10 Best Potato Mashers and Ricers for Every Holiday Feast

Potato mashers may seem like kitschy, one-use products, but they're actually the secret to making soft, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes that aren't sticky. Some can double as a meat tenderizer and pound chicken cutlets to make mouth-watering chicken breasts and can mix up egg salad, guacamole, hummus, baby food, pie fillings, refried beans and anything else you might reach for a fork for.

Do you need a masher? "Their large heads and long handles make them easier and faster to use than a fork," says Nicole Papantoniou, Senior Testing Editor of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances Lab. "They also help prevent overworking your potatoes, like a food processor or mixer would, which causes potatoes to get gummy."

In the Good Housekeeping Institute, our experts test hundreds of kitchen products a year, from chef's knives to meat thermometers and hundreds of other kitchen gadgets. We leaned on our expertise and hundreds of hours of categorical testing to round up the best potato mashers you can buy. Though we haven't formally tested potato mashers in the Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab, our experts weighed in on what makes a great masher, considering things from each masher's construction to its ease of cleaning and special features to make mashing any number of foods easier.

• Best Overall Potato Masher: Zyliss Stainless Steel Potato Masher
• Best Value Potato Masher: Mainstays Stainless Steel Masher
• Best Single-Wire Potato Masher: OXO Stainless Steel Good Grips Potato Masher
• Best Potato Ricer: Chef'n FreshForce Potato Ricer Press
• Best Potato Masher for Easy Storage: Prepara Stainless Steel Potato Masher
• Best Potato Masher for Nonstick Pans: OXO Good Grips Nylon Potato Masher
• Potato Masher Accessory Hand Blender: Philips Kitchen Appliances Potato Masher Accessory
• Best Potato Masher for Weak Hands: OXO Good Grips Smooth Potato Masher
• Best Potato Masher for Kids: ShanaSana Heavy Duty Potato Masher
• Most Stylish Potato Masher: KitchenAid Gourmet Stainless Steel Wire Masher

What's the difference between a potato masher and a ricer?

• Potato mashers are handheld tools that are used to press and mash potatoes manually. The heads vary: Pick from perforated or tined designs for a finer and smoother consistency, or single-wire, which makes a more coarse, rustic mash.

• Ricers use a plunger to push the cooked potato through holes in a perforated basket (think giant garlic press). They produce a fluffy mash, which means airier mashed potatoes – just don't overmix and you'll get a very smooth, even consistency.