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Creamy Coleslaw Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt
Creamy Coleslaw Recipe

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

Note: This recipe is easiest to produce with a mandoline-style slicer, though you can also finely shred the cabbage by hand. To slice cabbages on a mandoline, split the head in half, cut out the core using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, the quarter the cabbage and slice it with the mandoline set to 1/16th of an inch. When grating the carrot, make sure to hold at a steep vertical bias so that the shreds are long instead of short.

Read more: The Food Lab: How To Make the Best Creamy Coleslaw

  • Yield:Serves 12
  • Active time: 30 minutes
  • Total time:35 minutes
  • Rated: 4.6

Ingredients

  • For the Slaw Mix:
  • 1 large head green cabbage, about 3 1/2 pounds, finely shredded on a mandoline or by hand (see note)
  • 1 large red onion, finely sliced on a mandoline or by hand
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and grated on the large holes of a box grater (see note)
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  •  
  • For the Dressing:
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons sugar

Directions

  1. 1.

    For the Slaw Mix: Combine cabbage, onion, carrot, and parsley in a large bowl, leaving plenty of room to toss (you may have to use two large bowls if your bowls are not large enough). Sprinkle with sugar and salt and toss to combine. Let rest five minutes, then transfer to a large colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.

  2. 2.

    Transfer rinsed mixture to a salad spinner and spin dry. Alternatively, transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet lined with a triple layer of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and blot mixture dry with more paper towels. Return to large bowl and set aside.

  3. 3.

    For the Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until homogenous.

  4. 4.

    Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, sugar, and/or vinegar if desired.

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