• Emulsifier (palm oil monoglyceride) - People who avoid palm oil will not be happy about this ingredient, however there is a very small amount. Palm oil monoglyceride means that the monoglyceride in palm oil has been extracted to become an emulsifier which helps oil and water stay together in the product.
• Stabiliser (pyro-phosphates) - Pyro-phosphates are the salt of pyrophosphoric acid.
• Preservative (sodium bisulphite) - This is an inorganic salt which prevents discolouration and inhibits bacterial growth.
• Acidity regulator (citric acid) - This is ordinary old citric acid which is a common preservative in processed foods.
My recommendations
I think the most distressing thing about this product is that you don't actually cook it. The instructions tell you to combine with boiling water, cold milk, butter and salt and give it a gentle stir, then you're done!
Call me old-fashioned but I like to think my mashed potato is cooked before I eat it.
However, there isn't much wrong with this product as 99 per cent of it is actually potato so it could be a lot worse.
What additives it does have are in very small quantities making up the last 1 per cent. It tasted and felt just like mashed potato and was actually quite enjoyable to eat.
I would rather see a child come home from school and mix up a bowl of this with a bit of grated cheese and maybe some chopped tomato and onion added than the chemical cocktails that are instant noodles. They'd still get a filling carbohydrate meal but much less of an additive load.
And if you have an aversion to peeling potatoes and cooking them or you are going camping - why not use this instead? It also makes an awful lot of mashed potato for $1.99. It does have a little more fat than a fresh potato would at 3.6g per 100g compared to 2.23g for 100g of fresh potato, and that does include the butter you add when mixing it up.
Highlights
• 99% dried potato.
• Very economical way to make mashed potato.
• Tastes just like the real thing.
