Prepare the dressing separately
Store commercial mayonnaise according to its label and remove it with a clean spoon. It does not make the completed salad resistant to poor handling; cut vegetables and yogurt still need refrigeration. Do not thoroughly rinse the cabbage after draining, which adds water again. Instead squeeze gently before combining with dressing. Start with a restrained amount. After half an hour the salad often becomes juicier even if it initially looked a little dry.
Creamy slaw should cling to a spoon without disappearing under a heavy mayonnaise coating. Fold in dressing gradually and reassess after a short rest. Finely grate the carrots so they spread among the cabbage strips. For a crowd, rotate two small chilled bowls rather than leaving one large bowl out. Portion with clean utensils and keep the remaining supply refrigerated.
Preparing the day before
For a larger group, shred cabbage and carrots the previous day, drain the cabbage and refrigerate the vegetables separately from the dressing. Keep the sauce in its own covered container as well. Combine about an hour before eating and return to the refrigerator. This preserves more crunch than leaving the assembled salad for a full day, but it does not reset the age of its ingredients. Previously opened mayonnaise or yogurt does not become fresh again when mixed into a recipe; its label instructions and condition still matter.
The recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 lb / 500 g white cabbage
- 2 carrots, about 6 oz / 180 g total
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp / 100 g plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup / 80 g prepared mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Method
- Finely shred cabbage, massage lightly with salt and drain in a sieve for 15 minutes. Squeeze gently. Peel and coarsely grate carrots.
- Whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, sugar and pepper until smooth. Toss three quarters of the dressing with the vegetables and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Stir and add remaining dressing only if needed. Bring out small bowls in succession for a cookout. Do not lay salad spoons on a raw-meat board even when no meat is currently sitting there.
Storage
Put leftovers into shallow covered containers and refrigerate within two hours, or one hour when the temperature exceeds 90°F / 32°C. Keep at 40°F / 4°C or colder and use within three days. Store dressing separately when possible, and reheat only the portion you plan to eat.
Use grilling equipment only in its intended location and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Timing is not a substitute for checking doneness.
