Macaroni salad...

[Laura24]

Am I the only one that has a problem with the mayonnaise "melting" off the pasta and have to add it all over again when ready to serve? I rinse the pasta and let it cool, even over night just bare, and it just seems to melt away when I add it later on. I use the Hellman's brand of mayo. Just haven't figured out what I am doing wrong. Any thoughts? TY

 

[1Mouse2RulethemAll]

Have you tried miracle whip instead of mayo?


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[snykymom]

Am I the only one that has a problem with the mayonnaise "melting" off the pasta and have to add it all over again when ready to serve? I rinse the pasta and let it cool, even over night just bare, and it just seems to melt away when I add it later on. I use the Hellman's brand of mayo. Just haven't figured out what I am doing wrong. Any thoughts? TY

That could be your problem - rinsing the pasta. What you're doing is rinsing away all the starch to which the mayonnaise (or sauce) adheres. You're leaving nothing for the sauce to cling to!

Try just cooling the pasta, without rinsing it first.

As Scott Conant says, never, ever, ever rinse pasta!

 

[krcit]

I have to add mayo at least once before serving because it gets soaked up. I make my macaroni salad with eggs. I rinse pasta. let it cool for a bit and then add mayo and eggs. If I'm making more 'traditional' macaroni salad, I add the mayo while the pasta is still warm and it makes it more liquidy I guess is the word.

 

[VillageMama]

I'm really glad to hear that I'm not the only befuddled one trying to figure out the case of the Disappearing Mayonnaise! Where does it go??

I'll try not rinsing the macaroni, like I always do to cool it down right away.

 

[scrapquitler]

I'm really glad to hear that I'm not the only befuddled one trying to figure out the case of the Disappearing Mayonnaise! Where does it go??

I'll try not rinsing the macaroni, like I always do to cool it down right away.

The pasta absorbs the liquid in the mayo, just like if you have noodles in a chicken soup, the noodles naturally soak up the liquid.

I always make my macaroni salad ahead of time, knowing that I am probably going to either add more mayo than I think I need initially, or that I need to add more right before I serve it.

A touch of vinegar added to the mayo might help, I've seen that in a lot of recipes, maybe that's why?

 

[Laura24]

I will try not rinsing but I wonder how the deli' s keep it from absorbing. Good to know it's a common problem. Thanks.

 

[Poohforyou]

Am I the only one that has a problem with the mayonnaise "melting" off the pasta and have to add it all over again when ready to serve? I rinse the pasta and let it cool, even over night just bare, and it just seems to melt away when I add it later on. I use the Hellman's brand of mayo. Just haven't figured out what I am doing wrong. Any thoughts? TY

It isn't melting away, it's being absorbed by the pasta. What I would suggest is to add just enough mayo to make the pasta moist when you're making it and add the remaining amount just before serving.

 

[honeydiane1953]

That could be your problem - rinsing the pasta. What you're doing is rinsing away all the starch to which the mayonnaise (or sauce) adheres. You're leaving nothing for the sauce to cling to!

Try just cooling the pasta, without rinsing it first.

As Scott Conant says, never, ever, ever rinse pasta!

I too never rinse the pasta when making macaroni salad. I let it cool maybe just a little. Have made it while very warm and it did excellent!

 

[PizzieDuster]

I learned something too! Never ever thought about that. The rinsing.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I will try not rinsing but I wonder how the deli' s keep it from absorbing.

They add enough mayo to go well past the point of saturation!