I love mashed potatoes, and so do my children. When it's Thanksgiving, you can't seem to put enough of them on the table, and so it makes sense to help older children learn about the process of making their own mashed potatoes. However, some of the preparation is beyond the manual skills of younger children. While my 9-10 year olds can handle a butter knife, I'm not quite comfortable with their skills at peeling and paring. My 12 and up crew are fine, for handling potato peeling, and as well, are capable of working at the stove to boil. Ages 14 and up, I'm confident, can drain hot liquid from the cooked potatoes, and can use the hand mixer to mash.
For an easier alternative, if I want to include my younger children in making mashed potatoes, I defer to a box. The other reason for this choice, when I make it, is time or space constraints. It's much faster to boil water and add flakes, isn't it? While it may feel like cheating, in a busy society, sometimes a Mom needs to buy herself some time!
For ages 4-10, this is a great way to work on measuring skills, and for the upper end of that age group, to work on calculations. While the 4 year old may need a little help pouring a cup of liquid, it's still a way to include that youngster in the process. Count outloud as you go. If you are heating the liquids on the stovetop, the youngster will need to stand back, a bit, but once the liquids are ready, you can remove the pan to the table, and allow your child to add the potato flakes, and to stir. This is a quick process, takes only a little time to allow your child to participate, and provides the chance for your youngster to shine, when you proudly announce their work on the dish to your guests.
