Believe it or not there is a difference between Waldorf Salad and Apple Salad! Waldorf Salad is a version of an older more traditional Apple Salad. Waldorf Salad has some of the same ingredients but is not the same as Apple Salad for many reasons. The preparation and some key ingredients vary and making old-fashioned Apple Salad is an art that has been handed down through generations of families. It is a tradition that must be placed on our Thanksgiving table! There is an art and sense of nostalgia involved in making Apple Salad. Waldorf Salad is a more trendy restaurant kind of concoction.
My experience with Waldorf Salad is big chunks of little-flavor apples in marshmallowy goo! This is not appetizing or flavorful, to me. It is typically not easy to eat either because of its chunky apples and other ingredients. People tend to add almost whole grapes and nuts too, which I do not enjoy. Coconut is often added which overpowers the taste of the fruit. Wet marshmallows are not my favorite thing either. I have probably been spoiled by the traditional Apple Salad that I grew up with so don’t use my personal taste as a reason to boycott Waldorf Salad!
The art and nostalgia involved in making Apple Salad makes it more tolerable to do what is required for a perfect Thanksgiving in our family . The ingredients needed to make a batch of old-fashioned Apple Salad are simple but specific. The main ingredient, of course, is apples. The selection of the type of apple is the most important thing to consider when attempting to make the salad. A firm, crisp and tart apple is the best choice-Johnathon is our family favorite. They hold up well and have a more appealing flavor when mixed with the other ingredients. A few stalks of celery, a bunch of grapes, chopped nuts, mayonnaise, and a little sugar (Splenda if sugar is not acceptable) is all that is required to make this very satisfying salad.
Making Apple Salad the night before it will be served makes a difference in the taste of the salad as the ingredients mix together and the mayonnaise breaks down and becomes more of a sauce. If it has to be prepared on the same day, try to do so as early as possible to attain the desired results. I also stir a couple of times while it’s in the refrigerator to help mix the ingredients.
Depending on the amount of salad that you wish to make, the desired amount of apples should be washed and somewhat dried. The skins will be left on unless some needs to be removed to get rid of any bad spots on the apple. The art of making Apple Salad is in the cutting and chopping process. The apples should not be left in large chunks. They should be relatively the same size and shape-just a little bit bigger than the carrot cubes in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Once you have done a couple of apples, the chore doesn’t seem to be so overwhelming and goes by pretty quickly. This is the most important step though so don’t overlook the size of your cut up apples! Once you have chopped up an amount of apples that looks like it will accommodate your needs, cut up a few more. When the other ingredients are added and have been in the fridge they will start to break down and you don’t want to be shorthanded.
Next wash and somewhat dry the celery and grapes. The more finely the celery is chopped the better. Try to remove any “stringy” celery as it is being chopped to avoid serving them in your salad. Grapes can be cut lengthwise in quarters and any seeds should be removed. The kind of nuts used is a personal choice. Sometimes I use walnuts and other times I use pecans-either is fine. Again, chopping is the most important thing to consider. The nuts should be chopped very finely but not to the point of being more like a ground nut. You want the flavor of the nut in the salad more than the texture.
After all of the ingredients have been satisfactorily chopped I dump them all into a very large stainless steel mixing bowl and start mixing. At this point, if I am making a batch with sugar and a batch with sweetener, I separate the portions into different bowls. I also keep out a portion that does not have celery. Different tastes and medical needs have developed, which are easy to accommodate, so that everyone can enjoy our traditional Apple Salad. Once the chopped ingredients are assembled I add the mayonnaise. Depending on the amount of other ingredients used the amount of mayonnaise needed varies. I start off with a few large scoops of mayo and mix-if it looks like more is needed to coat the ingredients add more. If you don’t get enough now, more can be added when you stir it after it has been in the fridge for a while. Adding a couple of tablespoons of sugar/sweetener and mixing it in the salad will increase the sauciness of the mayonnaise and is really what makes this salad special. Be careful not to over-do-it when adding sugar or sweetener though-more isn’t better.
The key things to remember when making Apple Salad are to chop the fruit and nuts into bite sized pieces and to give it time to become saucy. Stirring a couple of times does make a difference in the outcome but isn’t mandatory. Make more than you think you need to-leftovers are the best! Once you have tried this old-fashioned traditional Apple Salad, the difference between it and Waldorf Salad will be easily distinguishable.
