Are Culver's Mashed Potatoes Actually Real?
Fast food chains are notorious for cutting corners when it comes to ingredients, substituting the original high-quality ones with cheaper products down the line in order to maximize profits. Sometimes it's hard not to wonder if a dish is exactly as advertised.
Fortunately, in the case of Culver's mashed potatoes, you can rest assured that they start with actual spuds. Culver's website says, "Our Mashed Potatoes and Gravy are the real deal — made from Russet potatoes, milk and seasonings, mashed 'til perfectly light and fluffy, and dripping with savory home-style gravy."
That means the mashed potatoes you ordered with that fried cod meal (which is also used in the Midwest chain's high-quality fast food fish sandwiches) are going to taste as homey as you're hoping they will. In Culver's case, you're not getting a dark brown gravy, but rather a chicken-based one with a lighter hue to it. The Wisconsin-based frozen custard specialist discontinued serving its brown gravy, which means this side dish has a milder, savory taste when compared to some other fast food mashed potatoes.
According to reviews, Culver's mashed potatoes aren't everyone's favorite
Unfortunately, not all mashed potatoes and gravy are considered equal, and Culver's isn't on everyone's list of chain restaurants that serve the best mashed potatoes. Part of this unfortunate take has to do with the potatoes themselves, including aspects like their texture. In a Reddit thread about Culver's mash and gravy, one user lamented, "I remember them being decent a year or so ago, and then I got an order that was the consistency of applesauce. I could literally pour them straight out of the cup and couldn't eat them with a fork."
Another user didn't mince words, saying, "The last time I had them, the only way I could describe them was: they taste the way an antique store smells." Ouch. At least they're made with real russets, the best type of potatoes for fluffy mashed potatoes. Even though Culver's uses homestyle ingredients, it does sound like its cooking technique, at least, could use some extra refining.