Basic potato salad help needed please.

When I boil the potatoes to make potato salad with they end up being too crumbly to work with. Too soft to hold the traditional potato salad cube shape.

Here's how I make them..... I use Russet potatoes. I boil uncovered at medium high for about 20 -25 minutes. I let them cool good in the refrig before cutting them up, they seem to hold together better when they are cold. Only thing I can figure is that I may be cooking them too long, but the recipes I have seen say to cook them that long. Is there another variety of potato that holds together better?

Thanks in advance.....

they seem like they are just too watery and they are very starchy too

seems I read this is a function of them being stored for a length of time

do you add salt to the water to draw out the extra liquid as they cook? a couple tablespoons of salt and 5 minutes less cooking may be better, but i'm sure one of our chefs will be along to help in a few minutes

That's why new potatoes are supposed to be better for you when you're trying to avoid processed or refined carbs, such as on the South Beach Diet. New potatoes take longer to digest, apparently. Red potatoes are supposed to be better than white potatoes, too, I assume for the same reason.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

this week's bread ROCKED

thanks for your input, it's helped a bunch

That's great news!

Boil red potatoes for 20 minutees. Drain and cut into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the potato. Sprinkle with cider vinegar and THEN cool. (I usually make this with 15-20 potatoes, depending on how big they are)

Mix 1 rib celery, finely chopped, 1/2 red onion, finely chopped, 1 scallion, white and green parts finely chopped, a third of a bunch of parseley finely chopped, and a few grinds of black pepper with 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup mayo thinned slightly with 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar. Toss in the completely chilled potatoes and serve.

and after they are done add all of my other ingredients before they cool and turn brown.

So I cut the potatoes into even sized chunks and as they boil, I gently try to poke them with a fork. When I can get it into a piece with a bit of resistance, I take them off the stove and run cool water over them to cool down.

After a few times boiling them for salad, you should get the hang of how much resistance is good. I try to catch them before putting the fork into them makes them break apart. If I go too far, I make mashed potato salad instead. Same ingredients only the potatoes are mashed.

I've found that they are too dry and crumble as you said. The only potatoes I use for potato salad are reds. I like their flavor and they cube nicely....never mushy or crumbly.

like red potatos or the small white ones, they will hold up much better than russets. Russets make great baked and mashed potatos and french fries but they don't hold up well when boiled.

Be careful to not over-cook them. Boil them until they are fork-tender but not completely soft.

before, red or white boiling potatoes work better for potato salad. If you like the taste you're all set.If however like me you hate boiling potatoes you can try what I do. I mix the dressing (mayo, cider, dill pickle, salt, pepper, etc) & divide the potatoes, diced celery etc into several batches. I add a little dressing to each batch & mix it carefully. Then I do another batch. When I'm all done I put all the batches together. It's more work, but not as bad as you might think. But, if you like red potatoes just go with them. I'm about the only person I know who doesn't like them.

best

drain the water, put the lid on and then let them steam in the pan for awhile. Then when they are cool enough, cut them up.

If you are going to use russets:

1. Leave the peel on while cooking, and peel them after they cool.

2. Don't cook the potatoes at a rolling boil. Bring them to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium or medium-high so they're simmering. If you use a full boil, the outer part of each piece turns to mush and breaks down. (Same technique keeps your mashed potatoes from being watery.) This takes longer cooking time, but believe me the end result is better.

And it's true that a redskin or other waxy potato makes a better looking salad, but I also like the flavor of a good russet in salad.

Potatoes
Diced celery
Diced dill pickle
Diced onion
Black olives
Hard cooked eggs, sliced
Salt
Pepper
Celery seed (a sprinkle)
Dill weed (a big pinch)
Best Foods mayo
a dash of yellow mustard
a tablespoon of sugar

I cut them up, put them in the steamer and steam them for about 10 minutes, or until they just pierce nicely .

Let them cool, and mix up all the stuff.
Iuse:
hard boiled eggs
celery
green olives
green onion
green pepper

mayo and mustard (but not much mustard)

Usually I cut up all the other stuff while the potatoes are steaming.

The flavor of the potatoes just explodes in your mouth; steaming just preserves the flavor so beautifully. Besides which, the salad gets finished faster

extra and make potato salad with them the next day after they have been in the frig overnight. I really prefer the red potatoes' firmer texture, even for baked potatoes.

I peel them after they're done. I'm not sure how it affects whether they stay together better, or not, but it does seem like it would prevent them being watery. Also, I believe it helps retain more of the nutrition than boiling peeled potatoes. And, the flavor is great!