Categories: Food & Wine

How to Make Restaurant- Style Cole Slaw

Presented here, is a guide that explains how to make restaurant- style cole slaw. Classic in style, made with green cabbage, carrots, a touch of red onion and coated with a semi- sweet mayonnaise dressing, this version of cole slaw is not only delicious to eat, but it is fun and economical to make as well.

Having worked as a cook and chef in the Hartford, Ct area for many years and also being a big fan of cole slaw, I have devoted much time and effort to developing the most flavorful and universally- acceptable coleslaw possible. This has been largely augmented by listening to and observing other cooks and chefs and learning of various tips, techniques and recipe ingredients. Through the years, these various methods have coalesced into a delicious version of cole slaw that has a slightly- sweet and tangy flavor, that works well as a side dish, or topping, with many other dishes. In fact, the version of cole slaw presented here, has been and still is, featured on the menus of several Hartford, Ct area restaurants.

While quite often, the cole slaw served in many restaurants is either too sweet, too sour, or too heavy with mayonnaise, the recipe offerd here strives to provide a nice balance of sweet, sour and creaminess. This is obtained, in part, by stressing the importance of maintaining a 50 / 50 ratio of vinegar and sugar. For this recipe, no matter how large or small the quantity, it is imperative that equal amounts of vinegar and sugar be used. For example, 1/2 cup sugar to 1/2 cup vinegar, or 1 cup sugar to 1 cup vinegar, and so on. This provides a sense of balance in flavor, that when combined with the other ingredients, produces a very pleasant taste that is more- than acceptable to most people’s palates.

For this guide, the featured cole slaw recipe is based upon the use of one medium- size head of green cabbage, which, when combined with the other ingredients, should yield approximately eight cups of cole slaw. Two other components in the making of this, or any other cole slaw recipe, are making sure that the core of the head of cabbage is removed and that the cabbage itself be shredded or grated thinly and fairly- uniformly.

When removing the core, which has a bitter taste, from a head of cabbage, remember to think “Safety first”. The first step in removing the core, is to make an even cut across the bottom of the head of cabbage, to give it a flat ‘base’, for safer cutting. After that has been done, then remove all loose and dis- colored, or unacceptable cabbage leaves from the head. After ensuring that the head of cabbage is stationary, cut the cabbage in half, starting at the center of the top of the head, and work your way downward. It is often safest and easiest to cut through one side of the cabbage, starting in the middle, working downward, then turning the cabbage and cutting the other side. What should result, is, two halves of a head of cabbage. Upon viewing the exposed interior of the cabbage, it is easy to see the core, which has been split- in- half, as a result of the cabbage being cut. The pieces of core, located at the base and center of the cabbage, should resemble off- white triangles, because of the previous cut. Being very careful, the easiest way to remove the pieces of core, is to cut along the side edges and sideways, along the top of the core, so that it becomes loose. At that point, the core can be popped- out, using a teaspoon, or other utensil.

After the core has been removed, it is time to shred the cabbage. With a goal of producing thin, uniform strands of cabbage for cole slaw, the utensil, or device used to produce such results, does not matter. Whether it be shredded by a food processor, manual box- grater, or a knife, the objective is to produce thin, uniform pieces. After the green cabbage has been shredded, a very small amount of red cabbage can be similarly- shredded, or cut and added to the shredded green cabbage, for contrast and color, if desired. The inclusion of red cabbge is strictly optional, it is for presentation, more than anything else.

Next, it is time to peel the carrots. When the carrots are peeled, shred, or grate them into very small pieces and add to the shredded cabbage. The next step, is to cut the red onion into very thin slices and add it to the shredded cabbage and carrots. At that point, gently toss the cabbage, carrot and onion mixture together. Then, add the celery seed, salt and pepper, apple- cider vinegar and sugar. Finally, add the mayonnaise to the other ingredients and gently mix together, until all ingredients are evenly- coated. As noted in the list of ingredients, the amount of mayonnaise used, is an approximate. Depending on each cook’s preference, by adding a little more mayonnaise to the cole slaw, it will result in a thicker, creamier cole slaw, while using less mayonnaise will produce a lghter, more tangy cole slaw. After all ingredients are mixed thoroughly, chill cole slaw for at least four hours, allowing the various ingredients to interact and to provide a cool, fresh snap to the cabbage.