I used to think I didn't like pasta salad.

Now I've realized I just don't like pasta salad made by other people, because I've never had it made by someone who got it right. Mind you I'm sure none of them read r/Cooking, if they did they would know all these tips. But if you've struggled with making good pasta salads in the past, here's what I've learned in my pasta salad awakening:

• You obviously need to season the pasta water. This sounds dumb because of course you do, but I'm fairly certain I've tried pasta salads where the cook just didn't season the pasta water properly. My MIL is one of them.

• The dressing needs acid, and probably more than you think. I like using pickle juice but any vinegar, lemon juice, etc would be fine. But taste your dressing; if there isn't an acidic zip to it you need to add more. The heavy amount of pasta and mayo needs to be offset by acid.

• Pasta salad cries out for lots of herbs and bright flavours. Pickles, jalapenos, pepperoncinis, sundried tomatoes, capers, onions, etc. And tons of fresh herbs like parsley, dill, etc. You can't have too much.

• It needs to sit at least an hour, and it will thicken in that time. Mix your pasta salad ahead of time and put it in the fridge at least an hour. In that time, if you made a mayo-based dressing, it will thicken substantially. Which means at the beginning your dressing should be quite thin. In your initial mix if your dressing feels soupy and is puddling on the bottom of the bowl, that's a good thing. Mix it a few times over the next hour and you'll find less and less liquid at the bottom each time. If you don't account for this the end result will be way too heavy and paste-like; probably the single biggest reason I thought I didn't like pasta salad in the past.

Anyway here's the last pasta salad I made and everyone loved it, including people who insisted they don't like pasta salads. Feel free to play with any ingredient, just follow the tips above.

salad:

1 package fusilli (or insert your favourite pasta salad shape), cooked al-dente in salted water, then drained and rinsed under cold water

a good big handful of diced dill pickles

about half as much cheddar cheese, diced into tiny cubes

some salami (about as much as the cheese), diced small

a red onion, diced fine

some pepperoncini peppers, diced small

1 or 2 ribs of celery, diced small

a bell pepper, diced small

a very big handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine

maybe half as much fresh dill, chopped fine

dressing:

2/3 cup mayo

1/3 cup sour cream

a good 1/4 cup dill pickle juice, or more

salt and pepper (don't add until you've tasted, as the pickle juice has a lot of salt)

a dash of cayenne

Instructions:

Mix up the dressing, then mix with everything else and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The dressing will be very runny at first but it will thicken. Taste before serving, add more seasoning or pickle juice if needed.