Can you freeze potato salad?

What freezing does to potato salad

Mayonnaise and other creamy dressings are emulsions that break in the freezer, thawing into an oily, curdled coat. The cooked potato pieces fare no better: ice crystals rupture them, so they come back watery, grainy and dull. A vinegar-dressed German-style salad survives a little better, but the texture still suffers enough that freezing is not worth it.

What to do instead

Instead of freezing, keep potato salad covered in the refrigerator and eat it within a few days. If you regularly make too much, freeze plain cooked potatoes on their own and dress them fresh after thawing -- the dressing takes minutes and the texture is far better.

Depends on the form

• Mayonnaise-dressed salads suffer most -- the emulsion breaks.
• Vinegar-dressed (German-style) versions fare slightly better but still lose texture.
• Plain cooked potatoes freeze acceptably and can be dressed after thawing.