I like to mash potatoes right in the cooking pot, and my old wire masher scratched up my old Le Creuset pot pretty badly. So when I replaced the pot, I got this masher, which has a silicone coating. The first time I tried it, I was amazed at how quickly and easily it mashed the potatoes. I think I was done mashing in less than a minute. And no scratches on my shiny new pot, either.