For many, mashed potatoes are more than just a simple side—they’re a nostalgic, comforting dish that brings people together at the dinner table. But what if your usual method is holding you back from creating the best mashed potatoes possible? A viral TikTok hack suggests that the secret to elevating this classic dish lies not in how you mash them, but in what you boil them in.

Comedian Jourdyn Parks, also known as @jeauxp on TikTok, has food lovers rethinking their approach with her game-changing mashed potato technique. Instead of boiling potatoes in plain water, she recommends using stock to infuse them with rich flavor from the start.

“I know you can boil your potatoes in water,” Parks explained to BuzzFeed after her hack gained popularity in 2021. “In fact, it’s probably the most common way. I just can’t figure out why you’d choose to when stock and broth are options.”

The method is simple yet transformative. Parks begins by washing her potatoes and rubbing them with avocado oil. She prefers to leave the skins on for added texture, but peeling them is an option. She then cuts the potatoes in half and places them in a pot with a cup of water, a pinch of sea salt, and enough stock—whether chicken, beef, or vegetable—to fully cover them.