This Is Easily The Best Vinegar To Use For Potato Salad

While thoughts of potato salad can sometimes conjure sad, soggy, mayo-laden mounds of chopped potatoes, not all tuber-based side dishes need to be heavy — vinegar is the perfect antidote for this. It's an essential, yet underrated, ingredient for potato salads, as without a splash of acid, starchy potatoes can feel heavy, under-seasoned, and underwhelming. For the average eater and cook, apple cider vinegar is a solid choice as it's mild and sweet. However, I feel plain old distilled white vinegar is the best universal vinegar for any type of potato salad you could dream of. 

Distilled white vinegar is usually found in most people's pantries, and its neutral flavor and strong tangy punch make it perfect for elevating other flavors and balancing heavy ingredients, especially in salads that include mayonnaise. To take it a step further, add a bit of vinegar and sugar to the water you boil your chopped potatoes in to help the acid and sweetness penetrate through the starchy potatoes as they cook. This lends more depth of flavor before you even begin to assemble your potato salad. Additionally, if you like things really tangy, you could also drizzle a couple of tablespoons of vinegar all over your potatoes as soon as they come out of the boiling water. Then give them a toss in the strainer to really let the extra acid absorb into the cooked potatoes as they cool. 

Distilled white vinegar is ideal because it doesn't come with added sweetness that apple cider vinegar does, which can sometimes be off-putting in a savory salad. That being said, as someone who is a massive fan of acid in cooking and has no less than seven vinegars in my pantry, I encourage you to use whatever type of vinegar you have on hand that best complements the flavor profile of your potato salad. For example, use champagne vinegar in a French potato salad or rice wine vinegar in a Japanese potato salad, combined with Kewpie mayo and topped with wasabi furikake. 

In addition to using extra acid, throw at least one chopped herb into the mix, if not multiple. Chives and parsley are a classic combination in potato salad, and fresh dill is a staple in creamy Scandinavian-leaning potato salads. Tarragon makes a lovely addition to a French-inspired potato salad, while scallions and cilantro pair perfectly with chopped kimchi for a spicy Korean twist on the side dish. Along with herbs, don't forget about other elements that add a crunchy texture to soft potatoes, like red onions, celery, or my personal favorite, a big dose of chopped pickles (yes, for even more tang in the salad). These types of ingredients add both color and texture to an often bland and monochrome dish. Whatever you do, just please keep raisins far away from your potato salad.