Why You Should Rethink Adding This 1 Ingredient to Mashed Potatoes

This may be the viral recipe to skip.

TikTok has become a go-to source for recipe ideas, cooking hacks, and prep tips that keep us scrolling for inspiration. Creators have brought us many brilliant ideas that are keepers. However, not all TikTok ideas are created equal, and some may be problematic.

Recently, the practice of adding instant yeast to already cooked mashed potatoes has been a hot topic on social media. It's supposed to make the mashers fluffier and give them a savory, bready flavor.

Traditional mashed potatoes are already fantastic, so adding a bready note to them might have you wondering, "Why bother?" But since the yeasted version is so popular right now, Allrecipes culinary producer Nicole McLaughlin had to try it for herself.

Why Add Yeast to Mashed Potatoes?

Yeast is what makes certain foods, like bread, rise. When yeast is activated (with heat and moisture) and mixed with flour, it feeds on the sugars and releases carbon dioxide, creating bubbles in the dough that cause it to rise.

When yeast is mixed with milk and added to mashed potatoes, the carbon dioxide bubbles do their magic, changing the texture and flavor of the potatoes and making them rise into a fluffy mass.

In the video, Nicole points out the bubbles in the mashed potatoes after they've sat with the yeast for about 20 minutes, although she says the potatoes have risen just "a little bit."

What Do Yeasted Mashed Potatoes Taste Like?

After tasting the finished potatoes, Nicole says, "It definitely adds like that tanginess, but if I think about it too much, I'm probably not going to like it."

She went on to say, "If what you love about mashed potatoes is the buttery, rich creaminess, then don't try this. But if you like that earthy kinda flavor to your mashed potatoes, this might be something you could serve up, and people would be like, what did she do to those?"

But, aside from the outcome being less creamy, buttery, and rich (we could argue that's the whole point of mashed potatoes), there's another reason why you might want to stay away from this method.

Is It Safe to Add Yeast to Mashed Potatoes?

Adding yeast to mashed potatoes may not be dangerous for everyone, but it can be for some. Neither the mashed potatoes nor the warm milk get hot enough to kill the active yeast cultures, and digested active yeast can cause gastrointestinal issues.

Healthline warns against consuming raw (activated) yeast, saying it can "lead to bloating, cramps, constipation, or diarrhea. It may also increase the risk of fungal infections, especially in people who are critically ill or have a compromised immune system."

Additionally, some people have yeast allergies or intolerances. If they are unaware that yeast has been added to the mashed potatoes—a dish they wouldn't expect yeast to be in—they could have an allergic reaction.

There seem to be several reasons to put this yeasted mashed potatoes hack on the "do not try" list. It didn't impress our test kitchen team, it could lead to gastrointestinal issues, and it could cause an allergic reaction. We'll skip this trend and leave the earthiness to dishes better suited for it.

Read the original article on All Recipes.