-For a potato salad that doesn't end up mushy, use waxy potatoes, which keep their shape better than starchy baking potatoes.

-For even cooking, make sure the potatoes are cut into uniform pieces.

-For a hint of sweetness, add a pinch of sugar to the vinegar mixture. For extra tang, sub in sour cream for some of the mayonnaise.

-For warm-weather picnics, make a no-mayo version: replace the mayo in my basic recipe with 1/2 cup olive oil whisked with 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.

-For balanced flavor, keep your mix-ins simple (but still be creative). I like celery and hard-cooked egg. Take it easy on salty and acidic ingredients (combining, say, pickles, capers, and olives would be too much).

Mix-and-Match Mix-Ins (add after salad cools)
-Sliced celery
-Diced red onion
-Sweet pickle relish
-Chopped pickles
-Slivered green olives
-Capers
-Chopped herbs
-Chopped hard-cooked eggs
-Crumbled bacon