My mother in law is well-acquainted with my lack of culinary skills. While I see it is an unwillingness, she views it is an inability that merely needs to be corrected. So tonight, after I complimented her on the mashed potatoes she was making, she called me over to see how it was done. Assuming I knew the basics, she showed me the butter and the milk she was mixing in, and concluded her instructions.
Then, as I stared down into the blantantly smooth, white potatoes, I asked stupidly, “So do you peel the potatoes first?”
She looked at me blankly. “Yes,” she replied slowly, answering what had to have been the most obvious question ever. Realizing what she was working with here, she restarted her instructions.
“First you peel the potatoes, and then you cube them. Then you boil them until they are soft, and then you mash them with the beaters, adding butter and milk.”
She then paused, and after a moment added, “Before you mash the potatoes, you need to drain the water out of the pot.”
I think she thinks I’m a moron.