Brown Bag Thursday: Hellmann's vs. Homemade Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is a main part of many lunches: tuna salad, salad dressings, turkey sandwiches and more. British food writer Elizabeth David called mayonnaise "the beautiful shining golden ointment."

While I've made mayonnaise a few times, I'll admit that for a potato salad or a smear on a sandwich, I've relied on Hellmann's mayonnaise, know as Best Foods in the West.

A few months ago, though, I opened a new jar of Hellmann's, stuck my finger into the bit of mayo clinging to the lid and took a taste. Yuck, the familiar flavor was gone. This Hellmann's tasted sweeter with a chemically tangy aftertaste just like dreaded Miracle Whip.

I found many recent complaints about Hellmann's, but they were about a recent price increase coupled with a product size decrease, not a change in flavor. Isn't it frustrating that more people comment on the change in price than the change in flavor?

I emailed Hellmann's, owned by Unilever, to find out more. "Yes, we have changed the formula of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise," they said.

That sent me right into the kitchen. Without my reliable Hellmann's, I'm working on mastering my own mayonnaise. Sara Kate suggested I start with this basic mayonnaise recipe from The French Culinary Institute.

Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground white pepper
2 cups olive oil

All ingredients need to be at room temperature, or else the sauce will break down. Combine all ingredients except oil in a bowl and stir with a whisk. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking. Whisk increasingly faster until it takes the thick consistency of mayonnaise.

I've been practicing making mayonnaise, a lesson in whisking and patience. I cheated a few times and used the food processor, even though Elizabeth David warns against that. So far my mayonnaise isn't quite right, not as thick as what eGullet has made. I'm also shopping for better quality vinegar and experimenting with blends of olive and canola oil to improve the flavor. Any advice for a guy recovering from Hellmann's?

[photo: Mouseprint.org]

Comments (9)

When i have finished making my mayo i stir in a couple of tsps of hot water which helps to stop separation then straight in the fridge, lasts for 2 weeks and tastes like old helmans.

1 egg yolk
150 ml oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp worsester sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp white wine vinager

all ingredients at room temp:

mix yolk with salt, pepper, sugar, mustard powder and worsester sauce untill mix is nice and smooth then start adding 75ml of the oil, slowly, watching the mix and keeping in nice and thick. when youve added the first 75ml, wisk the mix untill its really thick then add 1/4 tsp vinager and 1/4 tsp of lemon juice stir in with a spoon. now start to wisk in the rest of the oil ( about 10ml at a time). When you have mixed all the oil, wisk the mix untill its really thick then add the rest of the vinager and lemon juice 2 tsp of hot water, stir with spoon and sling in the fridge :P tastes real great.

I've used Hellman's or Best Foods Mayonnaise for probably 50 years, but when they decided to reduce their container size by 6% (2/32), I decided to rebel. It's become a nice thing that I did. I bought a Bamix stick blender that will make a cup of mayo in 10-20 seconds. The recipe is so easy that it now seems a waste of money to buy mayo.

I always thought the only dif between mayo and something like Miracle Whip was the sugar in the latter, and it's always made me lean toward regular mayonnaise.

I make an artichoke rice salad that I "reverse engineered" from a deli up in Napa. Originally, I used a dressing on my version made by Bernsteins, but when they stopped making it, I turned to Cardini's Roasted Garlic Dressing. Cardini's stopped making it as well, so I decided that I could make my own.

I make the mayonnaise for the recipe using:

1 cup canola oil
1 room temp egg
1 tsp. salt.
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. vinegar

Using the Bamix stick blender, it takes about 15 seconds to create mayonnaise.

To the mixture for my artichoke rice salad (write to me at don.hawkinson@hp.com for the recipe), I add 2 crushed garlic cloves, a bit more vinegar, milk to thin the mayo, and a little more salt.

My first attempt using the new (my dressing) recipe turned out perfect.

I don't see myself ever buying Best Foods Mayonnaise again.

Easy and delicious mayo recipe:

1 whole egg
1 to 1 and 1/4 cups oil (I only use Safflower oil for mayo)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder

Place all ingredients in a food processor, except oil, and pulse to mix...with the processor running SLOWLY add the oil...it should take at least 60 seconds!

Final result...delicious mayo:)...and soooo easy! Nancy

If you live in the midwest, buy Mrs. Clark's. Compare the ingredients to Hellman's - Mrs. Clark's has dry mustard and no sugar of any kind.

The secret that makes Hellmann's and Best Food the best mayo is lemon juice...so if you make your own be sure to use a recipe with lemon juice.

Also Hellmann's and Best Foods are slightly different in flavor altho both are delicious in my mind. I am glad we have moved back to the west and can now get Best Foods. Hellmann's is slightly sweeter than Best Foods altho the ingredients are listed the same and in the same order. But there is a distinct difference in flavor that can be detected if you have a good palate. I love my lemon and tang ;)

I have always preferred either of these to Kraft [SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, EGGS, EGG YOLKS, VINEGAR, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SUGAR, SALT, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA AS A PRESERVATIVE, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONIONS, SPICE, NATURAL FLAVOR.] Water as the 2nd ingredients is why the texture is bad.

Hellmann's and Best Foods
Soybean oil, whole eggs, vinegar, water, egg yolks, salt, sugar, lemon juice, natural flavors, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality).

I started with my great grandmother's recipe for mayo and elaborated from there. Same method, using 1 cup olive oil and 1 egg yolk or whole egg. I use, to taste: sea salt, balsamic or apple cider vinegar (white vinegar is for cleaning!), lemon juice, pepper (mixed colors), and sometimes a pinch of cumin. I use my blender (glass) to mix it up since I am arthrtic and hand whipping is out.

Forgot: Sometimes I even put in ground mustard. I am also an old-time Best Foods (from California) and Hellmann's fan, way back when. But I can't do preservatives or soy products anymore.

MY BEST BEST FOODS/HELLMANNS recipe:
Room temp all ingredients.
1 egg
1 cup light oil (veg, etc. I use Vegetable which is Soy)
1/2-1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2-1 Tbsp Malt Vinegar
1/4 tsp salt or more

Using a stick blender and deep, narrow bowl, use stick blender on low on eggs. Add salt and vinegar and mix. In a slow, steady, small stream, add oil with stick blender on high at all times. Blend until done (usually just after last of oil comes in). Use and chill up to 5 days. This is the closest I come to my old fav.

KarenCon: I THOUGHT there was a difference! Most things in the south are sweeter. I grew up in California but live in Tennessee (went to college in GA).