Why is there liquid in my macaroni salad, potato salad and tuna salad the day after making them?

Have you tried baking pasta, after boiling it in the water?

I highly recommend you bake the pasta in the oven on very low heat, for 20 minutes, then you will see that there is no more liquid.

Also it gives the macaroni a spongy condition which makes it able to keep the liquid in it.

I believe if you bake the pasta before mixing with mayonnaise, you will get a good result.

I'm not sure there is a real solution to your issue. Once pasta is cooked and mixed you should eat it. If it is a 'hot' pasta recipe (e.g. "spaghetti al pomodoro") and then you put in the fridge and open it the next day, you'll have the same problem, with the difference that you might warm it again, thus making the excess of water evaporate.

Any time you put something in the fridge, you'll have the feeling it 'produces some water'. (You can see the same with salad: put it in a plastic bag, then in the fridge. After a day it will be a bit moisty).

The only turnarounds I see are:

1. Eat it the same day you prepare it! (strongly suggested)
2. Put the cooked pasta in the fridge SEPARATED from the sausage ingredients, and mix them 5 minutes before you are going to eat them.

I think that if you would mix some potato or corn starch in with the salads that should eliminate the problem.

The reason it probably gets water is from tasting it and putting the utensil back in the salad. Saliva will break down the mayo or salad dressing and viola!!! Water.... When you taste it put it in another dish and use a different utensil. Don't let your fork touch the serving spoon either.... It contaminates it.....

Try to store the salad without condiments (mayonaise, salt or anything that could be added). I had the same problem. Be careful also with tomatoes, the juicy ones won't help preventing you salad to keep "dry"

After you boil macaroni, drain. Do not rinse. Leave in colander for at least an hour to cool while periodically stirring. It will become tacky. This will eliminate your problem.

Syneresis is likely the culprit here:

the extraction or expulsion of a liquid from a gel, as when serum drains from a contracting clot of blood. Another example of syneresis is the collection of whey on the surface of yogurt. Syneresis can also be observed when the amount of diluent in a swollen polymer exceeds the solubility limit as the temperature changes.

Adding a Polysaccharide such as Xanthan gum or Guar gum will help. You'll see these in the ingredient lists of many commercial dressings, yogurts etc.

I make mine and then let it cool in the fridge with the lid off for a few hours. That usually lets the excess water evaporate off and lets the mayo/spices/veggies/pasta/tuna/whatever mix together and absorb with minimal mayo. After a few hours you can add more mayo if needed. Good Luck!

When you add salt to the salad, it acts to extract water from the macaroni, the celery, the onions and anything else you have in it.

The reason the stores products do not have this issue is that stores often use extra preservatives in their salads. The mayo is almost always going to break down. I would continue to store it the way you have been, since everything tastes better after a day or two in the fridge. Just re-stir before serving. If it’s really excessive, I would use a paper towel to blot away the excess. Best of luck to you.

I salt my celery before using it in salads. If you salt and mix it, let it sit, it will exude water. Then I rinse it and squeeze it in a dishtowel or strong paper towel. Since I have started doing this, I have never had puddles in my salads.

If you put the salted celery in a strainer and bowl, you will see how much water it produces. Likely the same amount as you are seeing puddle in your salad.