POTATO FLAKES

Dehydrated cooked potato, rolled into flakes. Add hot water or milk and they reconstitute into mash in a couple of minutes. They also work as a thickener and as a binder in cutlets and tikkis.

No preservative, no added colour and no flavouring. Dehydration is what preserves them.

Roughly three parts hot liquid to one part flakes, added gradually and stirred. Add less at first - you can always loosen it, but you cannot easily thicken it again.

Airtight and completely dry. Any moisture that gets in will cause them to clump and spoil.

For mash, binding and thickening, yes, and they keep far longer. For anything where you want the texture of a potato - roasting, frying, curry - use fresh.

Dehydrated potato contains no gluten of its own. It is handled on shared equipment, so tell us if you need a strictly gluten-free run.

No preservative, no added colour and no flavouring - dehydration is what preserves them, and nothing else is needed.