The humble potato is one of the most versatile ingredients to have on hand in your kitchen.

It might not look like much to start with, but it can quickly be transformed into a delicious dish by boiling, baking, frying or mashing, depending on what you fancy. Mashed potato is an all-time favourite as it’s quick and easy to make, and can be enhanced by things like cheese, chives, bacon, garlic, gravy, or just butter. But no matter how you choose to flavour your potatoes, you’ve got to get the cooking right first to nail that fluffy texture.

You may think simply throwing potatoes into a pan with some water and heating it up is the way to make mashed potatoes, but there is one important step to do first to create wonderfully fluffy mash.

Cooking experts say soaking potatoes in cold water before they are cooked is the key to a light and fluffy texture, as it helps to remove excess starch which prevents the potatoes from becoming sticky or mushy once cooked.

Potato experts at Potato Goodness explain: “Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

“Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes. Potatoes can be peeled, prepped and cut into water up to two days before boiling for mash.

“To ensure even more starch is out of the way, it’s recommended that they are quickly rinsed after boiling. We recommend using hot water for this step, whereas before cooking, you will use cold water.

Food experts recommend soaking cut and peeled potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes before cooking, but you can leave them longer, and this will result in fluffier mash every time.

Simply Recipes says: “You soak the potatoes in iced water before they are cooked. This eliminates much of the starches in the potatoes, resulting in a super light and fluffy mash.

“Fill a large bowl with cold water and a handful of ice. Add the peeled potatoes to the water and let them sit for at least 30 minutes, though one hour is ideal. Then carefully remove the potatoes with your hands or a spider strainer so that the starches pooled in the bottom of the bowl aren't disturbed.

“Boil the potatoes until they are tender, proceed with your favorite mashed potato recipe, and you'll notice that they are way fluffier than when you made them without soaking.”