masher. Cut the potatoes evenly into halves or quarters depending on their size. This will help them to cook all at the ...