Almost every kitchen has one of those "old timey" potato mashers which Gramma used in the days before instant mashed or electric mixers. I still have mine and a few years ago, I broke the handle off yet another hamburger flipper. It was beginning to happen with alarming regularity.
I got out the potato masher and smushed my hamburgers down and used the edge to flip them over. There is no pressure on the handle since you are pushing straight down. They are just about the right size for a burger.
I use mine for this all the time, and haven't broken a spatula since I started using the potato masher for this purpose.
By Marty Dick from Houston, TX
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I use a potato masher to mash hard cooked eggs, avocados for guacamole, butter that is still to hard to use for baking cookies.
I had to make banana nut bread not too long ago, and did not have time to chop the walnuts. I grabbed the potato masher, and smashed the nuts in a hurry, and was very surprised to find out how good it worked.
While visiting my sister last week, she wanted to try a new recipe I brought along. It called for cutting/blending butter and flour.
I had nine boys to raise so frugal was very important in this home. One of the things we always use to hear is someone had a bigger piece of hamburger than another person, so one day I tried using my potato masher to mash the meat apart to see if it would help...
I have always used my potato masher to smash berries and/or other ripe fruits for making jams, jellies or butters. It makes the job go faster and finishes with more uniform 'chunks' with little to no mess.
