Why This Recipe Works

Hawaiians cook the macaroni for their Hawaiian Macaroni Salad until it’s “fat,” or very soft. They know what they’re doing; while overcooking the pasta seems like a bad idea, it actually enables the macaroni to absorb more dressing. The dressing for our Hawaiian Macaroni Salad had to be thin enough to soak into the pasta, so we used an equal amount of mayonnaise and milk, and a lot of each. To prevent the cider vinegar from curdling the milk, we poured the vinegar directly over the hot macaroni. After the vinegar soaked in, we poured on about half the dressing, gave the mixture a stir, and let it cool. We then stirred in the remaining dressing and added grated carrot, chopped celery (for crunch), scallions, a bit of brown sugar, and some vigorous shakes of salt and black pepper.

Before You Begin

Low-fat milk or mayonnaise will make the dressing too thin.

Instructions

Whisk 2 cups whole milk, 2 cups mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt together in bowl. Reserve and refrigerate 1 cup dressing for finishing salad. Set both aside.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 pound elbow macaroni and cook until very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain pasta in colander and shake to remove excess water. Transfer pasta to large bowl, add ½ cup cider vinegar, and toss until vinegar is absorbed. Let pasta cool for 10 minutes.

Stir remaining dressing (larger portion) into pasta mixture until combined. Stir in 4 thinly sliced scallions; 1 large carrot, peeled and grated; and 1 finely chopped celery rib until combined. Cover and refrigerate until fully chilled, about 1 hour. Stir in reserved 1 cup dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.