Salad: Potato Salad tricks
Subject: Potato Salad tricks
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 07:15:48 -0500
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I saw MN Bob's Miracle Whip Defense for Potato Salad in another thread. I remember eating potato salad at a friend's and it was really really good. She boils red-skin potatoes and peels and slices them while hot (or at least warm), then dumps some Wishbone Italian over them in a bowl until they're cool, then adds the rest of her ingredients and dressing - mayo-type. Something about that oil and vinegar dressing does a lot for the salad.
I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty, though.
From: Rhonda Anderson (schumacher11 at bigpond.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:28:42 GMT
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My sister makes a potato salad that has bacon, hard boiled eggs and mint in it. It's really good, and she is required to make it each Christmas <g>.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:49:40 -0500
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Rhonda Anderson wrote:
> My sister makes a potato salad that has bacon, hard boiled eggs and mint in
> it. It's really good, and she is required to make it each Christmas <g>.
Oh, jeez, Rhonda!! I thought you were my FRIEND! MINT in potato salad? With BACON? Lord, I'm going to need a burning permit for all the candles I'll be lighting. . . . buncha potato salad freaks. Gotta save their souls.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 21:56:27 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> Oh, jeez, Rhonda!! I thought you were my FRIEND! MINT in potato salad?
> With BACON? Lord, I'm going to need a burning permit for all the
> candles I'll be lighting. . . . buncha potato salad freaks. Gotta save
> their souls.
LOL! While you're at it, Barb, you better light yet another one for me. I hate hard-boiled eggs in potato salad. :-)
From: Rhonda Anderson (schumacher11 at bigpond.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 00:30:25 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Oh, jeez, Rhonda!! I thought you were my FRIEND! MINT in potato
> salad? With BACON? Lord, I'm going to need a burning permit for all
> the candles I'll be lighting. . . . buncha potato salad freaks. Gotta
> save their souls.
I am your friend. And as your friend I accept these apparent pyromanic tendencies, just as you'll need to accept my apparently abnormal potato salad leanings <g>.
Actually, I'm not a big potato salad eater. I've tried one or two, and really like this one my sister makes. It only gets made once or twice a year, though, and I leave it to my sister to do it for Christmas. Pretty much all the variations that have been mentioned here sound fine to me though.
From: Harry Demidavicius (Harry.d at shaw.ca)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 04:18:59 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Oh, jeez, Rhonda!! I thought you were my FRIEND! MINT in potato salad?
>With BACON? Lord, I'm going to need a burning permit for all the
>candles I'll be lighting. . . . buncha potato salad freaks. Gotta save
>their souls.
Dill Pickles? sauerkraut? Dill? Oil? onions?
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 12 Apr 2006 06:29:03 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Harry Demidavicius?
> Dill Pickles? sauerkraut? Dill? Oil? onions?
Good one, Harry!
From: Doug Kanter (ancientangler at hotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:35:12 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and
> discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some
> cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown
> and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty,
> though.
Try it with Newman's Caesar dressing (not creamy), instead of Wishbone. Nice!
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:48:27 -0500
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Doug Kanter wrote:
> Try it with Newman's Caesar dressing (not creamy), instead of Wishbone.
> Nice!
Might could do that since I'm out of Wishbone. <Barb scribbles Paul Newman on grocery list and hopes to remember why when she's at Cub>
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 21:55:26 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> Might could do that since I'm out of Wishbone. <Barb scribbles Paul
> Newman on grocery list and hopes to remember why when she's at Cub>
I guess I feel the same way about bottled dressings used for this purpose as you do about chicken broth. I would not want that favor in my potato salad.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 14:44:56 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and
> discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some
> cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown
> and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty,
> though.
I think it was in from an early edition of Joy of Cooking that I learned to generously sprinkle the hot potatoes with chicken broth and cider vinegar, and I've been doing it ever since. If I'm using them, this is also when I add celery seed, dried dillweed, or othe dried herbs.
From: Nathalie Chiva (Nathalie.Chiva.invalid at gmail.com.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 18:42:15 +0200
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Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>I think it was in from an early edition of Joy of Cooking that I learned to
>generously sprinkle the hot potatoes with chicken broth and cider vinegar,
>and I've been doing it ever since. If I'm using them, this is also when I
>add celery seed, dried dillweed, or othe dried herbs.
Yup. I dump the as-hot-as-possible, peeled and sliced potatoes in chicken broth, and leave them there till cool. Then I drain then and season (sometimes with a sour cream dressing, sometimes with a traditional French olive oil and vinegar dressing).
That technique makes for a very yummy and creamy salad, without having to douse the potatoes in dressing.
Nathalie in Switzerland
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:47:28 -0500
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Nathalie Chiva wrote:
> Yup. I dump the as-hot-as-possible, peeled and sliced potatoes in
> chicken broth, and leave them there till cool.
> Nathalie in Switzerland
Oh, Alex!!! Not you, too, Nathalie? Chicken broth?? No can do.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 21:54:07 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> Oh, Alex!!! Not you, too, Nathalie? Chicken broth?? No can do.
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, Barb, but I know you won't try it. <sigh>
From: Nathalie Chiva (Nathalie.Chiva.invalid at gmail.com.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:15:47 +0200
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Oh, Alex!!! Not you, too, Nathalie? Chicken broth?? No can do.
Just try it :-)
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:46:31 -0500
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Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> I think it was in from an early edition of Joy of Cooking that I learned to
> generously sprinkle the hot potatoes with chicken broth and cider vinegar,
> and I've been doing it ever since. If I'm using them, this is also when I
> add celery seed, dried dillweed, or othe dried herbs.
Chicken broth? Why do you want with chicken broth in your potato salad? That Rombauer broad was whacked out on this one. OTOH, I've never tried it. Have to plan to, either.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 21:48:59 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> Chicken broth? Why do you want with chicken broth in your potato salad?
> That Rombauer broad was whacked out on this one. OTOH, I've never
> tried it. Have to plan to, either.
Well, I like it. There are some other things that folks put in their potato salad that I can't fathom either, but someone must like it. :-)
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:44:14 -0500
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Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Well, I like it. There are some other things that folks put in their
> potato salad that I can't fathom either, but someone must like it. :-)
No doubt. But I just don't think I can bring myself to put chicken broth on spuds for potato salad. I can't get there, Wayne. Ain't diversity swell?
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 12 Apr 2006 06:09:08 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Melba's Jammin'?
> No doubt. But I just don't think I can bring myself to put chicken
> broth on spuds for potato salad. I can't get there, Wayne. Ain't
> diversity swell?
Understood. There are lots of things that each of us can't get our head around. For example, I can't stand hardboiled eggs in potato salad, while most others like it.
From: azazello at koroviev.de (Victor Sack)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 23:48:54 +0200
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Chicken broth? Why do you want with chicken broth in your potato salad?
Chicken or beef broth is fairly standard in some Bavarian, Franconian and Swabian potato salad versions. Vinegar, as well as pickles or chives are also present and the salad is usually served warm. Versions further north in Germany are often completely different, as they tend to be more complicated, contain mayo, and are served cold.
Bubba
From: Ward Abbott (presby at terian.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 13:17:14 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> She boils red-skin potatoes and peels and slices them while hot
>(or at least warm), then dumps some Wishbone Italian over them in a bowl
>until they're cool,
Barb...I discovered long ago that the texture of the potato is very important to me. Cooking a whole potato give you a mushy outside and the center of the potato is not the same consistency. So....I started peeling and dicing my spuds to equal sized pieces. Now every piece has the same cooking time and the time cooked has been reduced by at least half.
You can take out one piece from the boiling water and verify it to be al dente. I like a bit of a crunch when you bite into the potato dice. There is nothing more nasty than overcooked mashed potato salad.
After draining the potatoes, while still hot, add the vinegar, sugar and spices of your choice...mine being dill weed onions, celery and boiled egg slices. Add your Miracle Whip and if your salad is a little to thick...use vinegar to thin the consistency. Chill UNCOVERED since you don't want any remaining steam to make the salad watery.
The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice. Many preferences, ingredients, and procedures may not be consistent with what you know to be true.
As with any recipe, you may find your personal intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:45:05 -0500
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Ward Abbott wrote:
> Barb...I discovered long ago that the texture of the potato is very
> important to me.
Yeah, me, too.
> Cooking a whole potato give you a mushy outside and
> the center of the potato is not the same consistency. So....I
> started peeling and dicing my spuds to equal sized pieces. Now
> every piece has the same cooking time and the time cooked has been
> reduced by at least half.
Mmmm, I want to be cooking my salad spuds with their jackets on.
> You can take out one piece from the boiling water and verify it to be
> al dente. I like a bit of a crunch when you bite into the potato
> dice.
Better you than me, darlin'. I like tender, not al dente in my potatoes. I find red-skin potatoes to be yust poifect. And I try to select spuds of similar size so cooktime will be about the same. If I get a couple out of size ones that I have to cook, I'm not above pulling the smaller ones out when they're tender (just) and leaving the others to continue to perfection. :-)
> There is nothing more nasty than overcooked mashed potato
> salad.
>
> After draining the potatoes, while still hot, add the vinegar, sugar
> and spices of your choice...mine being dill weed onions, celery and
> boiled egg slices.
Dill weed, eh? Good plan. Next time.
> Add your Miracle Whip and if your salad is a
> little to thick...use vinegar to thin the consistency. Chill
> UNCOVERED since you don't want any remaining steam to make the salad
> watery.
Ack! You're putting Miracle Whip and all the rest into the hot spuds? Eeew. Obviously you love it, but it doesn't appeal to me. At'all.
> The Fine Art of Cooking involves personal choice. Many preferences,
> ingredients, and procedures may not be consistent with what you know
> to be true.
What a nice way to say all that.
> As with any recipe, you may find your personal
> intervention will be necessary. Bon Appetit!
Gonna take more than intervention here, Ward. I can see months of therapy after the intervention. "-)
Dobru' chut'!
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:12:15 -0500
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Better you than me, darlin'. I like tender, not al dente in my
>potatoes. I find red-skin potatoes to be yust poifect. And I try to
>select spuds of similar size so cooktime will be about the same. If I
>get a couple out of size ones that I have to cook, I'm not above pulling
>the smaller ones out when they're tender (just) and leaving the others
>to continue to perfection. :-)
I use russets. They're more absorbent, and collect a lot more flavor than the red'uns do. Also more tender. I may be the only one on the planet who prefers them, though. Besides Crash.
Carol
From: notbob (notbob at nothome.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:24:00 -0500
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Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> I use russets. They're more absorbent, and collect a lot more flavor
> than the red'uns do. Also more tender. I may be the only one on the
> planet who prefers them, though. Besides Crash.
Nope! I use them, too. Only I use both, russets and red or yukon. The waxy potatoes hold together while the russets break down to provide a binder and flavor carrier with the mayo.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:27:23 -0500
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notbob wrote:
>Nope! I use them, too. Only I use both, russets and red or yukon.
>The waxy potatoes hold together while the russets break down to
>provide a binder and flavor carrier with the mayo.
Yeah, you've got to cook them until they are just barely soft, and run them under cold water, pronto. Mine hold their shape just fine. I always make my potato salad the day before it's going to be eaten, and the potatoes have never broken down on me.
From: Kate Connally (connally at pitt.edu)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:22:57 -0400
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Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> I use russets. They're more absorbent, and collect a lot more flavor
> than the red'uns do. Also more tender. I may be the only one on the
> planet who prefers them, though. Besides Crash.
Nope, I and most of my family prefer russets. I like them for the same reasons you do.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:59:22 -0500
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Kate Connally wrote:
>Nope, I and most of my family prefer russets. I like them for
>the same reasons you do.
I really, really don't care for potato salad made with waxy varieties. I guess it's a matter of what you become accustomed to.
Welcome to the absorbent potato club!
From: Nancy Young (qwerty at monmouth.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:06:41 -0400
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Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> Welcome to the absorbent potato club!
Is that like Depends?
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:08:24 -0500
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Nancy Young wrote:
>Is that like Depends?
Better Depends than o.b.
From: sf (see_reply_address at nospam.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:52:06 -0700
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Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> I use russets. They're more absorbent, and collect a lot more flavor
> than the red'uns do. Also more tender. I may be the only one on the
> planet who prefers them, though. Besides Crash.
Count me in for russets. Red potatoes are nice every now & then if someone else serves them to me, but I don't even consider them when I think about "potato salad" (and there are no pickles of any kind in mine).
;)
From: Andy (q)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:05:46 -0500
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sf wrote:
> Count me in for russets. Red potatoes are nice every now & then if
> someone else serves them to me, but I don't even consider them when I
> think about "potato salad" (and there are no pickles of any kind in
> mine).
Is adding some portion of crushed potato chips at the last minute for crunch a bad idea?
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 12 Apr 2006 22:31:59 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Andy?
> Is adding some portion of crushed potato chips at the last minute for
> crunch a bad idea?
For me, it would be a bad idea, as they would become soggy very quickly. Consider if you have a sandwich, chips, and a pickle on your plate, and how quickly the chips get soggy if the pickle juice touches them. For crunch, consider crisp bacon (last minute), chopped water chestnuts, chopped jicama, etc.
From: dee (szewma at hotmail.com)
Date: 13 Apr 2006 01:14:01 -0700
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Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> For me, it would be a bad idea, as they would become soggy very quickly.
> Consider if you have a sandwich, chips, and a pickle on your plate, and how
> quickly the chips get soggy if the pickle juice touches them. For crunch,
> consider crisp bacon (last minute), chopped water chestnuts, chopped
> jicama, etc.
A friend once taught me the delicacy of banana and crisps sandwich..
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 13 Apr 2006 11:10:17 +0200
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Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it dee?
> A friend once taught me the delicacy of banana and crisps sandwich..
I'd like that.
From: sf (see_reply_address at nospam.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:39:39 -0700
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Andy wrote:
> Is adding some portion of crushed potato chips at the last minute for
> crunch a bad idea?
I think the chips will get soggy immediately, better to eat them separately. If you want crunch, add some chopped celery and sliced radishes to your potato salad mixture.
Here's a different idea: use those potato chips as the crunchy coating instead of cornflakes for oven fried chicken. Serve with a side of potato salad.
From: serene (Sandra Vannoy) (serene at serenepages.org)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:59:27 -0700
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Andy wrote:
>Is adding some portion of crushed potato chips at the last minute for
>crunch a bad idea?
That's just bizarre enough to make me want to try it. Well, maybe not.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:09:59 -0500
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sf wrote:
>Count me in for russets. Red potatoes are nice every now & then if
>someone else serves them to me, but I don't even consider them when I
>think about "potato salad" (and there are no pickles of any kind in
>mine).
YAY! We're not on the endangered list!
From: sf (see_reply_address at nospam.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:41:38 -0700
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Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> YAY! We're not on the endangered list!
Have you ever noticed that potato salad (our kind) and tomato sauce are two things that always taste better the next day?
From: Janet Bostwick (nospam at cableone.net)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:45:48 -0600
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Ward Abbott wrote:
>> You can take out one piece from the boiling water and verify it to be
>> al dente. I like a bit of a crunch when you bite into the potato
>> dice.
Oh, no-o-o-, that makes me gag.
> Better you than me, darlin'. I like tender, not al dente in my
> potatoes. I find red-skin potatoes to be yust poifect. And I try to
> select spuds of similar size so cooktime will be about the same. If I
> get a couple out of size ones that I have to cook, I'm not above pulling
> the smaller ones out when they're tender (just) and leaving the others
> to continue to perfection. :-)
That's the way to do it, exactly. Then if you are using pickles in your potato salad, pour a little of the pickle juice on the hot, peeled, cubed potatoes instead of salad dressing.
snip
> Dill weed, eh? Good plan. Next time.
Dill weed is nice. I usually make a different potato salad when using dill weed. . .no pickles.
From: Joseph Littleshoes (jpstifel at pacbell.net)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 00:47:18 GMT
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Better you than me, darlin'. I like tender, not al dente in my
>potatoes. I find red-skin potatoes to be yust poifect. And I try to
>select spuds of similar size so cooktime will be about the same. If I
>get a couple out of size ones that I have to cook, I'm not above pulling
>the smaller ones out when they're tender (just) and leaving the others
>to continue to perfection. :-)
I do much the same thing with the white potatoes, but i only make potato salad cause the 'elderly relative' likes it so much, i prefer a nice pasta salad with smoked salmon and feta cheese.
From: Nancy1 (ellorysgirl at excite.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 07:06:10 -0700
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and
> discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some
> cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown
> and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty,
> though.
My recipe always includes vinegar ... just regular vinegar, sprinkled on the potatoes while they're hot, along with a tiny bit of sugar and the relish. After this has all cooled, I add the rest of the ingredients and the mayo and a small amount of yellow mustard.
From: sueb (siouxbeeme at yahoo.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 09:21:07 -0700
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Nancy1 wrote:
> My recipe always includes vinegar ... just regular vinegar, sprinkled
> on the potatoes while they're hot, along with a tiny bit of sugar and
> the relish. After this has all cooled, I add the rest of the
> ingredients and the mayo and a small amount of yellow mustard.
Pretty similar to what I do, just in a different order. I make a dressing with olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, mustard, and salt. Cut red potatoes into chunks. Boil, drain, put into the bowl. Put the dressing on while potatoes are hot, then put it into the refrigerator. Keep stirring it until cooled. Then add mayo, celery, eggs, onion, pickles, etc.
What I don't ever understand is why people buy stuff like Wishbone Italian dressing when it's so easy to make salad dressing with ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen already.
Susan B.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:39:25 -0500
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sueb wrote:
> What I don't ever understand is why people buy stuff like Wishbone
> Italian dressing when it's so easy to make salad dressing with
> ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen already.
Because I like it. And my homemade doesn't taste as good as the Wishbone. (Good Seasons?)
From: Boron Elgar (boron_elgar at hotmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:50:35 -0400
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Because I like it. And my homemade doesn't taste as good as the
>Wishbone. (Good Seasons?)
Wishbone Italian is a staple in my house. I don't use it for regular salad dressing, but I do use it in marinades or ingredient in other dishes. I baste roast chicken and turkey with it, too. I wouldn't be without it.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 22:42:00 -0500
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Boron Elgar wrote:
> Wishbone Italian is a staple in my house. I don't use it for regular
> salad dressing, but I do use it in marinades or ingredient in other
> dishes. I baste roast chicken and turkey with it, too. I wouldn't be
> without it.
Thank you. I am vindicated.
From: George (george at nospam.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:17:57 -0400
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Because I like it. And my homemade doesn't taste as good as the
> Wishbone. (Good Seasons?)
Just add a bunch of salt and sugar to most anything homemade to approximate a bottled version.
From: sf (see_reply_address at nospam.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:44:16 -0700
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George wrote:
> Just add a bunch of salt and sugar to most anything homemade to
> approximate a bottled version.
No salt is needed and only a pinch of sugar, so if that's what she likes who are you to say it's wrong?
From: George (george at nospam.invalid)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:33:11 -0400
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sf wrote:
> No salt is needed and only a pinch of sugar, so if that's what she
> likes who are you to say it's wrong?
But I didn't say anything about if she is right or wrong for liking it.
For some reason "wishbone" and similar bottled products seem be be regarded as having special qualities. All I did is mention that you can take any homemade recipe and add a bunch of sugar and salt and get the same result. Just read the label: oil, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, spices. Even in the case of their "robusto" product where you can see a huge amount of garlic in the bottle the garlic is noted after the corn syrup and salt.
From: Nathalie Chiva (Nathalie.Chiva.invalid at gmail.com.invalid)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 09:27:15 +0200
--------
George wrote:
>For some reason "wishbone" and similar bottled products seem be be
>regarded as having special qualities. All I did is mention that you can
>take any homemade recipe and add a bunch of sugar and salt and get the
>same result. Just read the label: oil, vinegar, corn syrup, salt,
>spices. Even in the case of their "robusto" product where you can see a
>huge amount of garlic in the bottle the garlic is noted after the corn
>syrup and salt.
Don't forget the xanthan gum and other niceties.
I used bottled dressing when we were renovating the kitchen (and thus kitchenless for 4 weeks) 2 years ago. Yuck. Ended up throwing it all (I had bought 3 different brand bottles) away and dressing the Italian way, on the salad directly, with salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and EVOO. Muuuuuch better, and takes all of 30 seconds.
From: sf (see_reply_address at nospam.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 12:40:25 -0700
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Because I like it. And my homemade doesn't taste as good as the
> Wishbone. (Good Seasons?)
Probably Good Seasons.... I see it comes in bottles too.
http://www.kraftfoods.com/goodseasons/ [dead link. later redirect blocks in archive.org]
From: Lisa Smith (pagemstr at mchsi.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:37:02 GMT
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Nancy1 wrote:
> My recipe always includes vinegar ... just regular vinegar, sprinkled
> on the potatoes while they're hot, along with a tiny bit of sugar and
> the relish. After this has all cooled, I add the rest of the
> ingredients and the mayo and a small amount of yellow mustard.
The only potato salad recipe I do now is not traditional, DH and I prefer it to the regular stuff hands down. I can't remember off hand where I got it from, but it was about 3 years ago that I started making it. It has potatoes, bacon, egg, blue cheese and creamy dressing made from sour cream, mayo, garlic Dijon mustard and S&P. Some people love it, others can't get over the fact that it doesn't have celery or relish or that vinegary tang associated with regular potato salad.
Lisa aka Pagemaster
From: kilikini (kilikiniSPAM at tampabay.rr.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:50:29 GMT
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Lisa Smith wrote:
> The only potato salad recipe I do now is not traditional, DH and I prefer
> it to the regular stuff hands down. I can't remember off hand where I got it
> from, but it was about 3 years ago that I started making it.
> It has potatoes, bacon, egg, blue cheese and creamy dressing made from sour
> cream, mayo, garlic Dijon mustard and S&P. Some people love it, others can't
> get over the fact that it doesn't have celery or relish or that vinegary
> tang associated with regular potato salad.
Ooooooh, that sounds wonderful, Lisa! (Personally, I'd do without the blue cheese, but that's just me. <g>) That might even work with some tiny cubes of cheddar instead. I may have to try this. Thanks!
From: Lisa Smith (pagemstr at mchsi.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:18:48 GMT
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kilikini wrote:
> Ooooooh, that sounds wonderful, Lisa! (Personally, I'd do without the blue
> cheese, but that's just me. <g>) That might even work with some tiny cubes
> of cheddar instead. I may have to try this. Thanks!
A sharp cheddar would be pretty yummy. I've made this with feta and have also made this with goat cheese. Ricotta salata could be interesting. I personally love blue cheese but anything with a bit of a sharpness would work.
From: Jason Tinling (jason.tinling at gmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 12:01:31 -0700
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Lisa Smith wrote:
> The only potato salad recipe I do now is not traditional, DH and I prefer
> it to the regular stuff hands down. I can't remember off hand where I got it
> from, but it was about 3 years ago that I started making it.
> It has potatoes, bacon, egg, blue cheese and creamy dressing made from sour
> cream, mayo, garlic Dijon mustard and S&P. Some people love it, others can't
> get over the fact that it doesn't have celery or relish or that vinegary
> tang associated with regular potato salad.
I do a salad similar to yours, Lisa.
Red potatoes cubed and cooked, then set in the fridge for a day or so in ziplocs w/ a splash of cider vinegar. Dressing is a mix of sour cream, mayo, and dijon. Green onions chopped fine and crumbled bacon to finish the dressing, S & P as needed. Even better the second day, if it lives that long.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:37:35 -0500
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Lisa Smith wrote:
> The only potato salad recipe I do now is not traditional, It has
> potatoes, bacon, egg, blue cheese and creamy dressing made from sour
> cream, mayo, garlic Dijon mustard and S&P.
I'll light a candle.
From: Harry Demidavicius (Harry.d at shaw.ca)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 04:23:06 GMT
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>I'll light a candle.
Go for Two . . . .
From: Ernest (ewdotson at hotmail.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 14:04:50 -0700
--------
Lisa Smith wrote:
> The only potato salad recipe I do now is not traditional, DH and I prefer
> it to the regular stuff hands down. I can't remember off hand where I got it
> from, but it was about 3 years ago that I started making it.
> It has potatoes, bacon, egg, blue cheese and creamy dressing made from sour
> cream, mayo, garlic Dijon mustard and S&P. Some people love it, others can't
> get over the fact that it doesn't have celery or relish or that vinegary
> tang associated with regular potato salad.
I've never been a big potato salad person myself, but that sounds downright tastey. Well, minus the egg, but I'm a bit weird in how much I dislike boiled eggs. I'll have to try it sometime. :)
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:36:37 -0500
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Nancy1 wrote:
> My recipe always includes vinegar ... just regular vinegar, sprinkled
> on the potatoes while they're hot, along with a tiny bit of sugar and
> the relish. After this has all cooled, I add the rest of the
> ingredients and the mayo and a small amount of yellow mustard.
Ah, you're a relish person. Sweet or Dill? I've never been wild about pickle relish in my potato salad - but then I don't come from it and I've never tasted yours.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:00:35 -0500
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>Ah, you're a relish person. Sweet or Dill? I've never been wild about
>pickle relish in my potato salad
I use it when I don't feel like mincing pickles. Dill.
Carol
From: Kate Connally (connally at pitt.edu)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:26:46 -0400
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I saw MN Bob's Miracle Whip Defense for Potato Salad in another thread.
> I remember eating potato salad at a friend's and it was really really
> good. She boils red-skin potatoes and peels and slices them while hot
> (or at least warm), then dumps some Wishbone Italian over them in a bowl
> until they're cool, then adds the rest of her ingredients and dressing -
> mayo-type. Something about that oil and vinegar dressing does a lot for
> the salad.
My family used to do that with Kraft Miracle French in place of the Italian dressing. We always put it on the potatoes while they were hot and then let them cool before adding the mayo, etc.
> I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and
> discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some
> cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown
> and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty,
> though.
That sounds yummy.
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 14:35:45 -0500
--------
Kate Connally wrote:
> My family used to do that with Kraft Miracle French in place
> of the Italian dressing. We always put it on the potatoes while
> they were hot and then let them cool before adding the mayo, etc.
Is the Kraft Miracle French red/orange/pinkish? Or basically an oil and vinegar dressing? I'm thinking that the PS with a blush would be sort of unappealing to me. About like the dark balsamic. :-)
From: Kate Connally (connally at pitt.edu)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:19:13 -0400
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> Is the Kraft Miracle French red/orange/pinkish? Or basically an oil and
> vinegar dressing? I'm thinking that the PS with a blush would be sort
> of unappealing to me. About like the dark balsamic. :-)
It's a deep orangey red. But it gives the potato salad a nice pale orangey color. You don't use enough to make it really dark. It's very pale. I don't even know if you can get Miracle French anymore. I think they quit making it. I've heard that Catalina dressing is similar.
From: Damsel in dis Dress (damsel.in.dis.dress at gmail.com)
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 13:57:53 -0500
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Kate Connally wrote:
> I don't even know if you can get Miracle French
>anymore. I think they quit making it. I've heard that Catalina
>dressing is similar.
Catalina glows in the dark. Can't belive it's the only dressing I'd eat when I was a kid.
From: Wayne Boatwright (wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com)
Date: 12 Apr 2006 21:20:35 +0200
--------
Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Damsel in dis Dress?
> Catalina glows in the dark. Can't belive it's the only dressing I'd
> eat when I was a kid.
Then you could eat salad in the dark!
From: The Cook (susan_r23666 at yahoo.com)
Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 15:53:07 -0400
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My ISL makes a great potato salad with the following ingredients.
potato
eggs
celery
onion
Mayonnaise
salt
pepper
herbes de provence -- the real thing that a friend of theirs brings
back from France. She shares with me.
I have adopted the recipe and use it all the time now.
From: aem (aem_again at yahoo.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 13:10:52 -0700
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I made some potato salad last week just for the heck of it and
> discovered I didn't have any Wishbone Italian on hand so I dumped some
> cheap balsamic vinegar on the cooked spuds. The vinegar was dark brown
> and didn't do a thing for the color of the salad. It was right tasty,
> though.
Vinegar seems standard, and the notion of adding it immediately to the hot potatoes is excellent. No doubt balsamic would be great but I always use cider vinegar. Another thread today got me looking at the old cookbooks on line and I found this variation from 1886 featuring a really special added ingredient.
from Miss Corson's Practical American Cookery and Household Management. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1886.
Beet and Potato Salad
"Use equal quantities of boiled new potatoes and new beets; peel them while they are still hot, cut them in half-inch dice, season them with salt and pepper, and dress them with vinegar and plenty of good salad-oil; or with a salad-dressing made according to the recipe given with the watercress salad." [which is 3 TB oil, 1 TB vinegar, salt and pepper] -aem
From: dee (szewma at hotmail.com)
Date: 13 Apr 2006 00:44:30 -0700
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aem wrote:
> Vinegar seems standard, and the notion of adding it immediately to the
> hot potatoes is excellent.
I had the impression that balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil is the standard for salad dressing, this might be because chefs do it on tele numerous times. Maybe potatoe salad is slightly different. I like wild rocket leaves in most salads; it has a nutty flavour.
From: PickyJaz (PickyJAZ at msn.com)
Date: 11 Apr 2006 14:17:24 -0700
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Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> I saw MN Bob's Miracle Whip Defense for Potato Salad in another thread....(snip)
I cannot tolerate Miracle Whip in place of mayonaise, with one exception that also has an exception. A former family member was pretty much a horrid cook, but her potato salad was the best I'd ever tasted. Her recipe for same has become mine, and it's rather a puzzle to me. The salad is put together however one cares to, but the dressing is made with Miracle Whip instead of mayo, and with just a wee splash of vanilla extract that merely seems to snuff out the vinegar bite M-Whip could normally distress me with. Odd, eh?
From: Melba's Jammin' (barbs.challer at earthfink.net.invalid)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 07:59:34 -0500
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PickyJaz wrote:
> Her recipe for same has become mine, and it's rather a puzzle
> to me. The salad is put together however one cares to, but the
> dressing is made with Miracle Whip instead of mayo, and with just a wee
> splash of vanilla extract that merely seems to snuff out the vinegar
Odd? Odd? ODD? Odd doesn't even come close, Miz Jeanine!! LOL!
From: spope33 at speedymail.org (Steve Pope)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 03:37:47 +0000 (UTC)
--------
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>I saw MN Bob's Miracle Whip Defense for Potato Salad in another thread.
>I remember eating potato salad at a friend's and it was really really
>good. She boils red-skin potatoes and peels and slices them while hot
>(or at least warm), then dumps some Wishbone Italian over them in a bowl
>until they're cool, then adds the rest of her ingredients and dressing -
>mayo-type. Something about that oil and vinegar dressing does a lot for
>the salad.
It's definitely a good trick to dress the potatos (at least partially) while they're still warm. I will usually slice them before cooking them, then dress them with olive oil and vinegar (often cider vinegar) while still hot, then let them cool before assembling the salad. You could do the whole thing warm but I worry they will mush up too much.
After assembling it seems to take six hours of refrgeration for it to set, or blend, or whatever.