Potato salad is a surprisingly time-consuming side dish. Just consider the usual steps it requires:

• Peel and boil potatoes.
• Boil the eggs and peel the shells.
• Mash the potatoes and mix with other ingredients.
• Add seasonings.

It requires two pots and a bowl, not to mention a lot of time and effort. Considering the number of dishes to be washed, it can be a daunting task.

But what if there were an easier way to make potato salad with fewer steps, less time and trouble, and fewer dishes to wash?

Super easy! Time-saving potato salad recipe

Here's a recipe and cooking lifehack that lets you do just that! It relies on two important tips...

First tip: Boil eggs out of shell in same pot

It's a satisfying feeling when you can peel all your boiled eggs smoothly, but if they don't peel well, the whites can fall apart and the yolks can come out, which can be stressful.

It's also time-consuming to use a separate pot for boiling.

In this recipe, you bypass this step by taking those eggs out of their shells from the beginning...without requiring a separate pot!

When the potatoes are done boiling, just crack your eggs over the same pot and drop them in to poach them!

When the yolks are set, you'll drain the water and mash the eggs with the potatoes in the same pot.

Second tip: Add vinegar to boiling water

Now, some of you who have experience poaching eggs may be thinking: "Wait a second, don't the whites spread out into the boiling water, thus making a mess? Won't I need to strain the ingredients when I pour out the water to catch everything?"

Indeed, normally, that would be the case. But that's where our second tip comes in:

When adding the eggs, add a dash of vinegar to the boiling water. This prevents the whites from spreading.

The smell and acidity of vinegar will not affect the taste of the potato salad because it will evaporate when your boil the water.

It's also important to turn off the heat when the eggs are done. Overheating will change the texture of the eggs.

This technique of boiling eggs out of their shells can be applied to egg sandwiches, tartar sauce, and other recipes that call for mashing boiled eggs.

If you love potato salad or have been avoiding it because of all the trouble it takes to make it, why not give this recipe a try?