h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Now I want to eat some!

I don't eat it at home, but it's well-used on summer caving expeditions, where we camp on a mountain, and dried food is far easier to carry in to the campsite.

Above ground, it gets used as a relatively tasteless 'universal thickener' for soups and sauces, and also for one of the breakfast/lunch staples of Smashburgers - patties made from Smash, water, and a little egg, floured and shallow fried - sometimes plain (usualyy with ketchup, etc), sometimes with bits of cheese inside.

For a deep camp underground, where cooking is often a one-pan affair over small alcohol or gas stoves, where fuel is at a premium, and where people don't feel like any kind of elaborate cooking after a ~12hr day of exploration, Smash is possibly the most common meal, and certainly one of the most popular ones - made a little on the damp side, and with added cheese, tinned fish (with oil included) +/or chunks of salami, depending on the presence of vegetarians.
Really tasty, and fairly hard to mess up even with a primitive stove and people half awake and/or wired and distracted after a day's exploration.

Even for general cooking, the thickener use is definitely a good one - for soups, etc, it's much better than flour, and can give that long-simmered-potato taste and texture in very short order

yum yum ,
does any old dried potato mix do, or does it have to be "Smash"?.
Last time (approx 10 years) I chose the cheapest packet, ( not smash) and couldn't eat it, even with added butter.
So I'll definitely get some in for soup thickening, in a hurry, thanks for the tips (is this advertising? by the way?) Hmmmm.
OOHTM

Thanks all

I probably should have mentioned its uses for campers/explorers, so thanks for that, Potholer

Advertising? Not intentionally - I hope it reads as balanced and impartial - and I do mention alternatives.

Icy

we only ever use it when we're camping (my just rolls his eyes.

However there is one German brand we tried, which is quite expensive, which really does taste of potato. Although since I never remember which one it is, we usually end up with the one that tastes of nothing with the texture, no matter how much water you put in it, of walpaper paste. Yuk.

I must admit to having a carton of Smash in the cupboard at all times, and using it regularly.

I'm out all day and I'm only cooking for myself, so I can't be bothered with all that peeling and boiling. About once a week I do quorn sausage in a thick onion gravy - after a quick browning of the onion and sausages I throw them in a casserole dish in some low-salt Bisto and go and have my shower. When I'm out I put on some broccoli to steam and boil the kettle for the Smash. Covered in (really oniony) gravy it's absolutely fine, as long as you're not actually expecting real potatoes. The main thing is it's quick, easy, I don't have to stand over it and it fills me up.

Deb