I made crummy coleslaw, too. I had given up on making creamy coleslaw and usually just tossed the cabbage in an oil and vinegar dressing, which is fine, but not exactly what I wanted. Then I saw a recipe on America’s Test Kitchen and tried it out.
Voila! Awesome coleslaw! You do have to have specific ingredients, but it’s worth it. ATK creamy buttermilk coleslaw
1 pound cabbage (about 1/2 medium head), red or green, shredded fine (6 cups)
table salt
1 medium carrot , shredded on box grater
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Toss shredded cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt in colander or large mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Rinse cabbage under cold running water. Press, but do not squeeze, to drain; pat dry with paper towels. Place wilted cabbage and carrot in large bowl.
Stir buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, parsley, vinegar, sugar, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper together in small bowl. Pour dressing over cabbage and toss to combine; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Coleslaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
For me, this is the most essential step. After that, you can dress it up with pretty much anything and it tastes fine. I prefer something tart, but when making stuff for company, I use a mix of mayo (Duke’s or Hellman’s), vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and salt to taste. Seems folks as a whole love it when I put a good deal of sugar in (like up to a half cup per head of cabbage). I like mine with no mayo and just basically a vinegar & oil type dressing.
I don’t know if I’ve ever met a cole slaw I didn’t like. Some are of course better than others.
ATK said “keeps for 3 days” - it’ll keep much longer. I worked in a supermarket deli in high school, and believe me, it keeps. It will tend to get soupy if you don’t salt and drain it first, but even without that, it’ll keep longer. Especially if your dressing has a lot of vinegar.
Cole slaw is currently my go-to potluck picnic dish.
My mom never used mayo. Her dressing was cream (sometimes half and half), sugar, dash of salt, and apple cider vinegar. I make it the same way. You need to stir and taste, stir and taste. It’s really much better than al those complex recipes.
I also ate slaw in a restaurant that had pineapple tidbits and celery seeds, and it was pretty good, but I don’t do that. Also, the OP said he cut the cabbage with a shredder. I never do that; I cut it with a knife. To me it stays crisper that way. And really, I’m making cabbage slaw, not carrot slaw or onion slaw. Simple is better in my opinion. I like cabbage and I want to taste it.
But probably the best advice so far is to make it awhile before you want to eat it, and refrigerate it so it’s cool and crispy.
There was a recipe on youtube some years ago. A large lady made a coleslaw/cabbage salad with boiling sugar and vinegar poured over, so it was - well, pretty much candied. We made it once and it was good! but of course not something you’d eat very often.
Soooo. Gooood. I don’t bother with the salting part.
1 medium head green cabbage, cored and chopped fine
1 to 2 jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced
1 carrot, peeled and shredded on box grater
1 small onion, peeled and shredded on box grater
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
Toss cabbage, jalapeño, carrot, onion, and salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until wilted, about 1 hour. Rinse cabbage mixture under cold water, drain, dry well with paper towels, and transfer to large bowl.
Bring mustard, chili sauce, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, celery seeds, and sugar to boil in saucepan over medium heat. Pour over cabbage and toss to coat. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least one hour, or up to one day. Serve.
Serves 8 to 10.
I’m pretty terrible at salads in general, and I’ve NEVER made a decent coleslaw. The job usually falls to the Ukulele Lady — I shred the ingredients, she dresses it. Due to her Horror of Fat, she does it with white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper.
It’s basic but it’s pretty good. Not creamy at all, of course, but it offers a vinegar tang to cut the unctuousness of barbecue.
The thing that always makes coleslaw bad is over-shredding the cabbage.
Apart from that, don’t overdo any ingredient. Don’t overdo mayo, and in fact you don’t always need mayo. There are some good things you can do with just vinegar and maybe some oil.