Martha Stewart's Tip To Prevent Cucumbers From Watering Down Macaroni Salad

You probably have an aunt, neighbor, or foodie friend who swears by their recipe for macaroni salad. There are many mainstay ingredients in most varieties, like cucumbers, but the subtle issue with that juicy vegetable is the chance of it watering down your bowl of salad. Lucky for you and the guests at your next cookout, Martha Stewart, who has published nearly 100 books on cooking and hosting, has an easy tip that should prevent a macaroni salad stocked with cucumbers from becoming watery.

In a video shared to Stewart's YouTube channel, the celebrity chef says the key is to remove the seeds from the cucumbers before tossing them in the bowl. In fact, she's right because the seeds found in the center of those cucumbers contain most of the excess water. Keep in mind that Stewart's tip pertains to cucumber varieties with seeds like standard garden cucumbers. Other varieties like English cucumbers don't have seeds, and Persians don't contain very many, therefore, they don't necessarily require this extra step.

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De-Seed Your Cucumbers Like Martha Stewart

Stewart first peels the cucumbers so consider that step one if you don't want chewy cucumber skin in your macaroni salad. To de-seed the cucumbers, Stewart's method is to cut the vegetables in half first. Next, you'll cut them again lengthwise into quarters. Then, run either your knife or a small spoon down the center to easily remove the seeds, as well as all of that excess water. Another technique is to simply cut the cucumbers in half, run the spoon down the center to de-seed, then proceed to cut them into smaller pieces to your preference.

If you're wondering whether having cucumbers at all is worth the extra step, the answer is yes. Like Stewart says in the video, they provide a nice crunch to the dish. The vegetables also have a fresh, vegetal flavor that pairs well against the pasta, mayonnaise, and other mix-ins. Consider this tip with your favorite recipe or try Tasting Table's creamy macaroni salad. You could also incorporate cucumbers to bulk up our Hawaiian macaroni salad. This hack works for other types of pasta salad too, like this chicken pasta salad recipe that already includes cucumbers in the ingredients.

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