I always cut the potatoes in half after cooking and let cool before cutting into cubes.

Cannot stand dill pickle relish. Love dill pickle spears with a sandwich or hamburger dills on a burger.

I would of course eat someones potato salad with dill pickles or the weird German salad. I would not ask for the recipe, however.

ETA: OMG. No garlic in potato salad and I adore garlic.

Nope to sweet pickles in either egg or potato salad!

I still recall how disappointed I was when I bit into a deviled egg at a friend's party and there was sweet pickle relish in it and I had to figure out how to discreetly dispose of it😄

I do like chopped fresh cucumbers in potato salad, tho.

Carol, how do you keep the cucumbers from weeping into the potato salad?

I was curious what Ina says about cooking the potatoes for potato salad and looked at several of her recipes...NONE that I could find use hard boiled eggs! I guess she takes potato salad literally and just uses potatoes. Half the fun of potato salad, in my mind, are the eggs.

Sherry, the recipe I posted uses roasted garlic, so it's a whole different garlic experience than fresh garlic. I probably wouldn't like fresh garlic in potato salad either, tho the dill pickle juice I use to moisten the potatoes in regular potato salad probably has garlic in it.

“Half the fun of potato salad, in my mind, are the eggs.”

Definitely a must for me when it comes to ”traditional” potato salad.

My MIL used to say she used an equal number of red potatoes and eggs for her potato salad. I might not use quite that many eggs but gotta have some for richness and texture.

I don't do anything special, just use mini Persian cukes and the hothouse spineless type, which don't get as watery as salad cukes.

And I grew up with eggs in potato salad, but don't use them now - my mom's family's midwestern too.

I know I've had potato salad with hard boiled eggs in it at least once. Y'all are the only people I know who actually make it that way, let alone consider eggs essential. The quantity Chloebud's MIL uses brings a significant amount of protein, which improves the dish nutritionally, but while my idea of good pasta salad is salad with some pasta in it, the way I'm used to potato salad is potatoes with a little decoration and a lot of mayonnaise (though I use less mayo because I don't like when there's starchy mayo goo slop). My father used to put chopped egg in the tuna salad, and the chopped liver, as much for decoration as anything--about the same ratio as I've seen in potato salad (not a significant protein source)--but I just thought that was the classic Jewish put an egg in anything. And there's the chicken salad I was recently served which was really egg salad with chunks of poached chicken in it... Totally bemused.... I had no idea that egg in potato salad was such a big thing!

Thanks, Carol! I did figure you used drier cukes. They still weep like crazy for me, especially when exposed to vinegar. Probably slightly different versions in different locations, but perhaps more alike than Floral's produce seems to be. :)

Eggs are essential in potato egg salad. Not in potato salad. I’d expect the differentiation to be clear on the label or recipe name.

I mix the mayo with plain yoghurt to cut the fat. Additions are chives or spring onions, chopped gherkins or capers. No eggs. I was shown how to boil and peel the potatoes before slicing many years ago in Germany, which was where I first tasted potato salad.

I'm learning so much about something that I thought was universally the same as the only way I've ever had it! I have had lots of potato salads in my life and have never seen one without eggs, so it never occurred to me that it would ever be made without, except for vegan versions with vegan mayo (only seen here in the last 20 years or so). Or made with sweet pickles. eta: I have had German hot potato salad without eggs.

I also would pass on egg in tuna salad; it just seems wrong, lol. The closest thing to chopped liver I've ever had was liverwurst, but I'd probably like it, with or without egg.

I think eggs or no eggs in potato salad are just what you’ve known. Everyone in my family and DH’s add eggs. Essential for us and not traditional potato salad without them. Just part of the deal.

Thinking about it now, I can’t recall being served homemade potato salad without them from family or friends. I’ve had it sans egg in places where it’s an option as a side with sandwiches, burgers, etc. It’s never very good IMO, and I’m convinced it wouldn’t matter with or without eggs. They just can’t get the seasonings right.🤷‍♀️

So true! Eggs might affect the texture, a little, but not the flavor, especially if there's mayonnaise. The vinegar or brine is major. I have had good deli made potato salad, but it's rare. There's one place, good for pick up picnics, that made it so well, I would eat way too much of it, and stopped buying it. Then they got a different cook and it, as well as the fried chicken, went all meh. Likely the same written recipes, just not the same hand of the master. Interesting that C and I are from the same general region and have such different experiences re the eggs!

Olychick, my father's school lunch tuna salad (I used to be able to eat canned tuna) was white albacore, dried parsley flakes, dried green onion flakes, a hard boiled egg cubed with a wire egg cutter, and just enough mayonnaise to make it hold together. I've seen tuna salad swimming in dressing and can't face it. My ladies' lunch tuna salad has a bunch of different tasty things all cut to about 3/8-1/4", usually one from each category, something sharp, something sweet, something crunchy, something squishy, something spicy, etc., and if I have time to think it through, I try to make a nice color story. One memorable very large one was secondary colors: orange bell pepper, dried blueberries, chiffonade of mint, scallions, celery, almond slivers and I think maybe one other thing—ETA, pepitas, maybe. It was particularly good.

Here's how my father made chopped liver, usually served with crackers, as I wrote it here years ago: "Recipe": Jewish Chopped Chicken Liver--render down some chicken fat with onion wedge. Use a yellow/Spanish onion for the traditional yellowish color. You can put the chicken fat in skins and all and the skins will turn to cracklings (but then you need more fat because they take away some). Let cool so the onion juice will separate below. Put cleaned livers in a small pot with a generous amount of schmaltz (the chicken fat) and some chopped onion and cook. Cook until the livers look good and cooked through. Pour out on a cutting board and chop with your biggest knife, when it's rough chopped add S&P. Add a hard boiled egg (also cubed with a wire cutter) either during the chopping process, or chop separately and stir it in at the end. Keep chopping. It should hold together like a paste rather than crumbly (add more schmaltz if necessary), but still have texture. It should be craggy, not be smooth like a dip.

My mother, my mother-in-law, and I all put eggs in our potato salad.

Just saw a Hellman's commercial, and their potato salad had eggs in it. Beautifully topping it even.

But you're right, I never have eggs on potato salad when I eat out. And their potato salad sucks.. it's always hard little cubes with a weird texture and very UNseasoned

I grew up with these for making chopped liver and chopped salads - seems like everyone in our extended family had them too.

Still have them, but they don't get used for chopping any more.

"Eggs might affect the texture, a little, but not the flavor, "

I've puzzled over this statement for a while. Hard boiled eggs have a very strong flavour imo and I can't imagine not clearly tasting them in a salad. As it happens I don't particularly like them so would be unlikely to add them, but I'm sure even people should do like them would notice the flavour. Maybe our eggs taste different? Or our potatoes?

IME, while eggs have a particular flavor, they are easily dominated by other flavors, and especially when there is also mayonnaise, which tastes eggy, the specific flavor of chopped boiled eggs disappears, even when the star of the salad isn't as strong as albacore or chicken liver. With mayo, pickle juice, celery, peppers, etc. unless it's the half egg salad preferred by Chloebud's MIL, I can't imagine a big flavor contribution. I remember being served potato salad with chopped egg in it, once. There was a piece of egg for every few pieces of potato. It tasted like potato salad.

Imo and ime the hens' diet and breed and the freshness of the eggs affect flavour, but not the colour of the shell. Do you make your own mayo? That might taste eggier than bought.

I just asked DH, who is not remotely a fussy eater if he'd like eggs in a potato salad. No, he wouldn't. He'd definitely taste them.

" Maybe our eggs taste different? Or our potatoes? "

Or their choice of dressing is strong and spicy enough to mask the taste? I find most potato salads don't taste of anything other than the dressing and the spices.

For my part pllog/Toronto? It's an additional texture.

You might be onto something. When I make it it's a simple dish. The flavour of the potatoes is the main event and the mayo and pickles are just for contrast and lubrication.

I just looked at a bunch of recipes for bssic potato salad. SerioisEats, as linked above, doesn't call for eggs. Cooks Illustrated does, but includes eggs in the recipe name. Mark Bittman does not, but does list egfs among dozen or so ideas for variations. ”Our Original Potato Salad” recipe from Hellmann's lists eggs as an optional ingredient, along with bacon snd chives.

I think it’s safe to say that eggs are a common ingredient in American potato salads, but not a requirement. Along the way I also saw some strong and conflicting opinions on the best potatoes to use, so I’d also say there’s a lot of subjectivity here.

“…so I’d also say there’s a lot of subjectivity here.”

Definitely!

I was remembering there were lots of eggs in American Picnic Potato Salad from the Silver Palate. More of an egg salad, for sure.

I wonder whether the eggs in potato salad might be something that rose to popularity in places with a lot of them on hand during times when meat was rationed...?

I do think adding them to potato salad makes it into more of a meal, rather than simply a side dish.

And so many of my old cookbooks call for cooked, sieved egg yolks as a garnish - back when that was considered elegant.

Wow!

Honestly, I can't believe this thread is still going?!

Apparently, it’s a hot potato subject!

Yep!

I didn't mean for it to be, but I thought it might be?

It's like hot dogs. There's so many different ways all over the US. I'm not even going to get into what a Chicago dog is 😛

rob, and to think you just asked about cooking potatoes whole or cubed! Actually, I think your question brought on comments that are all interesting. It’s what makes things more fun!👍🏻

Those comments are always far more fun!

I hear ya!

Having a little picnic today. Ta da ☺️

👍🏻😊👏🏻!!!

Carol your chopper and bowl look just like the one they use at the sub shop to chopped their salads. Eggs change the taste for sure--why would I miss them if not? We prefer more eggs to potatoes almost. When you are dealing with anything with a lot of ingredients you are going to get variations and preferences. My mom used to put sweet pickles in hers and it was awful. We talked her out of that ingredient ASAP! Anyone have issues with onion? We like it but you have to add it just before serving or the flavor infects it somehow. I think Miracle Whip is a southern thing. All it is is Mayo with sugar and vinegar added. Southerners love to add sugar to ANYTHING it seems. Mayo is fine for a base since the vinegar and mustard are coming. Greek Yogurt could be interesting given it has a tang. My favorite family line is goes : What should we have for supper poppa?", " Oh something simple, just potato salad would be fine"!!!

I use scallions instead of onions and they don't seem to do that infection thing.

“Southerners love to add sugar to anything”— except for cornbread. It was surprising to me that ‘yankee’ cornbread is sweeter than southern. Seems to play against type.

I wonder if the Southern corn was naturally sweeter when these things were first set? West Coast corn runs sweet, from what I've read, but the cornmeal (I don't know where it's grown, being something that comes in a box) is pretty sour. I do make an unsweetened corn pone which goes with some dishes, but it's definitely sour, and challenging when not bite for bit with the soup or stew. Cornbread from the same cornmeal needs some sweetening, though I don't go full on cake sweet like some do.

Cornbread : south v north is definitely a topic for another day but there is lots of interestion info covering the introduction of cornpone fron the original inhabitants ( suppone suppose) to early settlers, the relatiive availability and protein content of wheat , and most enjoyably input from Mark Twain

”summed up the corn bread debate a hundred years ago: 'The North thinks it knows how to make corn bread, but this is a gross superstition. Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern corn bread, and perhaps no bread in the world is quite as bad as the Northern imitation of it.”

It is certainly more of to each their own :)

So I looked it up, and Miracle Whip is a mixture of mayo and what's known as boiled dressing/salad cream - which is in many of my old cookbooks. I always assumed it was just boiled dressing, but it does contain eggs, which boiled dressing does not, IIRC.

From Wikipedia:

"Miracle Whip is made from water, soybean oil, high-fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified corn starch, eggs, salt, natural flavor, mustard flour, potassium sorbate, spice, and dried garlic.[8] The original Miracle Whip is produced using less oil compared to traditional mayonnaise, thus has around half of the calories. Due to added corn syrup it is also sweeter compared to mayonnaise.[9]"

P.S. That plate looks yummy, rob 🙂

I haven’t made potato salad for at least a year or two but have been craving it because of this thread. Shopped for potatoes and onion, have all the rest, but now have to decide how to cook the potatoes, lol.

May I suggest either cutting into cubes and boiling them, or boiling them and cutting into cubes?

Disagree. She should either boil them and cut into cubes, or cut into cubes and boil them.

I was thinking one of those methods would be best, but peel first or after. If after, when hot or let cool? It's too much pressure to decide.

Cook then cube then peel. 😉

Well, I used to boil them whole when I was younger but it was a pain in the behind cutting up hot potatoes. So, now I just cube. If I use my own potatoes I keep the skin on, bought potatoes I will peel. My mom always used Miracle Whip, eggs, onions, pickle relish, mustard, salt and pepper. Sometimes she'd throw some paparika on top. I make mine the same. I do like German potato salad too. I only make potato salad about once a year now.

When I eat out sometimes the potato salads I get a lot have no flavor and are made with Mayannaise. Maybe because they don't usually have onions in them? I love onions and add them to a lot of dishes. In fact, I just started three different varieties for the garden, as I'm about to start using the ones I planted in the Spring.

I always use the leaves from my walking onions - almost the same as scallions, but just the green parts, and a bit stronger, so not a large amount.

“When I eat out sometimes the potato salads I get a lot have no flavor…”

A common occurrence. There can still be plenty of flavor without onions. I’m convinced the cooks don’t realize (or care) potatoes need plenty of seasoning, starting with the salty boiling water.

Olychick, I use low starch potatoes (usually red) and don’t peel them. I cube them for cooking. They tend to absorb more salt from the boiling water that way. Then I splash them with vinegar while still hot, and add s&p. Cool to room temp then continue on with the other ingredients. Always good!

The thought of a russet disintegrating in the water made me do it the way I have always done it. Though, I added a step because it was a gigantic potato?! I parcooked it in the microwave for 4 minutes. Then I boiled it, then I peeled it and then I cut it up.

I think the order of boiling and cutting, probably depends on the type of potato ☺️

Haha , was being a little facetious about the decisions on how to cook the potatoes, based on the varying opinions expressed here. I didn’t expect to solicit more comments! Thanks everyone.

Oh, I was just joking, and I bet food was too 🤣

If the potatoes are to be boiled, I think they have a better texture if cooked whole, then cut afterwards.

I both peel and quarter my potatoes to cook ... after I rinse them and let them cool a bit, I dice. I cook in heavily salted water and it leaves only a slight saltiness. Bring water to a boil and then add potatoes and bring back to boil; let boil four minutes. Perfect for tator salad or flash freezing.