Smash hit: is potato milk the ultimate vegan op... - Thyroid UK

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Smash hit: is potato milk the ultimate vegan option?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator
46 Replies

There have been many non-dairy milk alternatives - oat, soy, coconut, cashew, hemp, banana, …

Now we have yet another option:

Smash hit: is potato milk the ultimate vegan option?

It’s white, milky, better for the planet – and even works in a cappuccino

theguardian.com/food/2021/j...

Do bear in mind that the Guardian's Pass Notes section is intended to be well-laced with humour. :-) Nevertheless, it is a real thing and there is an outside possibility someone might choose to try it.

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helvella profile image
helvella
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46 Replies
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

They peel them with their metal knives

🤣

Remember that?

You shouldn't have said "smash" 🤣

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSeasideSusie

As in this:

youtu.be/LNjIU4n_NKI

And Yeoman, etc.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply tohelvella

Blast from the past. I don't remember all of them.

Can you still get it or is it frozen mash now?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSeasideSusie

Tesco website shows:

Idahoan

Tesco

Smash

Stockwell & Co (Tesco)

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply tohelvella

Crikey, I'm surprised.

Zephyrbear profile image
Zephyrbear in reply toSeasideSusie

You can still get Smash, but I don’t know what they’ve done to it… it’s powdery and rubbery at the same time, tasteless and a horrible texture now. No matter how much butter or milk (or even a dollop of mayonnaise that used to work a treat) you add, you can’t make it tasty on its own anymore… I’ve definitely gone back to peeling the brown things🥔with a metal knife, boiling them for 20 minutes or so and then smashing them to bits!😂🤣😂

Ellie-Louise profile image
Ellie-Louise in reply toZephyrbear

Murderer, and I bet you beat eggs up too! 😂

Zephyrbear profile image
Zephyrbear in reply toEllie-Louise

Indeedy I do and sometimes I’ll mix the smashed potatoes with other things like shredded vegetables of various kinds and dip them in the beaten eggs before rolling them in slices of bread that have been reduced to crumbs in a food processor and then frying them in cream that’s been whipped into butter! Cooking really is quite a sadistic hobby when you think of it, eh? 😏

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tohelvella

Thanks for the memories :) i only remember them in black and white , and we weren't allowed to buy Smash ,....

I wonder if it's sacrilege for tattybogles to eat space potatoes ?

..... maybe i''ll buy some and find out what all the fuss was about.

But i think i'll 'pass' on the tattie-juice cappuccino....yeurgh

LindaC profile image
LindaC in reply toSeasideSusie

The little one lying on his back, laughing!

youtube.com/watch?v=TBRCZLz...

Jacs profile image
Jacs

😂 this thread did make me smile

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree

Ooh, I did think about it for a few minutes. I'd possibly consider trying it, could be useful in savory dishes maybe? Though it depends on what the other ingredients are?

Then I read the article and it's essentially reconstituted dried potato whizzed up with rapeseed oil!? Hhhhhm I think I'll give that one a miss......

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toHedgeree

My mind went down this path:

How do you make butter? Churn milk. OK - make some potato butter from potato milk.

How do you make cheese? Add rennet to milk. Drain and salt. (Then mature for hard cheeses.) OK - make some potato cheese from potato milk.

Now cook some potatoes and mash, adding some potato milk and butter to get a nice creamy consistency. Then add grated potato cheese and bake.

Vegan potato cheesey mash! :-)

I'm not convinced it will taste as good as the real thing. :-(

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply tohelvella

Ha ha yes...potato overload!

Though I wonder if potato cheese will 'melt' when it's baked?

Yes I think the real thing would probably taste better...

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54

Why would you want to put starch in your coffee? Beggars belief what lengths people will go to to kid themselves. I tried dairy free for about 6 months. It was utterly crap.

But as for Smash, it was so useful on camping holidays back when all we had was a low powered 2 ring Calor Gas burner. Haven't had it for years now though.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toFancyPants54

Why would you want to put starch in your coffee?

From a strictly personal point of view, why would you want to put anything (other than water, of course) in coffee? :-)

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tohelvella

because i like brandy in it

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply totattybogle

Now you are talking! 😜

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply totattybogle

I'd rather have them separately!

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply tohelvella

yes well... you're probly more 'couth' than i am.. you could always out some poteen in .. you can make that out of spuds :)

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply tohelvella

That was indeed the only real option when I tried dairy free. Coffee is OK that way, but tea isn't right. I tried nut milks. They are grainy and sink. I love milk. I used to dip a mug into the churn and drink it straight from the cow. I was never going to like life without it. Also, it didn't help anything so I went back to it. Life without cheese, milk, butter and cream is very unfulfilling to me.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply toFancyPants54

I've eaten 'plant based' for quite a long time and I do remember the awful tasting soya milks that I attempted to drink; they were grainy and horrible. Same with vegan cheese, wierd grainy powdery texture, again terrible stuff.

I don't use soya now but do occasionally have coconut milk which I have used in coffee and it works really well in cappucinos. Unfortunately I rarely drink coffee as I react to it (makes me very hyper!) so it's a rare thing; haven't had any this year.

Due to the increased interest in veganism over the last few years, alternative milk products have improved massively. Same with the vegan cheese, some even melt really well when toasted. Though it is still 'junk food' good for the occasional treat though?

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply toHedgeree

A vegan friend of mine says there are 3 things a vegan cheese needs. To melt, to taste good and not to cost mortgageable amounts to buy.

Not sure about since the pandemic, but not long before it she still had only ever managed to find a cheese that met 2 of the points, never all 3.

Coconut milk is the one I used most, or oat milk, when dairy free. But it still seems to sink, especially in tea.

Workingitout profile image
Workingitout

Would have to be sweet potato milk for me as I avoid nightshades with my thyroid related low stomach acid, and not sure I like the sound of that! But as I also find I need to avoid caffeine and only drink herbal tea there's not much need for milk. If I need some I put ground almonds in a small jar with some water and shake it and strain off the liquid - voila, almond milk! Lovely to have the blast from the past with those smash guys, made me think of the 'Ready Brek central heating for kids' advert too for some reason?!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toWorkingitout

Shame that almonds seem to have a huge environmental impact... :-(

Fighterb12 profile image
Fighterb12 in reply tohelvella

There are other nuts ,tiger nuts would be amazing.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toFighterb12

There are other nuts. Tiger nuts are amazing and have long been used both to make drinks and as food.

But tiger nuts are not nuts. They are tubers.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply tohelvella

I totally agree, tigernuts are lovely! There used to be a breakfast cereal made from tigernuts but I can't remember what it was called?

Batty1 profile image
Batty1

Eww

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toBatty1

Sheeps' milk?

Batty1 profile image
Batty1 in reply tohelvella

I don’t drink milk. I usually do almond or coconut milk definitely wouldn’t even think to drink potato milk.

serenfach profile image
serenfach

I am really cruel - I dunk them in very hot oil!

I wish they would not call it milk though. Milk is an opaque white fluid rich in fat and protein, secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of their young. All the veg "milks" are not milk. Maybe if they said "squished "whatever" with lots of additives to make it liquid" it would be more truthful, but maybe not a selling point.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toserenfach

I think you'll find the actual products avoid the word "milk" - just the rest of us can't always think of the permitted descriptions. :-)

Good morning helvella this is something that really interests me and especially as we had similar conversations on VFL HU's Vegan community.

Here's the manufacturer of this potato milk Dug so its a great name please see:

dugdrinks.com

And here's another article explaining how it's made as milk is 87% water and all scientists are doing is mimicking how nature makes milk, so potato extract is blended to rapeseed oil using an emulsifier. (Emulsifiers are used to bind fat with water as in mayo)

thevegankind.com/news/2021-...

I'm on the look out for it and would love to hear reviews as I bet doesn't taste of potato.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply to

Just in case anyone wishes to compare

DUG UNSWEETENED INGREDIENTS: Water, Potato (9 %), Rapeseed Oil, Pea Protein, Acidity Regulator (Di-and Mono-Sodium Phosphate), Calcium Carbonate, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Natural Flavour, Vitamins (D, Riboflavin, B12, Folic Acid).,

Nutritional information per 100 ml:

Energy: 163 kJ/39 kcal

Fat: 3.0 g of which saturates: 0.2 g

Carbohydrates: 1.3 g of which sugars: 0.1 g

Dietary Fibre: 0.1 g

Protein: 1.3 g

Salt: 0.11 g

Calcium: 120 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitman D: 0.75 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Riboflavin: 0.21 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitamin B12: 0.38 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Folic Acid: 30 μg (15 % of DRI*)

*DRI = Daily reference intake

DUG BARISTA INGREDIENTS: Water, Potato (9 %), Rapeseed Oil, Maltodextrin, Pea Protein, Chicory (Vegetable) Fibre, Fructose, Sucrose, Acidity Regulator (Di-and Mono-Sodium Phosphate), Calcium Carbonate, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Natural Flavour, Vitamins (D, Riboflavin, B12, Folic Acid).,

Nutritional information per 100 ml:

Energy: 222 Kj/53 kcal

Fat: 3.0 g of which saturates 0.2 g

Carbohydrates: 4.8 g of which sugars 1.8 g

Dietary Fibre: 1.1 g

Protein: 1.3 g

Salt: 0.11 g

Calcium: 120 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitman D: 0.75 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Riboflavin: 0.21 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitamin B12: 0.38 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Folic Acid: 30 μg (15 % of DRI*)

*DRI = Daily reference intake

DUG ORIGINAL INGREDIENTS: Water, Potato (6 %), Maltodextrin, Pea Protein, Chicory (Vegetable) Fibre, Rapeseed Oil, Fructose, Sucrose, Acidity Regulator (Di-and Mono-Sodium Phosphate), Calcium Carbonate, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Natural Flavour, Vitamins (D, Riboflavin, B12, Folic Acid).

Nutritional information per 100 ml:

Energy: 163 kJ/39 kcal

Fat: 1.5 g of which saturates: 0.1 g

Carbohydrates: 4.4 g of which sugars: 1.8 g

Dietary Fibre: 1.1 g

Protein: 1.3 g

Salt: 0.1 g

Calcium: 120 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitman D: 0.75 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Riboflavin: 0.21 mg (15 % of DRI*)

Vitamin B12: 0.38 μg (15 % of DRI*)

Folic Acid: 30 μg (15 % of DRI*)

*DRI = Daily reference intake

Whole milk per 100ml

Energy (kcal) 65

Energy (kJ) 273

Protein (g) 3.5

Carbohydrate (g) 4.7

Total sugars (g) 4.7

Fat (g) 3.7

of which saturates 2.4

monounsaturates 1.0

polyunsaturates 0.1

trans fatty acids 0.1

Fibre (g) 0.0

Thiamin (mg) 0.03

Riboflavin (mg) 0.24

Niacin (mg) 0.2

Niacin from Tryptophan (mg) 0.6

Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.06

Vitamin B12 (μg) 0.9

Folate (μg) 8

Pantothenate (mg) 0.60

Biotin (μg) 2.6

Vitamin C (mg) 2

Retinol (μg) 37

Carotene (μg) 14

Vitamin D (μg) Tr

Vitamin E (mg) 0.06

Sodium (mg) 43

Potassium (mg) 162

Calcium (mg) 124

Magnesium (mg) 11

Phosphorus (mg) 99

Iron (mg) 0.03

Copper (mg) Tr

Zinc (mg) 0.5

Chloride (mg) 92

Manganese (mg) Tr

Selenium (μg) 1

Iodine (μg) 32

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply tohelvella

Eew, no ta 😝 I'll stick to my milk from a cow and boil, mash, roast, bake or chip my plain old tatties 😊

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSeasideSusie

Good from goats and sheep as well! :-) And buffalo.

in reply tohelvella

I drink organic whole milk and have it delivered in bottles and eat whole foods, I just think the science is fascinating but Mother Nature is the best chemist.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to

I have organic whole milk but no deliveries where I live unfortunately, would love to have it in bottles.

in reply toSeasideSusie

The milk rounds are re appearing because of demand as things have changed so much shopping wise since COVID.

So I hope that you can get milk delivered soon as I have bottles of orange and local free range eggs, the only thing is he leaves me a bill every month.

This photo shows that I am retro and was ready for milk deliveries...

Retro milk bottle.
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to

Unfortunately they wont here, too many properties are up the mountainside, getting furniture and white goods delivered is a big problem, but the postmen are fit!

Houses up the rock
in reply toSeasideSusie

Hey that’s a really fantastic home with a view SeasideSusie so I’m very pleased for you and it’s worth compromising with a fabulous view like yours.

You live up to your name. 😊

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to

I don't live up there, couldn't make it with my dodgy lungs. I've been up there and higher but can't do it now. I live on the flat opposite the beach and still have the most wonderful views of the mountains and the estuary. The picture was really to show you how difficult it would be for milk doorstep deliveries.

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree in reply tohelvella

I know from past experience of drinking (or tasting) alternative 'milks' or drinks that if they contained rapeseed oil I really didn't enjoy the texture or mouth feel (I think that's what it's referred to?)

Also I have a problem with sulphites so I avoid rapeseed oil as it naturally contains sulphites.

Interesting to read the ingredient list; though mostly water? More potato in the barista version....

Fighterb12 profile image
Fighterb12

Not looking at the ingredients and low amounts of useful stuff .

Best to stick to nut milks with simple ingredients for more tasty nutrition and Less bad fillers.

Make sure to get your B12 and vit D daily .

Fighterb12 profile image
Fighterb12

🖖🏼

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