"Give me back the time I spent" - A time-saving potato salad recipe called "groundbreaking" and "a testament to the obsession with saving time" [Great for saving money too]

Hello, I'm culinary expert Frao ^^
This is sudden, but do you potato saladlike?

I love it, but making it myself is a hassle (boiling the potatoes, mashing them, or draining the cucumbers... there's so much to do), so I don't have many opportunities to eat it often...

Meanwhile...

I thought, "maybe there are not many people like me" and decided to create a recipe for "super easy potato salad."super easy potato salad

I'll be clear: I pride myself on this being the most time-saving potato salad recipe in Japan ^^

For those of you thinking, "isn't 'number one in Japan' an exaggeration?," I hope you'll read this article to the end. You might think, "
You'd go that far to save time...?" ^^

Ingredients (for 3-4 people)

• Potatoes... 3 medium (250-300g)

• Ham... 4 slices

• Frozen vegetables…about 50g (using edamame this time)

• Mayonnaise…4 tablespoons

The standard ingredient cucumber is a hassle to drain, so I substitute it with something that is "easy to prepare," has a "crunchy texture," and is "green."^^

Besides edamame, I think asparagus, snap peas, broccoli, or spinach would work well!

How to make

From here, I will introduce how to make it while sprinkling in "time-saving tips" throughout! I hope you enjoy reading it, thinking things like, "Oh, I know this one!" or "Oh, I didn't know that!"^^

First...

Before heating the potatoes, place a knife on the skin and make a cut all the way around.

By doing this...

It saves time peeling after heating (details to follow).

Next, we heat them, but since "boiling" takes time to boil the water...

Wrap the potatoes one by one in plastic wrap...

By placing it on a heat-resistant plate and microwave heating it, you can achieve time savings and save on utility costs.

Some of you might be worried thinking, "Does it really cook through in the microwave?" but...

Since it can be heated so that it is almost indistinguishable from the boiled state, please rest assured.

Now, what you might be wondering here is...

the heating time for different quantities, but for medium-sized ones, the following times are a good guide (for 600W).

• For 1... 3 minutes

• For 2... 5 minutes

• For 3... 8 minutes

For those who find it "troublesome to remember", it is troublesome to understand it as "3 minutes per piece. However, 3 minutes. But when there are multiple pieces, it is minus 1 minute" and it is convenient.

Since this time it is "3 pieces", heat at 600W for 8 minutes, then poke with a toothpick and if it goes in "smoothly", it is done (if it is hard, add 20 seconds at a time).

---

Furthermore, you can heating time, or during the time to let it cool, you can prepare other ingredients (vegetables and ham) to make effective use of your time.

First, frozen vegetables should be microwaved as indicated on the package to thaw them.

And then, you cut the ham, but...

If you have ham that comes in a set of 4 slices, peel off the film and...

if you cut it as is, the ham slices will stick together, and peeling them apart one by one can become a hassle.

So, the time-saving technique I want you to try is...

Before cutting, stagger the ham slices one by one (overlapping them slightly) and lay them out on the cutting board.

Once you have them in this state...

you can just cut them to your preferred size.

After that, on the cutting board, stroke them with your hand to spread them out...

and you can reduce the overlap between the ham slices, which helps reduce the hassle of peeling them apart one by one.

By just making a small adjustment at the beginning, the subsequent work becomes dramatically faster, so I hope you will incorporate this time-saving technique as well ^^

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Now, the potatoes have cooled down enough, so...

I will peel them here, but at this time...

By working while wrapping it in paper towels, it won't slip, and because the heat is less likely to transfer to your hands, it is easier to peel, which ultimately leads to saving time.

Furthermore, what subtly makes a difference here is...

The "score" you made before heating.

The score acts as a "starting point" for peeling the skin, and if you pull the skin from the position of the score, it will slide right off without any stress, which is another reason it leads to saving time.

Once you've peeled the skin, you'll crush (or mash) the potatoes, and the time-saving tool that appears here is...

Yes, a "zippered storage bag".

Inside the bag...

put the potatoes, and fold back the opening so it stands on its own.

Next...

add mayonnaise...

from over the bag, crush the potatoes with your hands.

By doing this, you don't have to use a masher or a bowl, which helps reduce the dishes.

Finally...

Vegetables and ham are added to the bag, and if you mix them together inside the bag...

At last...

It's the completion of a "time-saving technique" potato salad that is packed with every time-saving trick" I could think of!"
Potato salad is complete!

Also, although it is simply seasoned with only mayonnaise, I should add that my gourmet wife and son said it was "delicious!" and asked for seconds, so I am confident in the taste as well^^ (That said,
salt, pepper, consommé, etc. are very welcome for variations!)

By the way...

Once it has cooled down, you can keep it in the bag and store it in the refrigerator, making it a convenient recipe for "meal prep" as well.

Summary & A final request

The time-saving techniques used this time are summarized as follows.

• Skip salting the cucumbers

• Do not boil the potatoes

• Make peeling easier with a slit

• Use paper towels effectively

• Cut the ham after layering it

• Use a bag to reduce dishwashing

By combining these tricks, I achieved making potato salad in less time while saving on utility costs.

However...

I am thinking, "Are there tips to save even more time?"

After reading this article, if you think, "Doing it this way might save even more time!" or "I know another time-saving technique!", I would appreciate it if you could let me know in the comments section ^^

Announcements, etc.

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