How to easily minimize waste using a potato smasher? I have a new tool. At Walmart they didn't seem to have the kind of potato masher I'm used to, so I bought this thing.



(The can of soup is there for size reference.§) From a young age I'm used to the tool with a long stiff steel wire extending out of the handle about 3", zig-zagging on itself several times in a flat plane, then returning back to the handle. Since that thing mashed, and this thing smashes, I call it a potato smasher.

I had not yet cleaned up, so you can see some mashed potato in a few of the holes. Therein lies my problem. As I smashed the boiled potatos, potato would extrude through all the holes.  It was easy to remove potato from top and bottom for multiple mashes -- just wipe it off with a fork.  But with 24 little holes, I did not know how to efficiently remove the contents of the holes and return it to the smashing bowl when done.  Is there an easy way to remove potato from all the holes without waste?

In the end, after I was done smashing, I cheated. Using my mouth, I just sucked out as much potato as I could. It was good! Even with my big mouth, I could not get it all, though.

§ I lied, sort of.  The can is also there because that was our gravy.  We lacked normal gravy ingredients, so I got some help from Necessity's kid. Using heated split pea soup as gravy ended up tasting great. More vegetables, plus the ham in the soup provided a bit of meat. (I'm not pushing the Progresso brand; it is just what we happened to have.)
There is no need to remove potato from the holes on each stroke, which appears to be what you are describing doing. Just pick it up and smash it down on some un-smashed potatoes until there are no more of those. The potato already smashed through the holes will eventually fall back into the pot during this process.

Then, when done smashing, turn the tool sideways, knock it on the rim of the pot to dislodge most of the potato on it, and use a rubber spatula to scrape off what's left.

Or expand your shopping beyond wal-mart - I'd bet $20 I can find a wire-type masher at a thrift store nearby, probably for $1 or $2 at most, and certainly by using the same technology you use to post your question you can have one shipped to your house for a bit more money, if this type offends you. You can also mash them with a hand or stand mixer. Or, indeed, a fork.