# Is KFC coleslaw all that great? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014 "2013-07-31T19:28:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/21 "2013-07-31T20:46:57Z")
I don’t know if I’d call it the best but I’d definitely put it in the top tier. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/22 "2013-07-31T20:48:15Z")
I vary on it, but sometimes it is exactly what I want. Keep in mind that I sometimes miss the old KFC rolls, too, before they jumped on the biscuit bandwagon. One thing I can say for sure is that their biscuits suck. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/23 "2013-07-31T20:48:40Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > I love it. Best part of eating at KFC. That and eating the skins. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/24 "2013-07-31T20:50:42Z")
Best in the world, or its not. I have found it to vary widely from KFC to KFC. Literally from the best to the worst. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/25 "2013-07-31T20:53:58Z")
It’s not the best, but it’s good enough so that I’ll swing through a drive-in just to pick up a couple of tubs. There are gazillions of recipes for coleslaw. I like lots of different ones and a bunch of others aren’t worth my time. Mayonnaise beats vinegar. KFC is definitely on the good side, especially for fast-food coleslaw. The absolute best coleslaws come from specialty fried fish joints. Here’s the deep question. Why, oh why, has nobody ever named a show Cole’s Law? ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/26 "2013-07-31T21:02:01Z")
It’s good, but not if you qualify it as cole slaw, or if you eat it by itself. Taking the sugary cole slaw and mix in the greasy chicken (skin included) and boom. You’re fat kid heaven. Ugh. I feel kinda sick just writing it but damn if that’s not the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life - in the moment that is. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/27 "2013-07-31T21:26:50Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Keep in mind that I sometimes miss the old KFC rolls, too, before they jumped on the biscuit bandwagon. One thing I can say for sure is that their biscuits suck. I’m trying to remember the old rolls. Were they the tritop with 2 longitudinal slits running down the axis? We finally got used to the biscuits through a liberal application of butter and clover honey. Ain’t nuthin’ wrong with a jar of honey sharing the table with sweet slaw and fried chicken. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/28 "2013-07-31T21:34:31Z")
I think it’s pretty great. Like others have said, I like that it’s sweet and crunchy. When I make coleslaw at home, I use the bagged pre-shredded cabbage and a brand of dressing called Jimmy’s – Jimmy’s is the best premade dressing we’ve found. It’s sweet and tangy, and it doesn’t take much to dress the slaw. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/29 "2013-07-31T21:55:03Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > I’m trying to remember the old rolls. Were they the tritop with 2 longitudinal slits running down the axis? Not where I grew up. Very plain, grocery-store style brown & serves, square tear-aparts with dome tops. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/30 "2013-07-31T21:56:51Z")
I can make better slaw in my sleep than that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/31 "2013-07-31T22:30:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Why, oh why, has nobody ever named a show Cole’s Law? [Cole’s Law](http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/mcglr37&div=28&id=&page=) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/32 "2013-07-31T23:01:37Z")
No. Cole slaw MUST contain celery seed-its the most important component! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/33 "2013-07-31T23:03:13Z")
I’ve never tasted fast-food cole slaw that was worth a damn. The vast majority of restaurants serve bland mush that is at best edible and at worst gag-worthy. I am prejudiced of course, since Jackmanni’s Dynamite Recipe Cole Slaw is to KFC slaw as Jimi Hendrix is to Justin Bieber. > [@ralph124c](#): > > No. Cole slaw MUST contain celery seed-its the most important component! Nope - it’s the ground horseradish that makes all the difference. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/34 "2013-07-31T23:33:40Z")
It’s far from the worst, but it’s no where near the best, either. I’ve only ever made coleslaw once by following a recipe I found online, but it was easily 100 times better than what KFC makes. The people who ate it said it was the best slaw they ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/35 "2013-07-31T23:42:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Seems to be similar to me–that should basically be a sugar + mayo concoction. Main difference seems to be you guys are cabbage-only, while ours is cabbage, carrots, and onions. Yeah, I was surprised that sugar was the first item listed in the dressing. It honestly doesn’t taste that sweet to me: more vinegary and kinda horseradishy, although that’s not listed as an ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/36 "2013-07-31T23:50:00Z")
I have always liked it and I make a similar slaw, only with Splenda instead of sugar. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/37 "2013-07-31T23:50:12Z")
I think it’s the best stuff ever. I like actually putting it on the chicken and then eating it. But then, I’m a pig. ---
**Author:** ![Rowanchilde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rowanchilde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rowanchilde)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/38 "2013-07-31T23:57:00Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > No. Cole slaw MUST contain celery seed-its the most important component! That’s what I think as well. I’m surprised no one mentioned this before. As I remember, KFC slaw was killer good but I haven’t been to a KFC since '85ish so who knows what’s happened to the recipe. Lazy and disgruntled employees could be adding pubic hair for all we know :rolleyes: There’s an iconic place in Miami, FL called Shorty’s BBQ. That’s the slaw everyone should aspire to! Anyway, my own basic recipe calls for the rough chop with lots of green, onion, carrot, mayo, sugar, vinegar, celery seed, S&P, all eyeballed of course… ---
**Author:** ![the\_O](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@the\_O](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_O)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/39 "2013-08-01T01:06:41Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I can make better slaw in my sleep than that crap. Me too. Thank you CG. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014/40 "2013-08-01T01:36:30Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yeah, I was surprised that sugar was the first item listed in the dressing. It honestly doesn’t taste that sweet to me: more vinegary and kinda horseradishy, although that’s not listed as an ingredient. It’s always been sweet to me, but I was surprised, too, that there’s more sugar in the dressing than oil by weight. Ballparking it by looking at that info and the nutritional information, it seems like sugar and oil are used in approximately equal parts by volume for the dressing. So, basically, you could start with a half cup of sugar and a half cup of mayo, add water to thin it out, add your coleslaw spices (salt, mustard flour, and paprika are listed, but there are also other “natural and artificial flavors”–that parts up to you) and you should get close. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-kfc-coleslaw-all-that-great/665014.md?page=3)