CREAMY COLESLAW
Most of the coleslaw I ate growing up was of the wet
variety. Soggy and dripping, it left a pool in the bottom of
the serving bowl and a runny puddle on your plate,
inevitably contaminating your fried chicken or macaroni
and cheese. Now, where I come from, “wet” is not an
adjective that any self-respecting man would like applied
to his food. So what’s the key to great, flavorful, nonwet
coleslaw? Yep, you guessed it, osmosis.
Osmosis is the transfer of liquids across a permeable
membrane. It occurs when the concentration of solutes
(that’s science-speak for “stuff dissolved in liquid”) on one
side of the membrane is higher than on the other. Water
will shift across the membrane to try and balance out this
difference. Despite its firm appearance, cabbage is
actually one of the wettest vegetables around—a
whopping 93 percent of its weight is made up of water.
Compare that to say, 79 percent in peas or potatoes, and
you begin to get an idea of why coleslaw is always so wet.
Getting rid of this excess water is a simple procedure: just
salt the cabbage and let it rest for an hour or so, then
squeeze it dry.
The remaining ingredients in my coleslaw are pretty
standard. Carrots and onions add a bit of sweetness and
pungency to the base, while the dressing is a balanced
sweet, creamy, tangy blend of mayonnaise (preferably
homemade), sugar, cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard.