Betty Crocker Instant Mashed Potatoes Review and Giveaway

I love mashed potatoes, but with all these late soccer practices and dance classes I don't always have the time to peel, chop and boil potatoes -- heck, sometimes I decide to served mashed potatoes 5 minutes before dinnertime! Everyone has those rush-around-like-a-chicken-without-a-head kind of days once in a while, and that's why I like to have little "kitchen elves" in my pantry -- no, not the ones who work at night and take your newborn baby as payment, I'm talking about easy-to-prepare side dishes like Betty Crocker’s® Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes. I recently received a couple of boxes of Betty Crocker’s® Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes. from Betty Crocker and My Blog Spark, and I'm more than happy to add them to my pantry!


The Basics
Here's some information about the product:

To find a delicious side dish that’s easy to prepare and tastes homemade, look no further than Betty Crocker’s® Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes, which are made with 100% real potatoes.
With a just-like-mom’s taste, Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes go from stovetop to table in just eight short minutes. Based on a scratch recipe, the Homestyle Creamy Butter variety will have your family thinking you spent hours in the kitchen the next time you serve up a hearty helping. If you prefer an extra kick of flavor, give the Roasted Garlic variety a try. And with two pouches in every box there’s plenty to go around.

Be sure to try the Au Gratin flavor variety, too! For more information, visit BettyCrocker.com, and be sure to follow Betty Crocker on Twitter and “Like” the Betty Crocker Facebook page to keep up with all of the latest news on your Betty Crocker favorites!


The Bongga
First and foremost, Betty Crocker’s® Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes taste great -- my family loves it! Also, I love that these instant mashed potatoes are made of 100% real cooked and dried potatoes. All you do is add hot water, milk and butter. You can even control the amount of milk and butter you put in so you can watch your fat and salt intake. Finally, I love the convenience -- with our quick-boiling kettle, we can have hot mashed potatoes in less than 5 minutes! Betty Crocker’s® Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes are great for recipes like shepherd's pie or croquettes. Here's a good one: double the amount of water you put into the mashed potatoes, then add some creamed corn and chunks of cooked bacon -- voila, you have a delicious potato-corn chowder!


The Blah
Yes, these do contain 100% real potatoes, but they also contain other stuff that don't really belong in mashed potatoes! I'm not happy to see ingredients like corn syrup and monosodium glutamate in a box of instant mashed potatoes, and I'm not even going to get into other stuff like artificial coloring. I realize they do it to improve taste, and I still appreciate the convenience, so I still keep it on hand, but it's not something I'd use every single time I want mashed potatoes. Here's hoping Betty Crocker can come up with a more natural line of instant mashed potatoes -- maybe people can add their own flavorings?


The Bottom Line
Betty Crocker Instant Mashed Potatoes are a convenient option to keep on hand for those last-minute dinners.


Save $0.55 off a packaged of Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes
Click here to print out a coupon for $0.55 off one package of Betty Crocker Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes.


Win a Betty Crocker Prize Pack
One lucky Bonggamom Finds winner will receive a Betty Crocker Prize Pack consisting of:

* One box of Betty Crocker Boxed Roasted Garlic Instant Mashed Potatoes
* One box of Betty Crocker Boxed Homestyle Creamy Butter Instant Mashed Potatoes,
* One serving bowl
* One trivet
* One serving spoon




Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me which busy day of the week you are most likely to love the convenience of Betty Crocker Instant Mashed Potatoes. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.


Extra Entries
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Win a @bettycrocker prize pack on @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/27r2xgv #giveaways #myblogspark

6) Join any of the giveaways currently running on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry for each giveaway you've joined).

7) Write on the Betty Crocker's Facebook Page and tell them you've joined the giveaway on Bonggamom Finds.


The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on November 22 , 2010; I will draw a winner at random on November 23 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. US addresses only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received sample product, prize pack, information and the additional prize pack to give away from Betty Crocker through MyBlogSpark. I did not receive monetary compensation for this post. Product information is provided by the Betty Crocker and MyBlogSpark and is clearly indicated as such. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.