I loooove coleslaw. I’ve had tasty coleslaw from just about every diner and deli I’ve ever eaten at, most restaurants, and even the majority of pot luck coleslaws I’ve tasted have been decent.
So why can’t I make any worth eating?? The ingredients seem so simple (shredded cabbage and carrots, mayo, salt and pepper, vinegar, celery seeds seems to mostly cover it) but whenever I try, I get what any taster would call shredded-up-cabbage-and-mayo and NOT that wonderful stuff called coleslaw.
What secret haven’t I been told?
I’d say there’s a textural aspect, too, but I’ve tried more and less finely shredded cabbage, thinly sliced cabbage, even chopped cabbage … still I have a ‘green cabbage’ flavor that overwhelms the subtle(?) taste that signifies good coleslaw.
Is it a matter of proportions? I mean, I know ‘cola’ flavor is a chimera dependent mostly on getting the exact right amounts of cinnamon, vanilla, and lime flavor – is there something like that going on?
Maybe I’m picking out ‘bad’ cabbages? Some cabbages have thicker individual leaves, other more, finer leaves packed into the head. Which is better, if it matters?
It sounds like you have too much mayo. Try a different recipe. I usually just wing it; mix up some dressing that tastes right, then add it. Last time I made it I didnt have any carrot on hand, and it came out just fine, if a little monotoned.
Slice the cabbage as thinly as you can. It makes it a lot easier to eat.
Also, the dressing should have some sugar in it, in addition to the other ingredients. The vinegar in the dressing helps counteract the cabbage-y taste, and the sugar helps balance the vinegar. Add a little onion or onion juice, too. I usually forget to buy an onion so I pour a little boiling water over some dehydrated onion, and add both to the mix.
What proportions of ingredients are you using? Have you tried following a recipe?
If all you taste is cabbage and mayo, it seems likely you’re not using enough vinegar (and maybe not enough salt, pepper, and celery seeds).
Also, are you eating the coleslaw immediately after you make it, or are you letting it rest for a while? That allows the flavors to blend and the cabbage to wilt a little bit. In particular, the flavor of the celery seed will be more pronounced if you let the mixture rest for a couple of hours (in the fridge, of course).
For good coleslaw, look for a small head of cabbage with tight, pale leaves.
Instead of using vinegar, try using the brine from a jar of bread and butter pickles. That will give you the vinegar twang but one that’s balanced with a fair bit of sugar and a nice hit of spices. Pickle brine also works wonderfully for deviled eggs.
If you mix up your dressing and it comes out a bit sweeter than you want, add just a spoonful of horseradish to the mix. You don’t want to make it too pungent, just enough to give a little tickle to the sinus though can really perk up a bowl of slaw.
I buy shredded cabbage and carrots in a bag from Safeway. It is cheap , maybe $2 or so. I make my own dressing as using the same ingredients as above, and that includes sugar. I use ground salt as some of that will stay in crystals. It tastes great to me. It does change quite a bit over time, as the cabbage wilts a bit, and releases a lot of moisture into the mix. I prefer it fresher, as opposed to the next day.
I make and eat a LOT of coleslaw. Sounds to me as if you need to use more apple cider vinegar, as well as increase your salt, pepper, and celery seed. And don’t forget a little sugar. You should be making the dressing separately before adding it to the vegetables.
I’ve never used vinegar in my homemade coleslaw, and it tastes great to those who matter (me and Mrs. J.).
In addition to finely cut cabbage, mayonnaise, salt and pepper I add a little mustard and/or horseradish and a couple of spices (including basil and cilantro), in addition to chopped onions and carrots. It’s a whole lot better than virtually all restaurant coleslaw, which tends to be overwhelmed by mayo and dressing.
Whoa! Sounds like I’ve been doing a LOT of things wrong!
BTW… we’re all saying ‘mayo’ – that’s mayo, right? Not Miracle Whip or something?
Usually I use a box shredder, so it comes out more in ‘chips.’ Maybe I should use the mandolin?
Sugar! I’ve not been adding sugar (too many years of dieting, I’ve tended to drop sugar out of a lot of things.) And as a result, maybe I’ve cut down on vinegar, since all alone it tends to smack you in the taste buds.
And I never even thought of onions! Poppy seeds sounds a bit strange, I don’t think I’ve seen them in the coleslaws I’ve eaten, but I’m ready to try most anything for the sake of good coleslaw.
I bet you’re right here. And no, I’m not following a recipe. See, my mother hated cabbage, so I basically never ate any type of cabbage growing up. Might have had coleslaw a half dozen times over the years at barbecues or whatever, but never actually saw anyone make it. So when I first got the urge to try, I just asked a group of my friends at work and they were all, pshaw! recipe? Just stir up some mayo and so forth and stir it into sliced cabbage and you’re done.
Since they all found it so simple I never bothered finding a written recipe.
Yes. Just mix it up and stick it on the table. Obviously another wrong thing to do. Thanks for the tip on the type of cabbage.
I love S&S pickles! I’ll bet that tastes wonderful!
Really? How much salt? Like I’m brining meat or just a light sprinkle? And you mean rinse then drain, right?
I have noticed that when the left over coleslaw sits in the fridge, it gets all watery and even more disgusting. Water coming out, right, should have thought of that. Probably why my coleslaw feels stiff and ‘pokey’ in my mouth rather than luscious…
So many things to try, thanks! I’ve got most of a head of cabbage left from yesterday’s disaster. I will not give up until I achieve COLESLAW!
I use one small onion and add caraway seeds. Never tried poppy seeds in coleslaw.
Here’s what I do with the salt. Place the shredded cabbage and grated carrots in a colander over a bowl. Add two teaspoons of Kosher salt and let sit for 1-3 hours. Rinse in cold water, lightly press out additional water, and pat dry with paper towels.
The salt helps draw out the excess water. Hope this helps!
NEVER Miracle Whip! A good mayonnaise only! Shredded carrot, a dash of sugar, a dash of vinegar, celery seed, pepper, salt, grated onion, and maybe some sour cream. (my aunt used to put some ranch dressing in, which was …ok…but I don’t care for ranch. Ranch has a buttermilk base.)
Let it sit and soften and meld! A few hours, or overnight. The larger the shreds, the longer it should sit.
The best coleslaw I’ve ever had comes from the fish cove, to go with fried fish on Fridays. It’s regular slaw, except chopped very very very fine, is rather sweet, and has finely crushed pineapple. It is addictive, I get the bigger container and it’s gone in 2 days.
They sell oil-and-vinegar coleslaw at some places, a version I’m not crazy about because it’s sour - more of a palate cleanser, it needs mayonnaise.
I always save pickle brine. When I make macaroni salad, I’ll soak the pasta in the pickle brine overnight before adding any other dressing. It really helps to avoid that pasty pasta taste. Especially since my macaroni salad is pretty basic, it needs that vinegar hit. It’s very close to Hawaiian macaroni salad – “salad macaroni” pasta, Best Foods mayo, diced kosher dill pickles, diced celery, and diced white onion (with twice the quantity of both the pickles and celery to the onion). Salt and pepper to taste.
Oh, and speaking of celery seeds…they’re awesome in egg salad. Had an egg salad sandwich at Lindberg’s Nutrition in high school that had celery seed in it. The only way I’ll make it now.
