What is the secret of making good potato salad?

Question

I use red potatoes and cook them for what I consider only a short time, yet the potato pieces invariably turn out soft, not firm as they should be. What am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Your boiling them too long. Boil for 40 minutes, then run cold water on them. After they are COMPLETELY cooled off, then you can cut them up and put them in the frig. Cut up the rest of your ingredients. Onions, celery, green peppers, boiled egg etc. When your finished, take the cut up potatoes out of the frig. They should be nice and firm and cold. Then mix in your other ingredients. Bon Apetite!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, don't use red potatoes.

Answer 2

All these recipes sound delicious, but my mother's secret was to sprinkle some wine vinegar over the cubed potatoes before adding any other ingredients. It was always so delicious. You can pick and choose what kind of mayo or miracle whip, onions, etc., but if you sprinkle the potatoes with wine vinegar first it is so delicious. Oh, new potatoes and red potatoes make the best potato salad.

Answer 3

I microwave the potatoes on baked potatoe setting and turn them off before they are finished about 2 min into the process and then i take them out cool and cut them . I love homemade potatoe salad. I use hard boiled eggs and real mayo I put the eggs and the dressing on the potatoes with a tablespoon of wine vinegar and put in the refrig. i then cut the other vegetables , I add celery, onion, cucumber, radishes sliced very thin, olives grated carrot and small bacon pieces. Always real bacon . no bacos After 4 hours , I add them to dish of potatoes and toss and add more dressing and salt and pepper. I also add dill as I really like it. then put the whole salad back in the refrig until ready to serve about 3 more hrs. I think it is great. I like to serve it with just a meat for a meal as it has the veggie in it.

Answer 4

You are probably cooking them much too long. Red potatoes are a hard potato too just cook until there is still some resistance to pricking with a fork.Also, you should immediately cool them down with very cold or ice water as the potatoes continue to cook from their internally held heat. Once chilled they should be good to slice and be firm.

Answer 5

You can dice the potatoes before cooking them. Test the potatoes after 12-15 mins and if they are a bit hard just remove them from the stove and leave them in the boiling water for 5 more minutes. Drain.
Good luck!

Answer 6

Hi there! I always steam my potatos to keep in the taste. Here's my recipe. Hope this helps.

Old-fashioned Potato Salad

9 cups cubed unpeeled round red potato (about 3 lbs.)
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2c. diced celery
1/4 c. sweet or dill pickle relish
3 hard-cooked egg whites
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c. fat-free sour cream
1/3 c. fat-free mayonnaise
2 TBS. chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. dry mustard (I used a little more because my grandmother had more
mustard in her salad.)
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Place potato in strainer for a pasta pot and put strainer in a pot with a small amount of water, and bring to boil.
Steam the potatos about 25 minutes or until tender.
Drain; place in bowl with next 4 ingredients; toss gently.
Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients; stir well. Poer over potato mixture;
toss to coat.
Cover and chill. Yield 9 servings. Serving size 1 cup.

Answer 7

You want to take the potatoes out of the water a few minutes before you think they're done. They should be tender, but not mushy. Drain and rinse them (with cold water) to stop the cooking.

Answer 8

Try cutting the potatoes in half before cooking, fork tender. I always slightly mash the potatoes adding a dash of milk (for creamy texture) and butter (after the milk) for taste, then mix in the other ingredients.

Answer 9

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

6 medium potatoes cut into bite size pieces
2-4 stalks green onion
2 stalks celery
green/red pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar (or cider vinegar, not balsamic!)
2T sugar (opt)
1 tsp salt
Bacon Bits to taste

Boil potatoes. Cut up veggies. Mix Vinegar, sugar, salt.
Mix it all. Chill it. Eat it.

Answer 10

Make sure you cook the potatoes whole, with the skin on. After they are cooked, you cut them up, peel them if you wish. Make sure they are not too soft when you cook them, their heat will cook them a little after you take them out of the water.