Macaroni salad is one of my all-time favorite summer BBQ/picnic sides. I tried a recipe from Chef John a few years back that was super. I'm having an end-of-summer BBQ in a few weeks and I'm going to be trying this recipe out. Can anyone answer this question: Are Bulgarian buttermilk and regular buttermilk interchangeable? Not sure if they are different in the way that Greek yogurt is different from the thinner American yogurt.
heya, this is what google said, " Bulgarian buttermilk is a type of cultured buttermilk that's fermented at higher temperatures and uses yogurt cultures instead of cream cultures. This results in a thicker, richer, and more tart buttermilk with a smooth, creamy texture. Regular buttermilk has a similar tart flavor and thick consistency, but it's made by breaking down lactose sugars in milk with active cultures to produce lactic acid. Both Bulgarian buttermilk and regular buttermilk can be used in a variety of dishes, including baked goods, dressings, and desserts. For example, you can use buttermilk to make fluffy pancakes, tenderize chicken, and create rich and tangy dressings. Bulgarian buttermilk's distinctive tangy flavor can enhance many dishes."
Think the difference depends on what the ingredients list says. Most commercial buttermilk sold at local grocery stores lacks ferment, and tastes flat and overwrought at the same time. Living buttermilk will taste much better than the faked stuff.
Anytime I talk about ATK to people, I use the Hawaiian Mac Salad as an example of why they're so good. Very simple recipe but they cracked the code on the best way to make it.
I don't agree, because the macaroni will soften over time, and the best pasta salad is at least a day old. So if you cook it just barely past al dente, the pasta will absorb the dressing and not collapse into mush after a day or two
Agreed. The flavor is better developed when the dressing is absorbed into the noodles. It's zestier than when you start with overcooked, flaccid noodles
I use gluten free pastas, such as rice pasta. It's got the texture of cardboard when chilled, so I never make pasta salad. I wonder if that trick of overcooking it would work?
My experience with GF pastas is that overcooking tends to cause them to fall apart. I would try cooking the noodles just a little bit more and assembling right before eating, without refrigerator time. It wouldn't work for this recipe, but a vinaigrette-based salad (rather than mayo-based) would hold better at room temperature, and might play better with the gf pasta for a potluck situation. You might also try other pasta types, like lentil or corn, to see if they are better when cold; chilled rice does get crunchy when not in pasta form.
Looks delicious! I agree about boiling the pasta a little longer. I always do! We prefer the taste of a full figure (bloated) Macaroni! 🥰 Thanks for sharing!
ATK published a gluten-free cookbook over 10 years ago. They published a second volume about 2 years later. Both books were combined into a single cookbook 4 years ago.
I can't stand it any time. It's harder to digest and sits like a lump in my stomach. I always cook pasta until it's soft but still holds its shape. That goes for spaghetti, too.
Starch, after being cooked will revert to resistant starch after chilling. Even after reheating (if doing so) it remains resistant starch. Same with rice and potatoes.
@@sharon94503 I don't know how resistant the starch actually becomes, although it's a good idea for pre-diabetics to pre-cook and cool their starches (I do for my wife). I don't think it will get to Keto level though.
Really dislike overcooked, waterlogged noodles. Prefer al dente because it has just the right amount of texture. Overcooked has a very bland flavor that fails to be overcome despite all the possible add ins.
1. Put the cilantro in the garbage. Don't even bring it into the house. 2. Forget the vinegar; instead add about a cup (or more!) of sweet salad pickles. Soooo good! 3. I really like onions, so I put about a cup (or more!) finely chopped Vidalia onions. Yummm! 4. I can live with the rest of the stuff. I just use mayo (Kraft) but I like buttermilk, so it might be good. I don't put sweet peppers and dill in mine, but I love dill and I can eat sweet peppers. I really like macaroni salad. And I always cook my pasta (any kind) until it's done; none of that al dente stuff for me. 5. Not that anybody asked, but this is a comment section----so I commented. 😂😂😂 You don't like it, ignore it! Blessings to everybody!
I found out about overcooking the pasta by accident, but it really make a difference. I cut the fat by using Greek yogurt. I love the other fresh veggies in this but have found that jarred red pepper brings more taste to a salad like this.
I subscribe to ATK for tips on techniques. I buy some of their books, including Julia's latest on kitchen gear. But I am consistently shocked how unhealthy their recipes are. A cup of mayo for a four-person serving? Sour cream has a quarter of the calories and tastes even better. Mix it with buttermilk for a tangy dressing.
@@chrisdragnet722 The recipe gets the buttermilk with either sour cream or mayo. The difference between a cup of mayo and a cup of sour cream is 1000 calories. If you can tolerate light sour cream, you can cut the calories in half again, so about 1250 calories (or 1/3 of a pound of human fat) out of the dish for mayo vs light sour cream.
@@chrisdragnet722 Mayo typically has highly refined seed oils, and other sus chemicals. Sour cream and buttermilk has much fewer problematic components.
I like the tip to reserve some of the dressing to add a fresh taste before serving.
I could watch Julia chop all day long. Her knife skills are so... sharp. Zing
Thanks for another great recipe, Julia.
This would make a great summer meal by adding chicken and bacon to the salad.
Thanks for sharing. That looks delicious!
Mmm.. Looks delicious, thank you!
Add fresh peas too
Macaroni salad is one of my all-time favorite summer BBQ/picnic sides. I tried a recipe from Chef John a few years back that was super. I'm having an end-of-summer BBQ in a few weeks and I'm going to be trying this recipe out. Can anyone answer this question: Are Bulgarian buttermilk and regular buttermilk interchangeable? Not sure if they are different in the way that Greek yogurt is different from the thinner American yogurt.
heya, this is what google said, " Bulgarian buttermilk is a type of cultured buttermilk that's fermented at higher temperatures and uses yogurt cultures instead of cream cultures. This results in a thicker, richer, and more tart buttermilk with a smooth, creamy texture. Regular buttermilk has a similar tart flavor and thick consistency, but it's made by breaking down lactose sugars in milk with active cultures to produce lactic acid.
Both Bulgarian buttermilk and regular buttermilk can be used in a variety of dishes, including baked goods, dressings, and desserts. For example, you can use buttermilk to make fluffy pancakes, tenderize chicken, and create rich and tangy dressings. Bulgarian buttermilk's distinctive tangy flavor can enhance many dishes."
Think the difference depends on what the ingredients list says. Most commercial buttermilk sold at local grocery stores lacks ferment, and tastes flat and overwrought at the same time. Living buttermilk will taste much better than the faked stuff.
I sub plain whole milk kefir for buttermilk in most cases. Always in my fridge. Works for me.
Now that you've made me hungry.....
Thank you, Julia!
I will be giving that 15 minute pasta cook trick a go next time, thanks.
I also got the tip about overcooking the macaroni from ATK's Hawaiian macaroni salad. It works super well and gives the texture you want in this.
I imagine all the water that’s absorbed in the pasta will also keep the macaroni from soaking up all of the sauce.
@@sterlingross919 Yes! It kept so creamy even days after making, and got better.
That looked delicious I will try it.❤
That looks so good! Just screaming to be next to bbq 🎉
Wow very interesting thanks for a good idea
Anytime I talk about ATK to people, I use the Hawaiian Mac Salad as an example of why they're so good. Very simple recipe but they cracked the code on the best way to make it.
I don't agree, because the macaroni will soften over time, and the best pasta salad is at least a day old. So if you cook it just barely past al dente, the pasta will absorb the dressing and not collapse into mush after a day or two
That’s my thought too. I do not like mushy macaroni in a macaroni salad or anything for that matter. This dressing looks delicious though!😊
Agreed, I don’t like the texture of mushy macaroni
Agreed. The flavor is better developed when the dressing is absorbed into the noodles.
It's zestier than when you start with overcooked, flaccid noodles
Mmmmmm looks so good 💯😊
We love Macaroni salad
I use gluten free pastas, such as rice pasta. It's got the texture of cardboard when chilled, so I never make pasta salad. I wonder if that trick of overcooking it would work?
My experience with GF pastas is that overcooking tends to cause them to fall apart. I would try cooking the noodles just a little bit more and assembling right before eating, without refrigerator time. It wouldn't work for this recipe, but a vinaigrette-based salad (rather than mayo-based) would hold better at room temperature, and might play better with the gf pasta for a potluck situation.
You might also try other pasta types, like lentil or corn, to see if they are better when cold; chilled rice does get crunchy when not in pasta form.
@@lindsaythegreat Thanks for the ideas!
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Not a macaroni salad fan, but do like ranch. Will try this.
Thanks my daughter want me to make some forher😂 4:50
That looks delicious.
I wish i can taste some of your dishes
Looks very tasty. Love macaroni salad.
That looks delicious
Looks delicious! I agree about boiling the pasta a little longer. I always do! We prefer the taste of a full figure (bloated) Macaroni! 🥰 Thanks for sharing!
Looks like a good a as macaroni salad , ill make it.
Forgot the tbsp of dijon mustard in the dressing. 👍
Yum.
Add tiny shrimp and sliced green olives; then you'll have perfection!!!
🤮
Just made this. Very good, but way better the next day when the pasta has soaked up most of the sauce. Hawaiian style is still my favorite.
Overcooking the macaroni for macaroni salad was my guilty secret. Now I feel vindicated.
And I always laughed at you for doing so... my apologies.
Is there are cookbook in the pipeline for gluten free folks? There are more out here than you might think.
ATK published a gluten-free cookbook over 10 years ago. They published a second volume about 2 years later. Both books were combined into a single cookbook 4 years ago.
😋
Man, I'm craving that salad now, wicked !
Overcooking the maccaroni. Absolutely right about that. I can't stand al dente pasta in a maccaroni salad.
I can't stand it any time. It's harder to digest and sits like a lump in my stomach. I always cook pasta until it's soft but still holds its shape. That goes for spaghetti, too.
@@WastrelWaySame here! I don’t like al dente for any pasta dish.
Me an my Italian family and ancestors weep for you.
I reckon the acid in the dressing firms the pasta a bit so that may help explain why overcooking the macaroni is a good id
You must have been inspired by my use of dill. I've been putting dill in my pasta salad for decades.
Well, I've been inspired by your use of dill Ruth, and some bedroom tricks as well. Tip: turn off your webcam...😅
What's a good substitute for the noodles? For keto
Nothing. Just eat something else. I'm not being snarky, but it's just not good with any of those low carb substitutes
Cauliflower
Starch, after being cooked will revert to resistant starch after chilling. Even after reheating (if doing so) it remains resistant starch. Same with rice and potatoes.
@@sharon94503
Good to know. (Resistant) Starch is back on the menu.
@@sharon94503 I don't know how resistant the starch actually becomes, although it's a good idea for pre-diabetics to pre-cook and cool their starches (I do for my wife). I don't think it will get to Keto level though.
I'll pass on the pepper. Maybe use carrot instead.
Overcook the macaroni AKA cook the macaroni - in my house
Gesù Cristo e Maria Vergine!
my stomach doesn't like bell peppers so I substituted 1 10 oz can of chicken
How much pasta is she cooking?
looked life half a pound by my eye.
You lost me at the overcooked macaroni.... and there is not enough veggies. and you need sour cream. and bacon.
Jones Mary Thompson Jeffrey Rodriguez Margaret
Really dislike overcooked, waterlogged noodles. Prefer al dente because it has just the right amount of texture. Overcooked has a very bland flavor that fails to be overcome despite all the possible add ins.
Send me a quart a day until the sun burns out.
Add some carrot !
1. Put the cilantro in the garbage. Don't even bring it into the house.
2. Forget the vinegar; instead add about a cup (or more!) of sweet salad pickles. Soooo good!
3. I really like onions, so I put about a cup (or more!) finely chopped Vidalia onions. Yummm!
4. I can live with the rest of the stuff. I just use mayo (Kraft) but I like buttermilk, so it might be good. I don't put sweet peppers and dill in mine, but I love dill and I can eat sweet peppers. I really like macaroni salad. And I always cook my pasta (any kind) until it's done; none of that al dente stuff for me.
5. Not that anybody asked, but this is a comment section----so I commented. 😂😂😂 You don't like it, ignore it! Blessings to everybody!
I agree on the cilantro and pickles. I like onions, but not too many. Vidalias are good, though.
I disagree with some of your ideas, but I love how you concluded your comment.
@@b_uppy 😊
Overcooked pasta is stomach turning.
The best macaroni salad is potato salad. Also, chicken salad is best macaroni salad. What I’m saying is that I’m not a fan.
this is so absolutely wrong in every way conceivable. who is doing the research for these bullshit recipes?
Nothing is worse in my mind than a dente pasta.
I like my pasta cooked like that all the time. So did my fully-Italian grandfather!
Rinsing it is a bad idea.
I found out about overcooking the pasta by accident, but it really make a difference. I cut the fat by using Greek yogurt. I love the other fresh veggies in this but have found that jarred red pepper brings more taste to a salad like this.
I subscribe to ATK for tips on techniques. I buy some of their books, including Julia's latest on kitchen gear. But I am consistently shocked how unhealthy their recipes are. A cup of mayo for a four-person serving? Sour cream has a quarter of the calories and tastes even better. Mix it with buttermilk for a tangy dressing.
Sour Cream and Buttermilk is healthier than Mayo??? How much difference is there in fat and calories?
@@chrisdragnet722 The recipe gets the buttermilk with either sour cream or mayo. The difference between a cup of mayo and a cup of sour cream is 1000 calories. If you can tolerate light sour cream, you can cut the calories in half again, so about 1250 calories (or 1/3 of a pound of human fat) out of the dish for mayo vs light sour cream.
@@chrisdragnet722
Mayo typically has highly refined seed oils, and other sus chemicals. Sour cream and buttermilk has much fewer problematic components.
The tip is lose the fing mayo
First
lololololol
Nobody cares your first 😅
@@affliction6911 But we do care that it's "you're" and not "your".
al dente is gross, i cook until it's plump and done, all pasta in my house is completely cooked