If you checked out the link to the NPR story in Wednesday’s post about the history of potato salad, you may have read about Susan Russo’s childhood experience of her mom never allowing her to get near the potato salads brought to picnics for fear of food borne illness. I hear this every once in a while, so I’m here to give you the scoop on that picnic potato salad safety.
1. Homemade mayonnaise is probably the root cause of this fear that has spanned generations. It’s made with raw eggs, which are prone to salmonella bacteria when left at room temperature. According to allrecipes.com, store-bought mayonnaise is much safer because it is made with pasteurized eggs. “What’s more, commercial mayonnaise has actually been proven to KILL bacteria due to the salt and acidic ingredients such as vinegar and lemon juice that it contains!”
2. If you’re still leery of mayo-based potato salads, try using a vinaigrette, which has a very high acidic level (and far fewer calories, too!)
3. The University of Arkansas published a really good article about food safety tips for picnics. This gist of it is this: Keep hot foods hot. Keep cool foods cold. Keep everything clean. For potato salad, this means when transporting, keep that salad in a well-packed and well-insulated cooler to maintain the temperature. Serve it “double bowled”—put the bowl of potato salad in a bigger bowl of ice—and avoid the direct sun. And always use a fresh spoon to scoop out portions.
What other questions do you have about potato salads?
0 responses so far ↓