Potato salads are a staple for summer picnics, al fresco dinners and barbecues, but oftentimes they’re found swimming in thick mayonnaise dressings. The vegetables can often be bland, but when a creamy sauce is added to the mix, any flavour can get lost.

To give potato salads an injection of flavour, Simply Recipes shared a common ingredient found in the fridge which should be added to any recipe. Gherkin brine is the answer, offering up tangy, sharp and sweet flavours which add an extra dimension to meals. Grace Elkus wrote: “This rule holds particularly true for potato salad, whose mild-mannered ingredients (starchy potatoes, creamy mayonnaise) will happily soak up as much pickle flavour as you’ll give them.”

Simply Recipes pointed toward a recipe from cook and author Julia Turshen, who in her book Small Victories, explained that “the limit does not exist”. Instead of simply adding gherkin brine to the salad dressing, Julia recommends an unconventional cooking method.

To take the potato salad to the next level, Julia said, “boil the potatoes in a mixture of three parts water and one part pickle brine”. However, the brine should also be added to the mayonnaise dressing, and diced pickles to the finished salad as well.

Grace praised this gherkin-infused idea, saying: “It’s brilliant because potatoes, on their own, are dense and bland, and seasoning them on their surface will only get you so far.

“Instead, the most effective time to infuse them with flavour is when they’re boiling since that’s when their starches are most absorbent. Enter: pickle brine in the cooking water.

“By the time they’re drained and you’re ready to mix, you’re already one step ahead in the flavour department.”

The best way to make sure the potatoes soak up all the flavour is to infuse them while boiling. Grace explained that this is the best time due to the potato’s starches being at their “most absorbent”.

To get the most out of the flavour, place the potatoes in a saucepan before mostly covered with cold water. Add enough gherkin brine to completely submerge the potatoes. Follow with salt and bring to a boil.

This hack’s versatility doesn’t stop there, as it can be used for a multitude of spud-based recipes.

Grace continued: “And when potato salad season comes to a close, don’t let this trick fade along with it. Use it year-round whenever you’re boiling potatoes, whether you’re smashing them for an appetiser or mashing them for croquettes.”