TikTok’s Favorite Potato Ricer Is My Secret to Perfect Mashed Potatoes

A masher is a useful kitchen tool for anyone who needs to pulverize bananas for banana bread, smash avocados for guacamole, or thicken a pot of stewed beans. But oddly enough, if I’m trying to achieve a silky smooth mashed potato, I turn to a ricer instead. The trick to velvety potatoes is to avoid overworking them, which makes them gummy and heavy. A potato ricer lets you press once to pulverize them, resulting in a light and creamy, restaurant-worthy mash.

And though it might seem that a ricer feels like a one-trick pony, it’s more versatile than I first expected. I find myself using it to grate potatoes for gnocchi, make cauliflower rice, squeeze water from spinach, and even to smash fruit for sauces. Now that I’ve found this tool for making the perfect potatoes, I will keep my masher on standby for chunky guacamole and frijoles charros instead.

Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer

$22 at Amazon $22 at Williams Sonoma

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when I first saw this potato ricer go viral on TikTok. The shocked faces and dramatic reactions felt over the top, that is, until I got one into my own hands and tried it myself. When Joseph Joseph Helix Potato Ricer arrived, I happened to have a glut of boiled baby potatoes languishing in the fridge and wanted to mash them as a side dish to Swedish meatballs. I warmed the cooked potatoes in the microwave, then placed them whole—skins and all—into the basket of the ricer. It’s fairly intuitive to use as red dots line up to help guide the top handle into place. From there, it’s a simple lateral squeeze, the same way one would use garden shears. I find this motion much easier than the vertical squeeze of a traditional ricer, likely because you can rely on the strength of your arms versus the wrists. I finished ricing my potatoes in minutes, and the fully seasoned mashed potatoes were ready to eat just moments later. 

The two-piece design of the Joseph Joseph Helix is what makes it exceptionally easy to use. Cooked potatoes go in the basket, the second piece sits on top and slides into a groove, and when the handles are pressed together, it uses a spiral (or “helix”) motion to force the potatoes through the metal screen. The result is a fluffy riced potato that you can gently mix with butter and cream to achieve a velvety smooth mash. I’ve used it with both peeled and unpeeled cooked potatoes, and the result is the same—uniform and light—and any bits of peel are easy to remove from the basket after pressing. 

My favorite thing about this potato ricer is its ergonomic design since I have strength issues with my wrists. The long handles and screw-like press provide plenty of leverage without a ton of force. Plus, the nylon construction is quite lightweight, weighing in at about one pound, significantly less than ricers made entirely out of metal. I also find it very easy to clean since it completely separates into two pieces that you can wash by hand or place in the dishwasher’s top rack. 

Other Potato Ricers to Consider

Of course, there are more potato ricers than the Joseph Joseph Helix model. We sent a batch of ricers to the Allrecipes Allstars—our dedicated team of trusted experts—for testing in their home kitchens.

Priority Chef Potato Ricer and Masher

$33 $25 at Amazon $26 at Walmart

If the nylon construction of the Joseph Joseph Helix isn’t your jam, this durable potato ricer from Priority Chef is made primarily of stainless steel with silicone handles for extra grip. The basket is generously sized for up to 15 ounces of potato or other soft vegetables, and features 3-millimeter holes, allowing for a fairly fine rice that you can use for mashing or making Norwegian lefse.

When Allstar Ramona Cruz-Peters was finished testing her potato ricers, she remarked that the Priority Chef model was the smoothest and easiest to use. “The performance was as desired, yielding uniform potato ricing without much mess,” she says. “The hopper holds at least a half of a large potato and fully rices it.” Ramona did need to do a bit of work to get this clean since none of the parts are removable. Thankfully, her kitchen faucet’s spray attachment helped clean out all the nooks and crannies.

Due to its metal construction, it weighs a bit more than the Joseph Joseph Helix but isn’t so heavy that your hands and arms will find it unwieldy. I love that it comes in a variety of color combinations, like rose gold with pink silicone, and gold with black silicone.

OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Adjustable Potato Ricer

$37 at Amazon $46 at Walmart $37 at Williams Sonoma

If you want more control over the consistency of your mash, this model by OXO is for you. A rotating disc lets you select a fine, medium, or coarse rice, giving it lots of versatility. Aside from prepping potatoes for homemade gnocchi or pureeing Thanksgiving yams, you can use the larger settings for making other dishes, like extruding dough for classic German spaetzle.

While Ramona isn’t a fan of the OXO’s ricer’s plastic construction, she found it easy to rotate between sizes and enjoyed the nonslip handles. Additionally, its overall versatility is a huge bonus. Ramona and I both appreciate the thoughtful design of a groove that lets it sit securely over a bowl or pan. 

Weighing in at just under 1.5 pounds, it's on the heavier side, but still light enough to maneuver without trouble. Even though it doesn’t completely disassemble, all of its pieces are dishwasher safe, which makes it super easy to clean. 

Chef’n Fresh Force Potato Ricer 14.75"

$48 at Amazon $50 $48 at Target $45 at Sur La Table

Another excellent option is this heavy-duty ricer by Chef’n, which consists of a stainless steel basket with a nylon housing. I like that it has a fairly deep basket that lets you fit half a large potato or cooked cauliflower florets for quick ricing. The dual-gear design allows for easier pressing without as much force which is helpful if you don’t have very strong hands. 

Unlike most potato ricers that have holes on the bottom of their hopper, this model’s holes are around the sides. This means it rices out, not down, which can lead to a mess if you’re not prepared for it. Our advice is to use this with a large mixing bowl. That said, it did rice uniformly when Ramona used it for potatoes.

This ricer does have a few downsides. One is that it is on the heavier side so it may be challenging for those with limited strength. Another is the price as it’s one of the most expensive ricers available. And, while the stainless basket is removable and all parts are top-rack dishwasher-safe, you’ll need an extra minute or two of cleaning time to get all the nooks and crannies—and that’s if nothing has outshot the bowl you riced into.

Zulay Kitchen Premium Large 15oz Potato Ricer

$32 at Amazon

Like the OXO model, this stainless steel potato ricer from Zulay offers more versatility than most other ricers by giving you control over texture. It comes with three interchangeable discs so you can choose from fine, medium, and coarse settings to suit your recipe.

Ramona found this easy enough to use, and the disks swap out quickly. Though perhaps, the disks are a bit too easy to swap out, since they repeatedly got stuck to the food during ricing, and came out when she opened the ricer. Repositioning the disk was easy, and they stayed in place when pressing. Even though you might get a little messy when using this, it’s very easy to clean after.

While it’s one of the heavier models on this list, Ramona deemed this the most comfortable, and she enjoyed its silicone handles, which made it easier to grip. It also has a silicone hanging hole for storage if a drawer isn’t feasible. This model is top-rack dishwasher-safe and is also backed by a lifetime warranty.

Why Take Our Word for It? 

Bernadette Machard de Gramont is a Los Angeles-based writer specializing in global food and wine content. After a two-year stint at the Williams-Sonoma Headquarters in San Francisco, she now researches and tests a variety of cookware, bakeware, wine tools, and other home and kitchen goods and interviews field experts for their insight.

Ramona Cruz-Peters is an Allstar, cookbook author, and editor-in-chief of Fab Everyday. She tested the potato ricers while making Copycat KFC Mashed Potatoes, Duchess Potatoes, Quick Blackberry Coulis, Gnocchi, and Spaghetti Ice Cream Sundae (Spaghetti-Eis).

Want to know more about the Allrecipes Allstars? Learn about their favorite recipes, kitchen hacks, and product picks.