pasta salad for 200
jane herin
09/12/10 		What is the earliest to make pasta salad without it becoming mushy? I practiced cooking pasta and made sure it was drained well and completely cooled. It worked very well for a day in my fridge then I added other ingredients. But for 15 lbs dry pasta I am afraid it will be too heavy and get mushy. How long before that happens? Any suggestions?

Wish I had found this web site sooner!

ellen
09/13/10 		The secrets:

1 Use radiatore or twists, they hold the best
2 Cook just barely done, which means, for the home cook, bringing a large pot of water to the boil and only cooking about 2 pounds at a time.
3 Cool very quickly- ice water is useful here.
4 Store in gallon bags and don't stack them.

This will hold two days.

jane herin
09/14/10 		Great ideas! Can I add the dressing and ingredients a day before or the morning off the event?
ellen
09/14/10 		You can do an oil-based dressing when you bag it. I usually add the rest of the stuff day of.