So I made this Hawaiian macaroni salad from Cook’s country and it was bland…

[mariadnoca]

I took it to a potluck and it was not well received. It sounded like it would have some zip to it, but I made it the day before, mixed in the last of the dressing per the recipe right before serving, and the zip I expected just wasn’t there. Any ideas, or a better recipe for this?

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad from 'Cook's Country'

Americans love mayo-based salads: egg, tuna, chicken, potato. But Hawaiians in particular prize macaroni salad, serving it as a side in the ubiquitous plate lunch found on the islands. Try Cook's Country take on this simple classic.

interactive.wttw.com

 

[charley2]

I sort of agree there isn't much "there" there--sort of surprising for Cook's Country even. I'm not a big fan of macaroni salad and think other pasta salads are more interesting--smaller pastas like orzo or shells with veggies.
But for this maybe since they are playing up the role of vinegar using lime juice instead might add something. Maybe adding red bell pepper for some color or since it is Hawaiian and has some sugar some pineapple diced very small and a little jalapeno (also very small) might be interesting.
I'm obviously just reaching here.

 

[mariadnoca]

Yeah, Hawaiian macaroni salad is a big staple over there. It can’t normally be this bland. When I first tasted it it wasn’t bad, but that overnight sit in the fridge killed what little zip it had.

In the cook’s county video they went on an on about how the flavors popped, it suckered me in

 

[mistral]

The Hawaiian mac salads I have had at fast food places 'round here are bland, they don't float my boat! They are so bland, they taste like plain mayo is used for the dressing, and one place I inquired at said this is just what they use! I find that salads like this need to have more vinegar or salt added after they sit a while, especially if they sit overnight. My sister always says that if you have a lot of white, ya need to make sure you season it well. All that white is absorbing the vinegar and salt. . .

Since the recipe says to dress the macaroni when it is still warm, I suggest you can try making your dressing just a bit on the salty side, then let it sit. It's a fine line you need to walk there but remember you can always add more salt, but you can't take it out. I do this with my husband's mom's recipe for potato salad: make the dressing just a bit sharper and saltier, then let it sit. I can taste the difference in the salad's flavor after just a few hours of resting in the fridge, and if it is a bit too salty or sharp the first day, it usually is dandy the second.

 

[mariadnoca]

Yes, I dressed it warm, but they also have you save a cup of dressing to put on right before serving, which I did. I did add quite a bit of s/p once there because it was all I could get my hands on. It also called for T of table salt in the pasta water, which is more than I normally use, so when making I was actually worried about over salting. I think I had high expectations of the vinegar.

 

[marilynfl]

Darn, I hate when a dish ends up boring. Especially if I'm following a recipe from a respectable (non-respectable?) source.

I had that happen years ago following one of Margaret Fox's recipes for Potato Goop, which is either in Cafe Beaujolais cookbook or her breakfast cookbook....

hold on...I'm going to find this recipe...

okay...it's from the Cafe Beaujolais book.


You would not believe the UTTER DISAPPOINTMENT I felt after making this dish. It was bland. It was boring. It was dull. Okay...that's all the synonyms I can think of, but disappointment was supreme. Especially since I was actually watching my calorie intake at that point in my life and using butter AND olive oil was a huge give for me.

I refused to eat any more after the first two bites, but my live-in MIL said it was perfect after adding more salt.
Really? Margaret specified unsalted butter and less than a tsp of salt for three pounds of potatoes. Maybe my MIL was right?
(...and Hell froze over that day.)

I guess my experience with Fox's perfect Cafe Beaujolais coffee cake and her perfect Banana cake led me down the false path that her seasonings would match mine--perfectly. Alas, they did not.

Good luck, Maria. Hopefully you can save it...or else warm it up, add a ton of cheese and turn it in Mac N Cheese.

 

[mariadnoca]

(...and Hell froze over that day.)

 

[mariadnoca]

Gosh, don’t we hate it when this happens? I was fooled by the video that didn’t just go, ummm, this is good like all, but went on and on about how delicious it was and brought out the taste of each ingredient.

WE WAS ROBBED!