When you need a bit of comfort food, the soft, carby embrace of mash is as good as it gets. Not so fun, however, is the prospect of going at those potatoes with a masher until your arm aches. If you can’t persuade someone to do it for you, the next best thing is a potato ricer.
Potato ricers are handy tools that make perfectly smooth potatoes, but with far less effort than your regular masher. As a mash enthusiast, I've been in the market for a ricer for a while – and when I clapped eyes on the Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer, it was love at first sight. As soon as I saw how the mechanism worked, it went straight in my basket. But did it live up to expectations? Here’s my honest review.
The Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer at a glance
Pros
- Much less effort required versus a masher or traditional potato ricer
- Mash is very smooth, light and fluffy
- Sturdy and well made
Cons
- May not fit in your utensil drawer
What makes the Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer special?
A potato ricer looks like a big garlic crusher – and most of them work in the exact same way. With traditional models, you have to squeeze the handles together as hard as you can to force the cooked potato through the holes and achieve lump-free mash. This can be quite difficult, especially if you put in lots of potato chunks at once.
This ricer is a little different. Joseph Joseph's clever ‘helix’ design has a unique twisting mechanism that requires far less effort. In a similar way to using a pair of bolt cutters, the force you put in is multiplied. This makes it much easier to use than a regular potato ricer – even if you load the chamber to the brim.
This design will make anyone’s potato-mashing experience a better one, but it’s particularly handy for those with mobility issues that affect the hands and wrists. Instead of requiring grip strength, the mechanism engages the arm and shoulder muscles. I've seen lots of reviews from people with arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome who are happily back making mash thanks to this device.
How to use the Joseph Joseph Potato Ricer
To use it, fill the bottom half (the one with holes in it) with cooked potato chunks, up to the top of the metal chamber. Then, line up the two halves of the ricer by matching the red dots on each part – this aligns the twisting channels. Next, bring the handles together over a bowl, and the potatoes will be crushed between the two parts.
Repeat until all your potatoes are riced into the bowl and then fold in your favourite extras: butter, milk and S&P is the classic combo. Et voilà: perfectly smooth, fluffy mashed potato, with barely any time or effort required.
My verdict: a genuine mash revolution
My household has been putting up with a truly terrible stick masher for a few years now (picture a small, flimsy spatula bent at a 90-degree angle), so the arrival of the Joseph Joseph Helix was hotly anticipated. To put the ricer through its paces, we boiled a whole pot of Maris Pipers and got to work.
A little preface: I’ve used a regular all-metal potato ricer in the past. Although it was more effective than stick mashing, compressing the handles required a lot of grip strength. In fact, I recall the metal handles (which were quite uncomfortable) bending under the effort of squashing a full chamber of potato.
By contrast, my first impressions of the Joseph Joseph ricer were of how solid the build was. Although most of the product is made of plastic, it's reassuringly weighty – the body feels strong, and certainly not at risk of bending during the act of mashing. The red dots also meant I could instantly understand how to use it.
With the potatoes fork tender and my housemates gathered around, I loaded up the chamber and slowly brought the two handles together. A low ‘oooh’ spread around the kitchen, as fluffy noodles of potato fell into the bowl below. Everyone wanted a turn.
Everyone who used the ricer was delighted by the effortless mechanism. Bringing the large, comfy handles together is so easy and satisfying – far easier than a stick masher or the metal ricer I’d used before. Once you get into a rhythm, you can rice a whole pot of potatoes in no time at all, and with barely any effort required.
This ricer also has fewer nooks and crannies for potato to hide in than a traditional model, making it much easier to clean. It’s even dishwasher safe. My only gripe is that it’s too big to fit in my utensil drawer, so it has to live in a cupboard. That’s fine with me, seeing as I won’t be reaching for it every day (unless I’m having a particularly trying week).
As for the resulting mash, once I stirred in milk, butter and seasoning, that pile of potato ‘rice’ transformed into the smoothest, fluffiest mash ever.
I’ve written about kitchenware for years now, and I know how good Joseph Joseph is at designing innovative solutions for everyday problems. This product is no exception. With its unorthodox mechanism, this is a true upgrade, not just on a traditional stick masher, but on the potato ricers I’ve used, too.
So, is this potato ricer worth it?
When you use a traditional stick masher, it’s easy to overwork the potatoes in the pursuit of the perfect silky results. This releases too much starch, resulting in an unappetising gluey texture. So not only is a ricer quicker and easier, it also makes mash that’s as light as air every time.
If you’re not a big mash fiend, or you’re particularly low on kitchen storage space, a potato ricer may not be something you need. However, I can’t overstate how much a ricer improves the texture of mash, while saving time and effort too. You can also use it to puree other veg like carrots, cauliflower or sweet potatoes, and it's very handy for making dishes like gnocchi.
So if you're going to invest in a ricer, make it the Joseph Joseph – because I'm certainly never going back. My mash is smoother and lighter, my arms are less tired and I can make a comforting dish in no time. Not bad for £20.
The Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer is available to shop from Amazon, Dunelm and Lakeland.
Jasmine is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. With a background in design, she is committed to sorting the good products from the great –and helping Good Housekeeping readers do the same.
Throughout her career, Jasmine has written extensively about product quality, craftsmanship and sustainability, and is passionate about consumer rights. She previously worked as a writer and researcher at the product longevity platform Buy Me Once.
If she isn’t reviewing the latest gadgets for your home, you can probably find Jasmine cooking elaborate meals or crafting something weird and wonderful!
