Classic Potato Salad - Tastes Better From Scratch (2024)

FAQs

What not to do when making potato salad? ›

Yes, potato salad gets even better if left to sit overnight in the fridge. The flavors combine and the potatoes absorb more of the seasoning/dressing, making for a more flavorful experience.

If you add the dressing too soon, especially with mayo-based recipes, they'll soak it all up, leaving you with a dry potato salad, or the coating will become oily, which changes the texture of the dish.

Yes, and PLEASE do, chilling your salad will only make it more flavorful! You can make the Potato salad 1 or 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I often make my potato salad the night before serving for best results.

Rinsing washes off some of the starch from the potatoes so that the potato chunks are more defined and easily coated with the dressing. Rinsing the potatoes in cold water also stops the cooking process so you know exactly what texture your potatoes will be and won't risk over-cooking.

How to Boil Potatoes for Potato Salad. Waxy potatoes can be cooked whole or cut, with or without the skin. Starchy potatoes should be cooked whole with the skin on, then peeled and cut after they're cooked. Select medium Russet potatoes, not large ones, to ensure the skin doesn't split while cooking.

In the bottom of a medium mixing bowl, grate 1/4 onion using a hand grater. Add mustard and mayonnaise, paprika and cayenne pepper sauce to the grated onion and stir to combine. Add potatoes to the bowl and stir to evenly distribute dressing. Season potato salad with salt and pepper and taste to adjust your seasonings.

It's actually the potatoes. Being a root vegetable, they sit in dirt for a long time and that dirt often harbors bacteria. When potato salad is served at warm events like picnics or barbecues, the heat can cause this bacteria to multiply, leading to the spoilage of the entire dish.

Solution: Brighten Up Your Seasonings

Use pickle juice, buttermilk, and additional vinegar to freshen up a heavy dressing. A squeeze of lemon never hurt, either.

The Vinegar Trick

In his recipe, López-Alt shares his secret for perfectly cooked potatoes every time: Adding vinegar to the water (specifically, 1 tablespoon of vinegar per 1 quart of water) prevents overcooking. This one tip has transformed potato salad for Kristina Razon, the Senior Food Editor at Kitchn.

Which type of potato is best for potato salad? ›

Waxy potatoes are generally considered the best for classic potato salad because they retain their shape, you don't have to peel them, and they have a smooth texture. People who prefer a creamy potato salad that soaks up dressing like a sponge, though, opt for a starchy potato.

Make Potato Salad Dressing: Combine egg yolks, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, a splash of pickle juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Combine: Pour dressing over the potatoes. Add chopped egg whites, celery, onion, and pickles. Stir well then cover and refrigerate for a few hours until ready to serve.

But the truth is, mayonnaise isn't your main concern when it comes to spoilage. The actual culprit is the potatoes. Yes, it's true! The humble, reliable potato is a hotbed for bacterial growth if improperly stored after cooking.

How To Prevent Potato Salad From Spoiling Too Quickly. Since the main cause of this dish's spoilage stems from soil bacteria left behind on the potatoes, it's a good idea to clean them thoroughly before putting them in.

Start with cold water, not boiling. According to Love Potatoes, dropping them into cold water instead of boiling water (and letting the potatoes and water heat up together) will prevent the outside from cooking faster than the inside.

Potato's starchy cells are bound by pectin, which acts as the glue that holds them together. As potatoes cook, their pectin starts to break down. Thus, the longer they're cooked, the more their pectin breaks down, causing potatoes to become mushy.