KEEP THE CRUNCH IN COLESLAW

Proper preparation will stop cabbage from turning into soup

Do you have a list of small, unimportant things that drive you crazy? So do I. On my list is having the garbage bag slip down into the can, not stuffing the soiled laundry all the way into its receptacle — and coleslaw soup.

Coleslaw soup is created when the salt in the dressing pulls water out of the cabbage, diluting the flavour of the slaw and turning it into soup. What may have started out as a deliciously seasoned coleslaw starts to lose its punch after a few hours, becoming progressively soupier and blander as it sits. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Soupy coleslaw is easily rectified by salting the cabbage to extract the water, then dressing it. It softens the cabbage, removes any harsh flavours, and renders it succulent yet crunchy.

Coleslaw is in a class of its own. It's a salad, a condiment, and can also be the base for a meal. One of my favourite quick meals is a slaw with Thai seasonings — fish sauce, mint, cilantro, lime juice, green onions and chilies — tossed with leftover beef, chicken or pork.

Wherever there's cabbage, there's slaw. In Sweden, a tangy vinaigrette version known as pizzasallad is served with pizza. Curtido is a popular Central American condiment — part slaw, part pickle — that you find on restaurant tables to use as you wish on pupusas and other dishes. Queensland, Australia, has cheese slaw, a creamy slaw with cheddar cheese that is popular on barbecued chicken.

With barbecue season ramping up and potlucks on the horizon, you can thrill the crowd with your coleslaw magic.